Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator
Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% has not changed since 2004, and it is applied with no standard deduction and no personal exemption. The rule that catches people out is that Pennsylvania does not recognise 401(k) deferrals — your retirement contributions are taxed on the way in, then come out tax-free in retirement.
Tax year 2026 · Updated 2026-08-29 · Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T · Pennsylvania tax authority
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How Pennsylvania taxes your paycheck
Pennsylvania taxes eight separate classes of income at 3.07% with no netting between them. Because elective retirement deferrals are not deductible for Pennsylvania purposes, your state taxable wages on a W-2 are usually higher than your federal taxable wages. On top of the state tax, almost every municipality and school district levies a local Earned Income Tax under Act 32, typically around 1% combined, withheld at the higher of your resident rate or the work-location non-resident rate using PSD codes. Philadelphia runs its own system entirely: 3.735% for residents and 3.425% for non-residents from July 1, 2026. A Local Services Tax of up to $52 a year is also withheld, prorated per pay period, with a mandatory exemption below $12,000 of local earnings. Finally, Pennsylvania withholds 0.07% of all wages for unemployment compensation with no cap.
Every Pennsylvania paycheck starts with the same two federal layers. Federal income tax is calculated with the IRS percentage method from Publication 15-T: your pay is annualized, adjusted for the entries on your Form W-4, run through the withholding schedule for your filing status, then divided back down to a per-paycheck figure. On top of that, Social Security and Medicare take a combined 7.65% — 6.2% for Social Security on wages up to $184,500 in 2026, and 1.45% for Medicare with no ceiling at all. Only after those two layers does anything state-specific apply.
Pennsylvania income tax rates for 2026
Pennsylvania applies a single rate of 3.07% to taxable income. Pennsylvania taxes 401(k) deferrals on the way in and has no standard deduction or personal exemption.
| Pennsylvania withholding parameter | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Effective PA tax on a $75,000 salary | $2,302 (3.07% of gross) |
Local income taxes in Pennsylvania
Local income tax is where Pennsylvania paychecks diverge most sharply from one another. Two people on the same salary can take home noticeably different amounts depending purely on where the work is performed or where they live. These are the jurisdictions built into the calculator above; open the advanced panel to select yours.
| Locality | Resident rate | Non-resident rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia (resident) | 3.74% | 3.43% | Philadelphia wage tax |
| Pittsburgh | 3% | 1% | local earned income tax |
| Typical suburban municipality + school district | 1% | 1% | local earned income tax (EIT) |
| Scranton | 3.4% | 1% | local earned income tax |
| Allentown | 1.98% | 1% | local earned income tax |
Other deductions from a Pennsylvania paycheck
Beyond income tax, Pennsylvania withholds for state social-insurance programmes. These are separate line items on your pay stub and they are not income tax — they buy you disability, family leave or unemployment coverage.
| Deduction | Employee rate | 2026 wage cap | Maximum per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment compensation (employee) | 0.07% | No wage cap | Uncapped |
Pennsylvania take-home pay at different salaries
The table below runs the full 2026 calculation — federal withholding under Publication 15-T, Social Security, Medicare, Pennsylvania income tax and any state premiums — at ten common salary levels. It assumes a single filer, standard withholding with no Step 2 checkbox, no dependents and no pre-tax benefits, so treat it as a baseline rather than a personal figure.
| Gross salary | Federal tax | FICA | PA tax | Annual take-home | Bi-weekly | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $942 | $25,343 | $974.73 | 84.5% |
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $1,256 | $33,064 | $1,271.69 | 82.7% |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $1,570 | $40,785 | $1,568.65 | 81.6% |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $1,884 | $48,506 | $1,865.62 | 80.8% |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $2,355 | $59,238 | $2,278.37 | 79% |
| $90,000 | $10,970 | $6,885 | $2,826 | $69,319 | $2,666.12 | 77% |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $3,140 | $76,040 | $2,924.62 | 76% |
| $125,000 | $18,734 | $9,562 | $3,925 | $92,778 | $3,568.40 | 74.2% |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $4,710 | $109,081 | $4,195.42 | 72.7% |
| $200,000 | $36,734 | $14,339 | $6,280 | $142,647 | $5,486.42 | 71.3% |
A single filer earning $75,000 in Pennsylvania keeps about $59,238 a year, or $2,278.37 on a bi-weekly schedule — an effective total tax rate of 21% once federal tax, FICA and state tax are counted. Married filers generally keep more at the same gross because the federal joint schedule is wider; you can model that by switching the filing status in the calculator, or compare states side by side with the state paycheck comparison tool.
