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Iowa Paycheck Calculator 2026

Updated 2026-08-21 · 2026 federal brackets and wage base

Take-home pay (every 2 weeks)

$1,875.45

$48,762 per year · effective tax rate 18.7%

  • Take home · 81%
  • Federal · 8%
  • FICA · 8%
  • State · 3%
Gross pay
$2,307.69
Federal income tax
−$193.08
Social Security
−$143.08
Medicare
−$33.46
Iowa income tax
−$62.62
Take home
$1,875.45

Iowa tax rates for 2026

The rules this calculator uses. Every figure comes from the sources listed at the bottom of this page.

State tax rate 3.8% (flat)
Taxed on Your federal taxable income
Tax credit $40 single · $80 joint
Social Security 6.2% on the first $184,500 you earn
Medicare 1.45%, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000

How the math works on a $60,000 salary in Iowa

Here is every step, in order, for a single filer paid every two weeks with no 401(k) or HSA money going in. Change any input in the calculator above and these numbers change with it.

  1. 1

    Start with your gross pay: $60,000 a year

    That is your salary before anything is taken out.

  2. 2

    Take off the federal standard deduction: $16,100

    That leaves $43,900. This is the part the federal government taxes. Everyone filing as single gets this deduction in 2026.

  3. 3

    Federal income tax: $5,020

    The 2026 federal rates are applied in bands. Your first dollars are taxed at 10%, and only the dollars above each line are taxed at the higher rate.

  4. 4

    Social Security and Medicare: $4,590

    Social Security takes $3,720 and Medicare takes $870. Together these are called FICA. They come out of your full pay, not the reduced amount.

  5. 5

    Iowa state income tax: $1,628

    Iowa works out your state taxable income using its own rules, then applies the rates in the table above.

  6. 6

    What you keep: $48,762 a year

    That works out to $1,875 in each paycheck if you are paid every two weeks. Your total tax rate is 18.7% of your pay.

Iowa take-home pay table 2026

Single filer, paid biweekly, no pre-tax deductions. Computed with the same engine as the calculator.

Salary Federal tax FICA State tax Take-home / year Per paycheck Eff. rate
$40,000 $2,620 $3,060 $868 $33,452 $1,287 16.4%
$50,000 $3,820 $3,825 $1,248 $41,107 $1,581 17.8%
$60,000 $5,020 $4,590 $1,628 $48,762 $1,875 18.7%
$75,000 $7,670 $5,738 $2,198 $59,394 $2,284 20.8%
$100,000 $13,170 $7,650 $3,148 $76,032 $2,924 24.0%
$125,000 $18,734 $9,563 $4,098 $92,605 $3,562 25.9%
$150,000 $24,734 $11,475 $5,048 $108,743 $4,182 27.5%
$200,000 $36,734 $14,339 $6,948 $141,979 $5,461 29.0%

This free Iowa paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay from a salary or hourly wage. Iowa taxes wages at a flat 3.8% in 2026. As recently as 2022 the top rate was 8.53%. Iowa starts from your federal taxable income. So the federal standard deduction shelters your first dollars from state tax too.

The calculator runs on the 2026 federal brackets and the $184,500 Social Security wage base. Money you put in a 401(k) skips federal and Iowa income tax but still pays FICA. HSA money taken from your paycheck skips all three.

How Iowa taxes your paycheck in 2026

Iowa has rebuilt its income tax fast. In 2022 the top rate was 8.53% spread across nine brackets. For 2026 every dollar of taxable income pays a flat 3.8%. The Iowa Department of Revenue confirmed the 2026 rate in its October 2025 announcement.

How the tax is built matters as much as the rate. Iowa starts from your federal taxable income. That is your pay after the federal standard deduction, which is $16,100 for a single filer. So a $60,000 earner pays Iowa tax on roughly $43,900, not on $60,000. That brings the state bite to about 2.8% of gross pay. Small personal exemption credits of $40 single and $80 joint cut the bill a little more.

