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Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator 2026

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

Take-home pay (every 2 weeks)

$1,867.23

$48,548 per year · effective tax rate 19.1%

  • 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
Pennsylvania income tax
−$70.85
Take home
$1,867.23

Pennsylvania 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 3.07% (flat)
Where you live 1% to 3.75% in 25 areas, none elsewhere
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 Pennsylvania

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

    Pennsylvania state income tax: $1,842

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

  6. 6

    What you keep: $48,548 a year

    That works out to $1,867 in each paycheck if you are paid every two weeks. Your total tax rate is 19.1% of your pay.

Pennsylvania 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 $1,228 $33,092 $1,273 17.3%
$50,000 $3,820 $3,825 $1,535 $40,820 $1,570 18.4%
$60,000 $5,020 $4,590 $1,842 $48,548 $1,867 19.1%
$75,000 $7,670 $5,738 $2,303 $59,290 $2,280 20.9%
$100,000 $13,170 $7,650 $3,070 $76,110 $2,927 23.9%
$125,000 $18,734 $9,563 $3,838 $92,866 $3,572 25.7%
$150,000 $24,734 $11,475 $4,605 $109,186 $4,199 27.2%
$200,000 $36,734 $14,339 $6,140 $142,787 $5,492 28.6%

This free Pennsylvania paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. Pennsylvania charges one flat income tax rate of 3.07%. That rate has not changed since 2004. There is no standard deduction and no personal exemption here. Your first dollar of wages is taxed.

Pennsylvania also breaks a rule that federal law follows. Money you put into a traditional 401(k) is taxed by Pennsylvania in the year you save it. Nearly every town and school district charges a local earned income tax too. Philadelphia runs a separate city wage tax of its own. This calculator handles all three.

The Pennsylvania 401(k) trap

Pennsylvania does not follow the federal rule on traditional 401(k) contributions. Federal law leaves your contribution untaxed until you pull the money out later. Pennsylvania does the opposite. It taxes the money in the year you contribute it. Save $6,000 in a traditional 401(k) and you still pay 3.07% on that $6,000 to the state.

Your local earned income tax works the same way. Your town and school district tax that $6,000 as well. So the federal saving on a 401(k) is real, and the Pennsylvania saving is not. Your state and local tax bill is the same whether you save that money or spend it.

There is a fair trade at the other end. Pennsylvania already taxed the money going in. So it does not tax qualifying retirement withdrawals coming out. Two other pre-tax items do still cut your Pennsylvania tax. Pre-tax HSA money is excluded, and so are Section 125 health insurance premiums. Section 125 is the federal rule that lets you pay premiums before tax. The calculator handles all of this correctly.

How Pennsylvania taxes your paycheck in 2026

The state rate is 3.07% and it is flat. Single, married or head of household, the rate is the same. A worker earning $30,000 pays the same rate as one earning $300,000. Pennsylvania has held this rate since 2004.

Pennsylvania gives you no standard deduction and no personal exemption. Other states let you subtract a set amount before tax starts. Pennsylvania does not. Your very first dollar of wages is taxed at 3.07%. There is no income level where payroll withholding leaves you owing zero state tax.

On a $60,000 salary, Pennsylvania state tax is $1,842. That is 3.07% of the whole salary, with nothing taken off first. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare come out on top of that. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Medicare is 1.45%.

Local earned income tax: nearly every town charges one

Pennsylvania towns and school districts charge a local earned income tax on wages. A 2008 law pulled the collection of it together across the state. About 2,564 municipalities levy this tax. Roughly 70% of them charge exactly 1.0%. That 1.0% is split between the town and the school district. Only 74 municipalities charge nothing at all.

Your employer withholds the higher of two rates. One is the resident rate for the town you live in. The other is the non-resident rate for the town you work in. For nearly every worker the home rate is the higher one. That home rate is what this calculator uses.

Rates differ by town. Chester charges 3.75%, the highest in the state. Reading charges 3.6% and Scranton charges 3.4%. Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre both charge 3.0%. State College charges 2.25%. Harrisburg and Williamsport charge 2.0%. Erie charges 1.65% and Lancaster charges 1.6%. York charges 1.25% and Bethlehem charges 1.0%.

Philadelphia, and what this page leaves out

Philadelphia sits outside that local earned income tax system. It charges its own City Wage Tax instead. The rate changes every 1 July, not every 1 January, so 2026 holds two rates. Residents pay 3.74% until 30 June 2026, then 3.735% from 1 July. This calculator uses 3.735%. On a $60,000 salary the city takes $2,241.

Philadelphia residents pay the resident rate on all earned income. That holds true even when you work outside the city. People who live elsewhere and work in the city pay less, at 3.425% from 1 July. Add the state rate and a Philadelphia resident pays 6.805% on wages. A worker in one of the 74 no-tax towns pays 3.07%.

Two Pennsylvania items are left out here. The first is Special Tax Forgiveness, claimed on Schedule SP. It can refund part or all of your state income tax if your income is low. Near those limits you may owe less than this page shows. The second is the employee unemployment contribution. It is 0.07% of gross wages with no cap, so $70 on a $100,000 salary. Your pay stub calls it PA UC or PA SUI. Pennsylvania is one of only three states that charges employees for unemployment insurance, with Alaska and New Jersey.

Pennsylvania paycheck FAQ

How much is $60,000 after taxes in Pennsylvania?
Take a single filer with no pre-tax money. That worker keeps $48,548 a year, $1,867 per biweekly paycheck, 19.1% total tax rate. The figure assumes you live somewhere with no local earned income tax, which is the calculator's default. State tax alone on that salary is $1,842.
How much is $100,000 after taxes in Pennsylvania?
Take a single filer with no pre-tax money. That worker keeps $76,110 a year, $2,927 per biweekly paycheck, 23.9% total tax rate. The figure assumes you live somewhere with no local earned income tax, which is the calculator's default. A local rate of 1.0% would take more.
Does Pennsylvania tax my 401(k) contributions?
Yes. Pennsylvania taxes traditional 401(k) money in the year you contribute it. Federal law waits until you withdraw it. So you pay 3.07% state tax on your contribution, plus local earned income tax on it. In return, Pennsylvania does not tax qualifying retirement withdrawals later.
What is Pennsylvania's income tax rate in 2026?
It is 3.07%, flat, and it has been since 2004. One rate covers every filing status and every income level. Your first dollar of wages is taxed, so payroll never leaves you at zero state tax.
How much is local earned income tax in Pennsylvania?
About 2,564 municipalities charge one, and roughly 70% charge exactly 1.0%. That 1.0% is shared by your town and your school district. Only 74 municipalities charge nothing. Chester is highest at 3.75% and Pittsburgh charges 3.0%.
What is the Philadelphia wage tax in 2026?
Philadelphia changes its rate every 1 July. Residents pay 3.74% until 30 June 2026, then 3.735% from 1 July. This calculator uses 3.735%. People who work in the city but live elsewhere pay 3.425% from 1 July.
What is the PA UC line on my pay stub?
It is your share of unemployment insurance. Pennsylvania takes 0.07% of your gross wages with no cap, so $70 on a $100,000 salary. It may read PA SUI instead. Only Pennsylvania, Alaska and New Jersey charge employees for this. The calculator leaves it out.

Sources

All sources accessed and figures verified August 2026.

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