Illinois Paycheck Calculator (2026)

How the Illinois Paycheck Calculator: Take-Home Pay Works

The Illinois paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay in the Prairie State, using the 2026 federal tax brackets, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois's flat 4.95% personal income tax after the personal exemption allowance. Enter your salary, pay frequency, filing status and any pre-tax deduction to see the tax on each paycheck and your net pay per year.

How Illinois taxes wages

Illinois uses a flat income tax. The rate has been 4.95% of net income since July 2017, and it applies equally to a cashier and to a senior executive. The state constitution requires a flat rate, which is why proposals to introduce graduated brackets in Illinois have required a constitutional amendment, and voters rejected one in 2020. That stability is helpful for planning: unless the constitution changes, your state marginal rate on wages is always 4.95%.

Illinois starts with your federal adjusted gross income, makes a few state-specific additions and subtractions, and then subtracts a personal exemption allowance for you, your spouse and each dependent. In recent years the allowance has been about $2,850 per person, with adjustments for inflation and an income limit above which it phases out, so confirm the current figure in the instructions for Form IL-1040. The calculator subtracts one exemption for a single filer or two for a married couple filing jointly, and it does not model dependents or the phase-out.

How the calculator estimates your paycheck

The tool first applies your pre-tax deduction, then computes federal tax using the 2026 standard deduction of $16,100 or $32,200 and the seven federal brackets. It adds Social Security at 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare at 1.45% and the 0.9% additional Medicare tax for high earners. Then it applies Illinois's 4.95% rate to income after your exemption allowance. Traditional 401(k) deferrals and health premiums reduce Illinois taxable income because the state starts from federal AGI, so the pre-tax field lowers both federal and state tax in the estimate.

What jobs pay in Illinois

About 6,098,130 people worked in Illinois in May 2025. The median annual wage across all of them was $51,960 ($24.98 an hour), 2% above the national median of $50,980. The average wage was higher, at $71,130, because a smaller number of high earners pull the average up; the median is the better guide to a typical paycheck.

After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and the Illinois taxes in this calculator, a single worker on that $51,960 median takes home about $41,499 a year, or $3,458 a month and $1,596.11 every two weeks.

Wage figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Illinois. Take-home pay: this page's 2026 calculator, single filer, no pre-tax deductions, default settings.

The biggest jobs in Illinois and what they take home

The largest occupations in Illinois by number of workers are below. Each row shows the median salary and what a single filer keeps after 2026 taxes in Illinois.

Most of the largest occupations sit near or below the middle of the pay range: 11 of these 15 pay less than the $51,960 median for all workers, which is why the overall median is lower than many people expect.

Worked example: $70,000 salary in Springfield

A single worker earning $70,000, paid every two weeks and contributing 5% ($3,500) to a traditional 401(k), has gross pay of $2,692.31 per paycheck. Federal taxable income is $50,400 after the deferral and the standard deduction, and federal tax is about $5,800. Social Security is $4,340, Medicare is $1,015, and Illinois tax is 4.95% of $63,650, or $3,151.

Net pay is about $52,194 a year, or $2,007.47 per paycheck. The Illinois portion is about 4.5% of gross pay, which is meaningful but lower than in states with rates above 6%.

Worked example: $110,000 married couple in Naperville

A married couple filing jointly with $110,000 in wages and 6% deferrals ($6,600) has federal taxable income of $71,200, federal income tax of about $8,048 and FICA of $8,415. Illinois taxable income after two exemption allowances is about $97,700, so state tax is about $4,836. Take-home pay is roughly $82,101 a year. Try your own numbers using the filing status selector above.

Well-paid occupations in Illinois

Among occupations with at least 9,100 workers in Illinois, these have the highest median pay. Federal tax takes a larger share at these salaries, so compare the take-home column rather than the salary when weighing offers.

Jobs that are unusually common in Illinois

A location quotient compares how common a job is locally with its share nationwide: 2.0 means twice as concentrated as the U.S. overall. These occupations stand out in Illinois and say a lot about which industries hire there.

Is pay higher in Illinois? Popular jobs compared

Median annual wages for well-known jobs in Illinois and the United States. Pay usually tracks living costs, so a higher wage does not always mean more money left over.

Starting wages in Illinois

The lowest-paid 10% of workers in Illinois earn under $15.82 an hour. Common hourly jobs pay the median rates below; a 40-hour week at that rate takes home the amount shown after 2026 taxes. Check the current Illinois minimum wage on the U.S. Department of Labor state minimum wage page, since several states raise it each year.

Which career fields pay most in Illinois

BLS groups every job into broad career fields. Here is how many people work in each across Illinois, the field's median salary and what that salary takes home in Illinois. Management pays the most at a median of $128,080; food preparation and serving related pays the least at $34,260.

Entry-level to top pay for Illinois jobs

The median hides a wide range. The lowest-paid 10% in a job are often new to it, while the top 10% are usually experienced, specialized or in management. The ranges below for common Illinois jobs show how much room there is to grow, with take-home pay at each level.