Retired people do even better. Iowa does not tax retirement income at all once you are 55 or older. That covers money you pull from a 401(k) or IRA, and pensions too.

What Iowa take-home pay looks like in 2026

Say you file single, earn $60,000, and put nothing away before tax. You take home about $48,762 a year in 2026. That is roughly $1,875 in each biweekly paycheck, a total tax rate of about 18.7%. At $100,000 the same filer keeps around $76,032, or $2,924 every two weeks. That is a rate near 24.0%.

That puts Iowa below its bigger neighbor. Illinois taxes the same salaries at a flat 4.95%. Illinois offsets that with only a $2,925 exemption allowance. Iowa has the lower rate and lets the federal standard deduction flow through. So an Iowa paycheck is larger at every income level. The two states also have a reciprocity deal, so commuters pay tax only where they live.

Saving before tax adds to the advantage. Iowa builds on your federal taxable income. So anything that lowers your federal taxable wages lowers your Iowa tax too. A traditional 401(k) does this, and so does an HSA taken from your paycheck. Iowa adds nothing back on the state return.

The school district surtax — the line this calculator does not show

Here is a twist you only find in Iowa. Hundreds of school districts charge an income surtax. The surtax is a percentage of your Iowa income tax, not of your income. It usually runs from 1% to 20% of that tax. Say your district charges 10% and your Iowa tax is $1,600. You then owe an extra $160 at filing time.

This calculator leaves out the school district surtax. The surtax depends on the district where you live, not where you work. Look up your district’s current rate on the Iowa Department of Revenue site. Then add that percentage of your state tax yourself. It usually changes the yearly number by a few hundred dollars.

Apart from that surtax, Iowa has no local wage taxes. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport paychecks all carry the same deductions.

Iowa paycheck FAQ

What is the Iowa income tax rate in 2026?
Iowa charges a flat 3.8% on taxable income in 2026. That is down from a top rate of 8.53% as recently as 2022, when nine brackets were still in use. Iowa starts from your federal taxable income, so the federal standard deduction lowers your state tax as well.
How much is $60,000 after taxes in Iowa?
A single filer on $60,000 with nothing saved before tax takes home about $48,762 a year in 2026. That is roughly $1,875 in each biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate works out to about 18.7%. Iowa itself takes about 2.8% of gross pay, because the flat 3.8% applies only after the federal standard deduction.
How much is $100,000 after taxes in Iowa?
A single filer on $100,000 with nothing saved before tax keeps roughly $76,032 in 2026. That is about $2,924 in each biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate lands near 24.0%. Iowa taxes every dollar at the same flat 3.8%, so federal tax and FICA drive the change as pay rises.
Does Iowa use the federal standard deduction?
In effect, yes. Iowa tax starts from your federal taxable income. So the $16,100 federal standard deduction for a single filer in 2026 shelters the same income from Iowa tax. Small exemption credits of $40 single or $80 joint cut the bill further. A $60,000 earner ends up taxed on roughly $43,900.
What is the Iowa school district surtax?
Hundreds of Iowa school districts add a surtax. It is worked out as a percentage of your Iowa income tax, not of your income. The rate usually runs from 1% to 20%. The district where you live sets the rate. This calculator leaves it out, so check your district’s rate with the Iowa Department of Revenue.
Does Iowa tax retirement income?
No, not once you are 55 or older. Iowa leaves retirement income out of state tax completely. That covers money you pull from a 401(k) or an IRA. Pensions count too. You still owe federal tax on that money. Working Iowans under 55 pay the flat 3.8% on wages.
What is FICA on my Iowa paycheck?
FICA is the pair of federal taxes for Social Security and Medicare. Social Security takes 6.2% of your wages up to $184,500 in 2026. Medicare takes 1.45% of every dollar. Pay above $200,000 adds another 0.9%. Iowa does not touch FICA, and your employer pays a matching share.

Sources

All sources accessed and figures verified August 2026.

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