2026 Washington paycheck calculator
Washington has no income tax in 2026, but paid leave and WA Cares premiums come out of every paycheck.
Updated for 2026Checked Oct 29, 2026 against IRS and Washington Department of Revenue sourcesHow we check
Your take-home pay
$1,268.29
per paycheck, paid every two weeks
- Gross pay
- $1,500.00
- Federal income tax
- $96.15
- Social Security
- $93.00
- Medicare
- $21.75
- County tax
- Choose your county
- Washington paid leave
- $12.11
- WA Cares Fund
- $8.70
- Take-home
- $1,268.29
Washington paid leave stops once your 2026 pay passes $184,500.
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Take-home pay $1,268.29
Washington pay rules at a glance
| State income tax | None Source |
| County or local tax | None Source |
| Disability or paid leave | Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (employee share): 0.807% of pay, on the first $184,500 of pay in a calendar year Source |
| Minimum wage | $17.13 an hour. From Jan 1, 2027: $17.73 an hour Source |
| Tipped minimum cash wage | $17.13 an hour, before tips Source |
| Final paycheck if you are let go | By the end of the established pay period (in practice, the regular payday for that period). Source |
| Final paycheck if you quit | By the end of the established pay period (in practice, the regular payday for that period). Source |
What comes out of a Washington paycheck
On $1,500 every two weeks, single, a Washington worker keeps $1,268.29.
Washington's Department of Revenue says the state has no individual income tax today. A new 9.9 percent tax on household income over $1 million, from Senate Bill 6346, starts January 1, 2028, and it does not touch 2026 wages. Lawsuits and a repeal effort aimed at the November 3, 2026 ballot have been reported, though we have not confirmed that from an official page, so check back after the election.
Two premiums do come out of a Washington paycheck. WA Cares Fund, the long-term care program, takes 0.58 percent of all wages with no cap, and the employer pays none of it. Paid Family and Medical Leave takes the worker share described below. Workers also pay part of their workers' compensation premium, charged in cents per hour by job class. The calculator does not compute that one, so your real take-home may be a little lower.
County and local taxes
A Washington statute, RCW 36.65.030, says a county, city, or city-county shall not levy a tax on net income. So there is no local income tax to add to the result.
The state labor department adds that some local jurisdictions have higher minimum wage rates and different labor rules than the state does, which is worth checking for your own city.
Disability and paid leave
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave takes 0.807159 percent of wages in 2026, on wages up to $184,500 for the year. That figure is the program's 1.13 percent total premium multiplied by the 71.43 percent that employees pay. It is a maximum, because an employer may cover some or all of that share, and tips are not counted as premium wages.
Claims cover bonding with a new child, caring for family, and recovering from your own serious health problem. For 2027, the state has announced a 1.2 percent total premium, with workers paying 70.7 percent of it, which is 0.8484 percent of wages from January 1, 2027.
Final pay and the minimum wage
Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 an hour in 2026 and goes up to $17.73 on January 1, 2027, and the tipped cash wage matches it at $17.13, so tips are extra.
Both ways of leaving a job follow one rule here. Wages are due at the end of the established pay period, which in practice means the regular payday for that period.
Other states with no income tax
Sources and checks
Checked on Oct 29, 2026. Source: Washington Department of Revenue, "Frequently asked questions about income tax" (dor.wa.gov/taxes-rates/income-tax/frequently-asked-questions-about-income-tax, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "Does Washington currently have an individual income tax? No. Washington does not currently have an individual income tax. Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, Washington will have a new 9.9% tax on individuals and married couples filing jointly with annual adjusted gross income exceeding $1 million." The new tax comes from Senate Bill 6346; the same page says "The first returns for the tax will be due in April 2029," so nothing is withheld from 2026 wages.
Local taxes: RCW 36.65.030, "Tax on net income prohibited" (app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=36.65.030, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "A county, city, or city-county shall not levy a tax on net income."
Disability and paid leave: Employment Security Department news release "Paid Family & Medical Leave premium rate increases to 1.13% in 2026" (Oct. 29, 2025; esd.wa.gov/about-us/news-release/2025/paid-family-medical-leave-premium-rate-increases-113-2026, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "Starting Jan. 1, 2026: The premium rate will be 1.13%... Employers will pay 28.57% of the total premium and employees will pay 71.43%." Paid Leave, "Your role and responsibilities" (paidleave.wa.gov/employer-roles-responsibilities/, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "In 2026, the premium rate is 1.13% of each employee's gross wages, not including tips, up to the 2026 Social Security cap ($184,500)." WA Cares Fund, "Employer Information" (wacaresfund.wa.gov/employers/, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "The premium is 0.58% of an employee's gross wages... unlike Paid Leave, premium contributions are not capped at the taxable maximum for social security"; RCW 50B.04.080 (rate set at no more than .58 percent; employer collects it through payroll deductions).
Minimum wage: Washington Department of Labor and Industries, "Minimum Wage" (lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/minimum-wage/, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "The 2026 minimum wage in the state of Washington is $17.13 per hour" and "The new minimum wage for 2027 will be $17.73 an hour for most workers... These changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027." The rate is set each Sept. 30 under RCW 49.46.020(2). L&I adds: "Some local jurisdictions have higher minimum wage rates and different labor rules than Washington State."
Final paycheck: RCW 49.48.010(2) (app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.48.010, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "When any employee shall cease to work for an employer, whether by discharge or by voluntary withdrawal, the wages due him or her on account of his or her employment shall be paid to him or her at the end of the established pay period." No tip credit: L&I's minimum wage page says "Businesses may not use tips and service charges paid to an employee as part of an employee's hourly minimum wage" (RCW 49.46.020(3)).
Federal withholding: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A and its "2026 Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems and Withholding on Periodic Payments of Pensions and Annuities," pages 10 to 12. Fetched directly from irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf and transcribed Oct 28, 2026.
Every figure above comes from the sources listed here. How we check our numbers.
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