Washington paycheck calculator
Washington does not tax wages, so no state income tax comes out of a Washington paycheck in 2026. Two state premiums do: your share of Paid Family and Medical Leave, and the WA Cares Fund long-term care premium, which has no wage cap.
Take-home per paycheck
$2,329
- Take-home per year
- $60,552
- Total taxes per year
- $14,448
- Effective tax rate
- 19.3%
- Marginal tax rate
- 29.6%
Take-home per paycheck: $2,329 every 2 weeks
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,885 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$295 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security | −$179 | −$4,650 |
| Medicare | −$42 | −$1,088 |
| WA Paid Leave | −$23 | −$605 |
| WA Cares | −$17 | −$435 |
| Take-home pay | $2,329 | $60,552 |
- Take-home pay$60,55281%
- Federal income tax$7,67010%
- Social Security & Medicare$5,7388%
- State & local taxes$1,0401%
Washington has no wage income tax
- None
- Washington does not tax wages in 2026; a new 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million starts in 2028.
- WA Paid Leave, WA Cares
- WA Paid Leave 0.807% · WA Cares 0.58%
- None
- Washington cities and counties do not tax wages. No local income or wage tax is withheld from Washington paychecks.
- None
- Washington withholds no state income tax from bonuses. Paid Leave and WA Cares premiums still apply to bonus pay.
Other taxes on Washington paychecks
| Employee payroll tax | Rate | Wage base | Annual max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Family and Medical Leave premium (employee share) | 0.807% | $184,500 | — |
| WA Cares Fund long-term care premium | 0.58% | No cap | — |
$62,990 in Washington
$62,990 is the median annual wage in Washington (May 2025, BLS OEWS). A single filer paid every two weeks with no other income or deductions takes home $51,919 a year, or $1,997 per paycheck.
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,423 | $62,990 |
| Federal income tax | -$207 | -$5,379 |
| Social Security | -$150 | -$3,905 |
| Medicare | -$35 | -$913 |
| WA Paid Leave | -$20 | -$508 |
| WA Cares | -$14 | -$365 |
| Take-home pay | $1,997 | $51,919 |
No state income tax on wages
The Department of Revenue states that Washington does not currently have an individual income tax, so there is no state withholding form to fill out and nothing is withheld for state income tax.
That changes for the highest earners in 2028. A law passed in 2026, Senate Bill 6346, creates a 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income above $1 million for individuals and married couples filing jointly, starting January 1, 2028. It does not touch 2026 or 2027 pay.
Washington also has a capital gains tax on profits from selling long-term assets such as stocks above a yearly deduction. It is paid with an annual return, not withheld from wages.
Paid Family and Medical Leave premium
Paid Leave is funded by a premium on gross wages that employers and employees share, and employees carry most of it. The rate is reset every January based on the program's costs, and it applies only to wages up to the Social Security wage base, so very high earners stop paying partway through the year.
The base is gross pay: salary or hourly wages, bonuses, commissions and paid time off, but not tips. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees do not owe the employer part, but they still collect the employee share unless they choose to pay it for you.
WA Cares Fund long-term care premium
WA Cares is paid entirely by employees as a percentage of gross wages, with no cap on the wages it applies to. It earns you access to a long-term care benefit later in life.
Some workers can be exempt, for example people approved for an exemption because they hold private long-term care insurance, veterans with a 70% or higher service-connected disability rating, spouses of active-duty service members, and people who work for a Washington employer but live in another state. From 2026, temporary-visa workers are exempt automatically. The calculator assumes you are not exempt.
Workers' compensation deduction
Many Washington employers also deduct a small hourly amount for workers' compensation. Labor & Industries lets employers take part of the industrial insurance premium from paychecks, based on hours worked and the job's risk class. Because it depends on your employer and job, it is not included in this calculator.
What changed recently
- 2026: The Paid Leave premium rose to 1.13% of wages for 2026 (employees pay 71.43% of it), applied to wages up to $184,500. In 2025 the rate was 0.92%. Source
- 2026: Workers holding temporary-worker non-immigrant visas became automatically exempt from WA Cares on January 1, 2026, and people with a private long-term care insurance exemption can now cancel it and join WA Cares. Source
- 2026: The Legislature passed SB 6346, a 9.9% income tax on adjusted gross income over $1 million that takes effect January 1, 2028. Source
Questions people ask
Does Washington have a state income tax?
Not in 2026. Washington does not tax wages, so no state income tax is withheld from your paycheck. A new tax on adjusted gross income above $1 million begins in 2028.
What is the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave rate for 2026?
The total premium is 1.13% of gross wages up to $184,500. Employees pay 71.43% of that premium, and employers with 50 or more employees pay the rest.
What is the WA Cares deduction on my paycheck?
It is the WA Cares Fund long-term care premium, 0.58% of your gross wages with no wage cap. Employees pay all of it unless they have an approved exemption.
Do 401(k) contributions lower my Paid Leave or WA Cares premiums?
No. Both premiums are figured on gross wages, so pre-tax retirement contributions and health premiums do not reduce them.
Do I pay Paid Leave premiums on all of my salary?
Only up to the Social Security wage base, $184,500 in 2026, at each employer. WA Cares has no cap and applies to all wages.
Will Washington start withholding income tax from paychecks?
The new 9.9% tax applies only to adjusted gross income over $1 million and starts in 2028, with the first returns due in April 2029. The Department of Revenue's income tax page does not describe any paycheck withholding for it yet.
Sources
- Income tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Employer Wage Reporting and Premiums Toolkit v25.1 (June 2026) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Capital gains tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Paycheck deductions · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 inflation-adjusted tax items · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form 1040-ES (2026), Estimated Tax for Individuals · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 1-A (Form 1040) 2026, Additional Deductions (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 8812 (Form 1040) 2026, Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts: Individuals and workers (tips, overtime, seniors, car loan interest) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts provisions (charitable deduction for non-itemizers, Section 70424) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Child Tax Credit · retrieved 2026-10-16
- IR-2025-111: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-19: 2026 HSA limits · retrieved 2026-10-16
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, median annual wage by state · retrieved 2026-10-16