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Tennessee Paycheck Calculator 2026

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

Take-home pay (every 2 weeks)

$1,938.08

$50,390 per year · effective tax rate 16.0%

  • Take home · 84%
  • Federal · 8%
  • FICA · 8%
Gross pay
$2,307.69
Federal income tax
−$193.08
Social Security
−$143.08
Medicare
−$33.46
Tennessee income tax
$0.00
Take home
$1,938.08

Tennessee tax rates for 2026

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

State income tax on wages None
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 Tennessee

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

    Tennessee income tax: $0

    Tennessee charges no income tax on wages, so nothing is taken out here.

  6. 6

    What you keep: $50,390 a year

    That works out to $1,938 in each paycheck if you are paid every two weeks. Your total tax rate is 16.0% of your pay.

Tennessee 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 $0 $34,320 $1,320 14.2%
$50,000 $3,820 $3,825 $0 $42,355 $1,629 15.3%
$60,000 $5,020 $4,590 $0 $50,390 $1,938 16.0%
$75,000 $7,670 $5,738 $0 $61,593 $2,369 17.9%
$100,000 $13,170 $7,650 $0 $79,180 $3,045 20.8%
$125,000 $18,734 $9,563 $0 $96,704 $3,719 22.6%
$150,000 $24,734 $11,475 $0 $113,791 $4,377 24.1%
$200,000 $36,734 $14,339 $0 $148,927 $5,728 25.5%

This free Tennessee paycheck calculator shows what you actually keep from your 2026 salary or hourly wage. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages. The old Hall tax on investment income was fully repealed in 2021. Your paycheck deductions are federal only.

Enter your pay, filing status and any 401(k) or HSA contributions. You see the federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare breakdown instantly.

How Tennessee taxes your paycheck in 2026

Tennessee levies no tax on wages or salaries. The Hall income tax only ever touched interest and dividends, and it finished phasing out on 1 January 2021. Since then Tennessee has been a fully income-tax-free state. No Tennessee city or county taxes wages either.

Your paycheck deductions are federal. Income tax follows your W-4, and Social Security takes 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base. Medicare adds 1.45%, plus 0.9% over $200,000.

A married couple filing jointly on $90,000 takes home about $76,675 in 2026. That is an effective total rate under 15%, one of the best take-home ratios in the country at that income.

Tennessee take-home pay examples for 2026

For a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions in 2026: a $65,000 salary in Tennessee nets about $54,408 a year, or $2,093 per paycheck. At $80,000 you keep roughly $65,110 ($2,504 biweekly). A married couple filing jointly on a single $90,000 income takes home about $76,675. That is an effective total rate under 15%.

Those effective rates are among the best in the country at each income level. Tennessee adds exactly nothing to the federal bill. Nashville healthcare, Memphis logistics and the auto plants around Chattanooga and Spring Hill all pay salaries that stretch further than the sticker number suggests.

Employers moving payroll into Tennessee also simplify compliance. There are no state withholding accounts, no state W-4 equivalent and no local wage taxes anywhere in the state. That is one reason relocations from Illinois, California and New York keep making headlines.

Tennessee vs its neighbours

All eight states bordering Tennessee withhold state income tax on wages. Kentucky charges 4%, Virginia up to 5.75%, North Carolina 4.25% and Georgia 5.19%. Alabama runs up to 5%, Mississippi 4.4%, Arkansas up to 3.9% and Missouri up to 4.7%. Move a payroll into Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville or Chattanooga and that line item disappears.

If you live in Tennessee but work in a neighboring state, that state can tax the wages you earn there. Border commuters around Memphis (Arkansas, Mississippi) and Bristol (Virginia) should check the sourcing rules.

Moving to Tennessee: what changes on your paycheck, and when

Move your residence and work location to Tennessee and state withholding disappears from the first properly processed paycheck. There is no Tennessee state W-4 and no withholding account. The year of the move you will usually still file a part-year return in your old state. It covers the wages earned before relocating.

Border commuters are the exception worth understanding. Tennessee cannot tax your wages, but the state where you physically work can. Live in Memphis and work across the line in Mississippi or Arkansas, and that work state taxes those wages. The same goes for living in Bristol and working on the Virginia side. Your employer withholds for the work state. The full Tennessee advantage lands when both home and work are in-state. Remote workers get exactly that on day one.

A Tennessee pay stub reads: gross pay, federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, then voluntary benefits. No state line, no county line, no city line. Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga levy property and sales taxes, never wage taxes.

Tennessee paycheck FAQ

Does Tennessee have state income tax in 2026?
No. Tennessee taxes no wages, and the Hall tax on investment income was fully repealed in 2021. Only federal taxes come out of your paycheck: income tax per your W-4, Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%. No Tennessee city or county taxes wages either.
How much is $80,000 after taxes in Tennessee?
A single filer on $80,000 with no pre-tax deductions takes home roughly $65,110 in 2026, about $2,504 per biweekly paycheck, after federal income tax and FICA. Tennessee takes no state income tax on wages, and no city or county in the state adds a wage tax.
What was the Hall tax and does it affect me?
The Hall tax was a Tennessee tax on interest and dividend income only, never on wages. It phased out completely on 1 January 2021, so it affects no 2026 paycheck or investment income. Since the repeal, Tennessee has taxed no personal income at all.
Does Nashville or Memphis have a local payroll tax?
No. No Tennessee city or county levies a wage or payroll tax. Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga fund themselves with property and sales taxes, never wage taxes. A Tennessee pay stub shows gross pay, federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, then voluntary benefits, with no state, county or city line.
Is Tennessee take-home pay really higher than neighbouring states?
Yes at the paycheck level. All eight neighboring states withhold state income tax on wages, typically 4–6%. On $75,000 that is roughly $3,000–4,000 a year Tennessee workers keep. Top rates next door run from 3.9% in Arkansas to 5.75% in Virginia.
How much is $65,000 after taxes in Tennessee?
A single filer on $65,000 with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $54,408 in 2026, roughly $2,093 per biweekly paycheck, after federal income tax and FICA. Tennessee levies no tax on wages or salaries. The state adds exactly nothing to the federal bill at any income.
Does Tennessee tax retirement or investment income?
No. Since the Hall tax finished phasing out in 2021, Tennessee taxes no personal income at all. Wages, pensions, Social Security, interest, dividends and capital gains are all state-tax-free. The Hall tax was the last piece, and it only ever touched interest and dividends, never wages.
What is the catch — how does Tennessee fund itself?
Mainly sales tax. The state rate is 7%, and local additions push the combined rate to roughly 9.25–9.75%, among the highest in the country. Groceries are taxed too, at a reduced 4% state rate. You keep more of your paycheck and pay more at the register.
I live in Tennessee but work remotely for an out-of-state company — who taxes my wages?
Usually only the federal government. You work in Tennessee, so federal taxes apply and no state tax does. There is one exception. A few states use a convenience-of-the-employer rule, which can still tax remote wages. New York is the best-known example. Check the rules if your employer is based in a state that uses one.
Are bonuses taxed differently in Tennessee?
No Tennessee tax applies to bonuses. Federally, employers typically withhold a flat 22% on supplemental wages under $1 million, plus the normal Social Security and Medicare. Tennessee taxes no wages of any kind, so a bonus check carries only those federal deductions, with no state or local line.

Sources

All sources accessed and figures verified August 2026.

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