Tennessee Paycheck Calculator (2026)

How the Tennessee Paycheck Calculator: Take-Home Pay Works

This Tennessee paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay in Tennessee using the 2026 federal brackets, Social Security, Medicare and the fact that Tennessee does not tax wages. Tennessee has no tax on wages and no longer taxes investment income, so only federal tax and FICA come out of a paycheck, and the state makes up the difference through some of the highest sales taxes in the country. Enter your salary, pay frequency, filing status and any pre-tax deduction to see net pay per paycheck and per year.

How Tennessee taxes wages

Tennessee does not tax wages, salaries, tips or other earned income. The state also used to tax interest and dividends through the Hall income tax, but that tax was phased out and fully repealed in 2021, so Tennessee now has no broad personal income tax at all. A 2014 amendment to the state constitution prohibits the legislature from enacting a tax on individual income, and any change would require another amendment.

As a result, a Tennessee pay stub shows only federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and benefit deductions. A single worker earning $65,000 keeps about 80% of gross pay, and the calculator can show exactly how much extra take-home pay Tennessee provides compared with a state that taxes wages at 4% to 6%.

How this calculator estimates your Tennessee paycheck

The calculator starts with your gross pay, subtracts the pre-tax deduction you enter, and applies the 2026 federal standard deduction of $16,100 for single filers or $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. Federal income tax comes from the seven 2026 brackets, Social Security is 6.2% up to $184,500 and Medicare is 1.45% with a 0.9% surcharge above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (joint). There is no state income tax on wages to subtract, so the result is federal tax plus FICA only. Results are estimates; your employer's payroll system and your tax return are final. See the US paycheck guide for the full method.

How much Tennessee workers earn

Tennessee had about 3,278,760 jobs in May 2025. The median annual wage across all of them was $47,380 ($22.78 an hour), 7% below the national median of $50,980. The average wage was higher, at $60,800, 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 and Medicare (Tennessee has no state income tax), a single worker on that $47,380 median takes home about $40,250 a year, or $3,354 a month and $1,548.07 every two weeks.

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

Take-home pay for Tennessee's most common jobs

These are the occupations with the most workers in Tennessee. Each row shows the median salary and what a single filer keeps after 2026 taxes in Tennessee.

Large occupations tend to pay below the median: 10 of these 15 pay less than the $47,380 median for all workers, which is why the overall median is lower than many people expect.

Worked example: $65,000 salary in Tennessee, paid every two weeks

A single Tennessee employee earning $65,000, paid every two weeks and contributing $100 per paycheck to a traditional 401(k), has gross pay of $2,500.00 per paycheck. After the $2,600 deferral and the $16,100 federal standard deduction, taxable income is $46,300 and federal income tax is about $5,308. Social Security is $4,030 and Medicare is $943. Tennessee state income tax is $0.

Net pay is about $52,120 a year, or $2,004.60 per paycheck, which is 80.2% of gross pay. Change any input in the calculator above to test your own situation.

Married couple example: $110,000 combined pay

A married couple filing jointly in Tennessee with $110,000 of combined wages and 6% ($6,600) going to traditional retirement plans has federal taxable income of $71,200 and pays about $8,048 in federal income tax and $8,415 in FICA. They owe no state income tax on wages. Estimated take-home pay is about $86,937 a year, or $3,343.73 per biweekly paycheck.

Higher-paying jobs with many openings in Tennessee

Among occupations with at least 4,900 workers in Tennessee, 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.

Occupations concentrated in Tennessee

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 Tennessee and say a lot about which industries hire there.

Tennessee pay vs. the U.S. for popular jobs

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

What hourly jobs pay in Tennessee

The lowest-paid 10% of workers in Tennessee earn under $13.75 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 Tennessee minimum wage on the U.S. Department of Labor state minimum wage page, since several states raise it each year.

Pay by career field in Tennessee

BLS groups every job into broad career fields. Here is how many people work in each across Tennessee, the field's median salary and what that salary takes home in Tennessee. Management pays the most at a median of $115,010; food preparation and serving related pays the least at $29,310.

How pay grows with experience in Tennessee

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 Tennessee jobs show how much room there is to grow, with take-home pay at each level.

Tennessee take-home pay at three salaries

These estimates assume a single filer, no pre-tax deductions and the 2026 federal standard deduction.

• $40,000: federal income tax about $2,620, FICA $3,060, leaving roughly $34,320 a year ($1,320.00 per biweekly paycheck).
• $65,000: federal income tax about $5,620, FICA $4,973, leaving roughly $54,408 a year ($2,092.60 per biweekly paycheck).
• $100,000: federal income tax about $13,170, FICA $7,650, leaving roughly $79,180 a year ($3,045.38 per biweekly paycheck).

