This free Illinois paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay from a salary or hourly wage. Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. That means the state takes the same slice of every taxable dollar. It does not matter if you earn $40,000 or $400,000. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare come out too.
The calculator uses the 2026 federal brackets and the $184,500 Social Security wage base. It also uses the 2026 Illinois exemption allowance of $2,925 per person. An exemption allowance is income the state does not tax. The calculator handles 401(k) and HSA savings the right way. Money you put in a 401(k) skips federal and Illinois income tax. It still pays FICA, the Social Security and Medicare tax. HSA money taken from your paycheck skips all three.
How Illinois taxes your paycheck in 2026
Illinois has taxed personal income at a flat 4.95% since 2017. The rate is hard to change. In 2020 voters said no to a change in the state constitution that would have allowed tax brackets. So the flat rate stayed. Every dollar of taxable wages pays the same 4.95%. There are no brackets, and no rate that rises as you earn more.
The catch is what Illinois does not give you. There is no standard deduction. A standard deduction is a chunk of pay the state ignores before it taxes you. The one break you get is the exemption allowance. It is worth $2,925 per person for 2026, up from $2,850. A single filer earning $60,000 pays 4.95% on $57,075 of it. That is about $2,825 to the state. Some states ignore your first $15,000 or more before their tax starts. Next to those states, the Illinois flat rate takes more than it looks.
One real bright spot is that Illinois does not tax retirement income. Money you pull from a 401(k) or IRA is not taxed. Neither are pensions or Social Security. Illinois is kinder to retired people than to workers.
What Illinois take-home pay looks like in 2026
Say you file single, earn $60,000, and put nothing away before tax. You take home about $47,565 a year in 2026. That is roughly $1,829 in each biweekly paycheck. Your total tax rate works out to about 20.7%. At $100,000 the same filer keeps around $74,375, or $2,861 every two weeks. That is a rate near 25.6%.
The state rate is flat, so the gap between Illinois and a no-tax state stays close to 4.95% of taxable wages. That holds at every income level. There is no high bracket to escape and no low bracket to hide in. Only the federal tax changes as your pay goes up.
No city in Illinois charges a wage tax, and that includes Chicago. A paycheck in downtown Chicago has the same deductions as one in a small town. New York City and Philadelphia are different. There a city tax sits on top of the state tax.
Illinois vs. its neighbors, and how to keep more
Illinois is the pricey one among the states around it. Iowa taxes wages at a flat 3.8% in 2026. Iowa also lets the federal standard deduction lower your state tax. Indiana is around 2.95% plus small county taxes. Illinois has reciprocity deals with Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin. Reciprocity means you pay tax only where you live, not where you work.
Saving before tax helps you twice here. Money you put in a traditional 401(k) skips federal income tax and the 4.95% Illinois tax. So each $1,000 you save costs you well under $1,000 in take-home pay. An HSA taken from your paycheck is even better. It also skips the 7.65% FICA. Illinois follows the federal rules, so the state takes nothing back later.
Type your own 401(k) and HSA amounts into the calculator above. It will show your federal and Illinois savings together.
Illinois paycheck FAQ
- What is the Illinois income tax rate in 2026?
- Illinois charges a flat 4.95% on taxable income. The rate has not changed since 2017. In 2020 voters said no to a change in the state constitution that would have allowed tax brackets. So every income level pays the same 4.95% rate. There is no standard deduction to lower it.
- How much is $60,000 after taxes in Illinois?
- A single filer on $60,000 with nothing saved before tax takes home about $47,565 a year in 2026. That is roughly $1,829 in each biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate works out to about 20.7%. That covers federal tax, the flat 4.95% Illinois tax, and FICA for Social Security and Medicare.
- How much is $100,000 after taxes in Illinois?
- A single filer on $100,000 with nothing saved before tax keeps roughly $74,375 in 2026. That is about $2,861 in each biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate lands near 25.6%. Illinois takes a flat 4.95% of taxable wages at this income, the same share it takes at every income.
- Does Chicago have a city income tax?
- No Illinois city or county charges a wage tax, and that includes Chicago. Your paycheck deductions are the same anywhere in the state. A paycheck in downtown Chicago looks like one from a small town. New York City and Philadelphia work differently, because there a city tax sits on top of the state tax.
- Does Illinois have a standard deduction?
- Illinois has no standard deduction. The one break you get is the exemption allowance, worth $2,925 per person for 2026. That is up from $2,850 the year before. With so little sheltered, the flat 4.95% rate reaches deep into your pay. Retirement income is the exception, since Illinois does not tax it at all.
- Are bonuses taxed differently in Illinois?
- Illinois treats a bonus like any other wages. The same flat 4.95% comes out. The federal side is what feels different. Employers usually hold back a flat 22% on extra pay under $1 million. That is often more than you owe, so you get some back at tax time.
- Does Illinois tax retirement income?
- Illinois does not tax retirement income at all. Money you pull from a 401(k) or an IRA is free from state tax. Pensions are free too. So is Social Security. Illinois is kinder to retired people than to workers, who pay the flat 4.95% on wages.
Sources
- Illinois Department of Revenue
- IDOR Bulletin FY 2026-15 (2026 exemption allowance)
- Tax Foundation — State Income Tax Rates, 2026
All sources accessed and figures verified August 2026.