What actually changes your Pennsylvania paycheck
Because Philadelphia's non-resident tax follows days physically worked in the city, a hybrid schedule directly changes the bill: three days a week in the office instead of five cuts the non-resident wage tax by roughly 40%. And any paycheck calculator that subtracts 401(k) contributions from Pennsylvania taxable wages will understate your state tax — a mistake worth checking on your own stub.
Three federal levers matter everywhere, and they are usually worth more than any state-specific trick. The first is Step 2 of your Form W-4: if you hold two jobs or your spouse works, leaving it blank tells the tables to assume your job is the household's only income, which under-withholds badly. Our W-4 walkthrough walks through it line by line. The second is pre-tax benefits — health premiums, an FSA or an HSA come out before Social Security and Medicare as well as income tax, so they are worth more per dollar than a 401(k) deferral. The third is the 401(k) paycheck calculator, which shows exactly how much take-home you give up for each percentage point you defer.
Pennsylvania minimum wage and hourly pay
The Pennsylvania minimum wage for 2026 is $7.25 an hour. Pennsylvania is the only Northeastern state still at the federal $7.25 floor.
If you are paid by the hour rather than on salary, the Pennsylvania hourly paycheck calculator handles overtime, multiple rates and unpaid breaks. Here is what a full-time schedule of 40 hours a week looks like across a range of hourly rates in Pennsylvania.
| Hourly rate | Gross year | Total tax | Annual take-home | Bi-weekly | Effective hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00/hr | $31,200 | $4,930 | $26,270 | $1,010.37 | $12.63/hr |
| $18.00/hr | $37,440 | $6,353 | $31,087 | $1,195.67 | $14.95/hr |
| $20.00/hr | $41,600 | $7,301 | $34,299 | $1,319.21 | $16.49/hr |
| $22.00/hr | $45,760 | $8,249 | $37,511 | $1,442.74 | $18.03/hr |
| $25.00/hr | $52,000 | $9,671 | $42,329 | $1,628.05 | $20.35/hr |
| $30.00/hr | $62,400 | $12,041 | $50,359 | $1,936.89 | $24.21/hr |
| $35.00/hr | $72,800 | $15,041 | $57,759 | $2,221.50 | $27.77/hr |
| $40.00/hr | $83,200 | $18,451 | $64,749 | $2,490.34 | $31.13/hr |
| $50.00/hr | $104,000 | $25,272 | $78,728 | $3,028.02 | $37.85/hr |
| $65.00/hr | $135,200 | $35,770 | $99,430 | $3,824.23 | $47.80/hr |
Working across state lines from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has reciprocity agreements with Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia. A resident of one of those states who works in Pennsylvania files the appropriate exemption certificate and has no Pennsylvania income tax withheld — their home state taxes the wages instead. Reciprocity covers state income tax only: where a city or county tax applies, it is generally still withheld from non-residents.
Our guide to multi-state withholding covers the mechanics — resident credits, part-year returns, and what to do when you move mid-year.
Frequently asked questions
Is my 401(k) contribution taxed by Pennsylvania?
Yes. Pennsylvania taxes elective deferrals in the year you make them, which is why your state wages on a W-2 exceed your federal wages. The trade-off is that qualified distributions after 59½ are completely exempt from Pennsylvania tax.
How does the Philadelphia wage tax work for non-residents?
Non-residents pay 3.425% from July 1, 2026 on wages for work physically performed inside the city. Days worked elsewhere are not subject to it, so hybrid schedules reduce the tax proportionally.
How much is taken out of a paycheck in Pennsylvania?
On a $75,000 salary a single filer in Pennsylvania has about $15,762 withheld a year — $7,670 in federal income tax, $5,738 in Social Security and Medicare, and $2,355 in Pennsylvania state tax and premiums. That leaves roughly $59,238 a year, or $2,278.37 every two weeks.
How do I calculate my take-home pay in Pennsylvania?
Start with gross pay for the period, subtract pre-tax benefit deductions, then subtract federal income tax calculated from your W-4 under the Publication 15-T percentage method, 6.2% Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base, 1.45% Medicare, and Pennsylvania income tax on the amount left after the state's own deductions and exemptions. The calculator at the top of this page does all of it for you and shows each line separately.
Is this Pennsylvania paycheck calculator accurate for 2026?
It uses the 2026 federal withholding schedules published in IRS Publication 15-T and Pennsylvania's current withholding parameters, so it matches a correctly configured payroll system closely. Differences usually come from something your employer knows and the calculator does not: a mid-year raise, a benefit election that started part-way through the year, or year-to-date wages that have already passed the Social Security wage base. See our methodology page for exactly what is modelled.
Related calculators
If you are paid hourly, start with the Pennsylvania hourly calculator instead. To see what a raise or a bonus does, the bonus tax calculator applies the 22% supplemental rate the IRS allows employers to use, and the gross-up calculator solves the problem in reverse when you need a specific amount to land in someone's account.