Use the calculator to add retirement deferrals, change your filing status or switch pay frequency. For comparisons, see the national paycheck calculator and the paycheck calculators by state hub.

Where the tax goes on a $65,000 Tennessee paycheck

Of about $10,593 in total annual taxes for a single filer earning $65,000 with no pre-tax deductions, federal income tax is about 53%, Social Security and Medicare together are about 47%, state income tax is 0%. Federal taxes dominate almost everywhere, which is why federal planning tools such as the federal income tax calculator and a correctly completed W-4 matter as much as the state rate.

Tennessee local taxes and payroll deductions

Tennessee has no local income tax, no state disability insurance program and no state paid family leave contributions, so there are no state-level payroll deductions on a stub. Employers pay state unemployment tax to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and file separately. Tennessee cities and counties raise revenue through property tax and local option sales tax rather than income tax.

The absence of state deductions makes Tennessee paychecks easy to check: multiply gross pay by 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare, then verify that federal withholding matches your Form W-4 choices. See paycheck stub abbreviations to decode any lines you do not recognize.

Retirement income, credits and special Tennessee rules

Because Tennessee has no income tax, Social Security, pensions, IRA distributions and other retirement income are not taxed by the state, which makes Tennessee attractive to retirees. Tennessee also has no inheritance tax or estate tax, since its inheritance tax was fully repealed for deaths after 2015. Tennessee also does not tax capital gains, dividends or interest at the state level.

Businesses do pay tax: the franchise and excise taxes apply to corporations, LLCs and other entities, including many small businesses, which is a trade-off for self-employed workers. Self-employed people who run an LLC should factor in these taxes in addition to federal self-employment tax, which you can estimate with the self-employment tax calculator.

Living and working in Tennessee: how the tax burden compares

Tennessee has one of the highest combined sales tax rates in the country. The state rate is 7%, and local option taxes of up to 2.75% bring combined rates to as high as 9.75%. Groceries are taxed at a reduced state rate of 4% plus local tax, unlike many states that exempt food. Property taxes are among the lower ones in the nation, especially outside Nashville, and there are relief programs for seniors and disabled homeowners.

Compare Tennessee with Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. Nashville and Memphis have strong health care, music, logistics and manufacturing employment, and housing costs in Nashville have risen sharply.

Tennessee income tax at a glance

• State income tax: none on wages
• State pre-tax retirement treatment: not applicable
• Withholding form: federal Form W-4 (no separate state form required)
• Agency: the Tennessee Department of Revenue

These are the assumptions built into the calculator above. Rates, exemptions and payroll premiums change from year to year, so verify each item with the agency listed before making a large financial decision.

What a $100 pre-tax contribution really costs in Tennessee

Contributing $100 per paycheck to a traditional 401(k) or HSA reduces your take-home pay by less than $100 because it lowers taxable income. In the $65,000 single-filer example for Tennessee, the annual contribution of $2,600 cuts net pay by only about $2,288, or $88.00 per biweekly paycheck, so the true cost of each $100 contribution is roughly $88.00. The saving comes from federal income tax only, since there is no state wage tax. Use the 401(k) calculator to see how those contributions grow.

Tennessee paycheck rules: pay frequency, minimum wage and final pay

Tennessee follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and has no state minimum wage law for most private employers. State law requires employers to pay employees at least twice a month, on regular paydays, and final wages are due by the next regular payday or within 21 days if the employee requests it in writing, whichever is later. Overtime follows the federal 40-hour rule. Because state rules are limited, keep your own records of hours and compare each stub with an independent calculation.

Common mistakes with Tennessee paychecks

• Thinking Tennessee has no taxes. Sales tax is among the highest, and groceries are taxed.
• Ignoring franchise and excise tax. Self-employed people with an LLC may owe it.
• Budgeting from gross pay. Plan with net pay per paycheck, about $2,004.60 in the $65,000 example.
• Forgetting FICA. Social Security and Medicare add 7.65% for most employees. See what is FICA tax.
• Not updating withholding. Review your W-4 after a move, marriage or new job, using the W-4 withholding calculator.

Key takeaways

• Tennessee taxes wages with no tax on wages.
• Pre-tax retirement deferrals lower federal income tax but not FICA.
• A single worker earning $65,000 keeps about 80% of gross pay in the standard example.
• Compare states using total cost of living, not only income tax.
• Confirm current figures with the Tennessee Department of Revenue and IRS.gov.

Rent and a budget on a typical Tennessee salary

On the $47,380 median, the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of gross pay on housing allows rent of about $1,185 a month. Using the 50/30/20 rule on the $3,354 monthly take-home pay, that is about $1,677 for needs such as rent, food and transport, $1,006 for wants and $671 for savings and debt payments.

If rents run above $1,185 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.