Illinois take-home pay at three salaries

Estimates for a single filer with no pre-tax deductions and one exemption allowance:

• $45,000: federal income tax about $3,220, FICA $3,442 and Illinois tax about $2,086, leaving roughly $36,251 a year ($1,394.27 per biweekly paycheck).
• $70,000: federal income tax about $6,570, FICA $5,355 and Illinois tax about $3,324, leaving roughly $54,751 a year ($2,105.81 per biweekly paycheck).
• $100,000: federal income tax about $13,170, FICA $7,650 and Illinois tax about $4,809, leaving roughly $74,371 a year ($2,860.43 per biweekly paycheck).

The state tax is a steady share of income, so the difference between salaries comes mainly from the federal brackets. Use the calculator to add retirement deferrals and see how much they help.

What Illinois does not tax

Illinois does not tax Social Security benefits, and it exempts most retirement income, including distributions from pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs and similar plans. That can make the state friendlier for retirees than the headline 4.95% suggests, although property taxes are among the highest in the country and sales taxes are significant. Illinois also has no local income tax, so Chicago residents pay the same state rate as workers in a small downstate town. If you commute from a neighboring state, check reciprocity: Illinois has reciprocal agreements with Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin, meaning residents of those states working in Illinois can generally file a form with their employer to avoid Illinois withholding.

Other costs that shape Illinois take-home pay

Because Illinois relies on property and sales taxes to fund schools and local services, your total tax picture depends on where you live. Property tax rates in parts of the Chicago area are well above the national average. Sales tax combines a state rate with local rates, and Chicago has one of the highest combined rates among large U.S. cities. Use the sales tax calculator for a specific purchase. Illinois also has a required paid leave program for many workers, which does not reduce your paycheck but affects your benefits. Employers without a retirement plan must automatically enroll employees in the state Secure Choice program in many cases, so you may see a small retirement deduction unless you opt out.

How Illinois compares with its neighbors

Illinois sits among several states with different approaches. On a $70,000 salary, the Illinois flat rate costs about $3,324 a year before deductions. Indiana, with a lower flat rate of 2.95%, would cost about $2,065 on the same wage before its own exemptions and local county tax, and Iowa at 3.8% would cost roughly $2,660. Michigan at 4.25% is close to Illinois, and Kentucky at 3.5% is lower. Wisconsin and Missouri use graduated rates. Rates and rules change often, and several neighboring states have been lowering rates, so check current figures with each state revenue agency. Remember that a lower rate does not automatically mean lower total taxes: Indiana adds county income taxes, and property and sales taxes differ. Our overview of states with no income tax shows the extreme end of this comparison.

Illinois paycheck rules and pay frequency

The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act requires employers to pay wages at least semi-monthly for most employees, and final pay is due by the next regular payday after separation. Employers may not deduct from your wages without your written consent except for legally required items, and they must provide an itemized statement of deductions. The state's minimum wage is $15 per hour, with a higher local minimum in Chicago and Cook County. To understand how pay schedules change your paycheck, see biweekly vs semi-monthly pay.

Budgeting an Illinois paycheck

Start with net pay per paycheck from the calculator and divide fixed costs by pay period. Illinois homeowners should set aside money for property tax bills, which are typically paid in two installments. Renters in Chicago should account for higher sales tax on daily purchases and, for drivers, parking and vehicle fees. Because the state tax is flat and predictable, you can forecast a raise easily: each extra $1,000 of pay adds $49.50 of Illinois tax plus federal and payroll tax. See what a raise is worth after tax with the raise calculator.

Common mistakes with Illinois paychecks

• Assuming Chicago adds an income tax. It does not; only the state 4.95% rate applies.
• Forgetting exemptions and dependents. Illinois exemptions reduce your state tax, so update your IL-W-4.
• Not filing a separate state withholding form. Illinois uses Form IL-W-4 in addition to the federal W-4.
• Overlooking property and sales tax. Total tax burden is not only income tax.
• Missing reciprocity paperwork. Workers who live in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan or Wisconsin should file the exemption form to avoid double withholding.

Checking that your Illinois withholding is right

Illinois withholding is set by your Form IL-W-4 and the state's withholding formula, which is separate from your final tax. If you have two jobs, a working spouse or significant side income, your withholding can fall short even when each paycheck looks correct. The safest habit is to run a mid-year check: estimate your annual income, apply 4.95% after exemptions, add federal tax, and compare the total with year-to-date withholding on your latest pay stub. If you are short by more than a few hundred dollars, increase withholding on the IL-W-4 line for additional withholding, or make estimated payments. Illinois also lets you request a refund through your return if you overpaid, but adjusting withholding puts the money in your pocket sooner.

Key takeaways

• Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95% after the personal exemption allowance.
• Retirement income and Social Security are generally not taxed by Illinois.
• There is no local income tax, but property and sales taxes can be high.
• Use Form IL-W-4 to set state withholding.
• Confirm current exemption amounts in the IL-1040 instructions.

What a typical Illinois paycheck covers

On the $51,960 median, the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of gross pay on housing allows rent of about $1,299 a month. Using the 50/30/20 rule on the $3,458 monthly take-home pay, that is about $1,729 for needs such as rent, food and transport, $1,037 for wants and $692 for savings and debt payments.

If rents run above $1,299 for the home you want, the usual fixes are a roommate, a longer commute or a second income in the household; the rent affordability calculator tests your own numbers.