Texas Paycheck Calculator (2026)

How the Texas Paycheck Calculator: Take-Home Pay Works

This Texas paycheck calculator shows how much of your salary you keep after taxes when you live and work in the Lone Star State. Texas does not tax wages, so the only deductions the calculator applies are federal income tax under the 2026 IRS brackets, Social Security, Medicare and any pre-tax contribution you enter. Type in your salary, pay frequency and filing status to see your net pay per paycheck and per year.

Why Texas paychecks are different

Texas is one of the few large states with no personal income tax, and the ban is not just a policy choice. The Texas Constitution requires a public vote before lawmakers can impose a tax on individual net income, and voters approved an amendment in 2019 barring a tax on individual income outright. In practical terms, that means the state income tax line on a Texas pay stub is always zero, and the only taxes you can expect to see are federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

For workers, the effect is immediate. A single filer earning $65,000 in a state with a 4% flat tax would send roughly $2,500 a year to the state capital, and that money stays in a Texas paycheck instead. The trade-off is that Texas raises revenue elsewhere, mostly through sales tax and local property taxes, so total tax burden depends heavily on how you live, which we explain below.

How this calculator estimates your Texas take-home pay

The calculator starts with gross pay, subtracts your pre-tax deduction to reach income for tax purposes, then applies the 2026 federal standard deduction of $16,100 for single filers or $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. The result runs through the 2026 federal brackets, which range from 10% to 37%. Social Security tax is 6.2% on wages up to $184,500, and Medicare is 1.45% on all wages, with an extra 0.9% above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for joint filers.

Because Texas adds nothing on top, the calculator's estimate is close to what payroll systems produce, with the usual caveats: your Form W-4 choices, extra withholding, health premiums and other benefits will move the exact number. Compare the result with your real pay stub using our guide on how to read your paycheck stub.

How much Texas workers earn

Texas had about 14,071,160 jobs in May 2025. The median annual wage across all of them was $48,620 ($23.38 an hour), 5% below the national median of $50,980. The average wage was higher, at $65,750, 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 (Texas has no state income tax), a single worker on that $48,620 median takes home about $41,246 a year, or $3,437 a month and $1,586.39 every two weeks.

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

Take-home pay for Texas's most common jobs

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

Large occupations tend to pay below the median: 10 of these 15 pay less than the $48,620 median for all workers, which is why the overall median is lower than many people expect.

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

A single Texas employee earning $65,000 who contributes $100 per paycheck to a traditional 401(k) has gross pay of $2,500.00 each period. Annual pre-tax deferrals are $2,600, so income after the deferral is $62,400. After the $16,100 standard deduction, estimated taxable income is $46,300, and federal income tax comes to about $5,308. Social Security takes $4,030 and Medicare takes $942. Texas state tax is $0.

That leaves about $52,120 a year, or $2,004.60 per paycheck. Move the same worker to a state with a 4% flat tax and take-home pay drops by roughly $2,496 a year. This is the headline appeal of Texas, but it is only one side of the ledger.

A higher earner: $120,000 married couple in Dallas

Consider a married couple filing jointly with $120,000 of combined wages, contributing 6% to their retirement plans. Their pre-tax contributions are $7,200, taxable income after the $32,200 joint standard deduction is about $80,600, and federal income tax is roughly $9,176. FICA adds $9,180. Take-home pay comes to about $94,444 a year with no state deduction at all. Use the filing status switch in the calculator to test your own household.

Higher-paying jobs with many openings in Texas

Among occupations with at least 21,100 workers in Texas, 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 Texas

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 Texas and say a lot about which industries hire there.

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

Median annual wages for well-known jobs in Texas 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 Texas

The lowest-paid 10% of workers in Texas earn under $13.10 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 Texas 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 Texas

BLS groups every job into broad career fields. Here is how many people work in each across Texas, the field's median salary and what that salary takes home in Texas. Management pays the most at a median of $119,430; food preparation and serving related pays the least at $28,600.

How pay grows with experience in Texas

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

Where Texas gets its revenue instead

No income tax does not mean no taxes. The state sales tax rate is 6.25%, and cities, counties and transit authorities can add up to 2%, so the combined rate reaches 8.25% in many metro areas. Texas has no state property tax, but local governments, school districts and special districts rely heavily on property taxes, and effective rates on homes are often above the national average. Homeowners can reduce the bill through the homestead exemption for a primary residence and additional exemptions for seniors and disabled homeowners, so apply for them with your county appraisal district.

Businesses pay the Texas franchise tax, sometimes called the margin tax, on revenue above a threshold, and there are excise taxes on fuel, alcohol and other goods. Employers also pay state unemployment tax through the Texas Workforce Commission; employees do not contribute. To compare a purchase-heavy budget, try the sales tax calculator.

Texas versus other states: a fair comparison

The right way to compare Texas with another state is to add up every tax you actually pay. A renter with a modest income often pays little property tax directly, although landlords pass part of it through in rent. A homeowner with a $400,000 house could easily pay several thousand dollars a year in property tax, which can cancel the savings from skipping the state income tax. Meanwhile, high earners, retirees drawing taxable income and remote workers tend to benefit most, because the income tax they avoid is large. Our guide to the states with no income tax lays out the same trade-offs for all nine zero-tax states.

Texas Payday Law: when and how you must be paid

State law also shapes your paycheck timing. Under the Texas Payday Law, employers must pay non-exempt employees at least twice a month and exempt salaried employees at least once a month. If an employee is fired, the final paycheck is due within six calendar days, and an employee who quits must be paid by the next regular payday. Employers may not deduct money from wages without written authorization or a legal requirement, which is why unexplained deductions on your stub deserve a question. If you believe you were underpaid, you can file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission, generally within 180 days after the wages were due. Knowing these rules helps you read your stub with confidence and understand whether the schedule in your offer letter, such as the one explained in biweekly vs semi-monthly pay, is lawful.

Texas-specific paycheck issues to know

• No state disability or paid family leave deduction. Texas does not run a mandatory state disability program funded by payroll deductions, so private coverage is separate.
• Working across state lines. If you live in Texas but work physically in another state, that state may tax the wages earned there, and your employer should withhold accordingly.
• Remote work. Living in Texas while working for an out-of-state employer usually means no state income tax, but a few states have convenience-of-the-employer rules, so ask payroll.
• Tips and overtime. Federal rules apply. Use the overtime calculator to see extra hours after tax.
• Local rules. Texas cities do not levy a local income tax on wages.

Common mistakes Texas workers make

• Assuming a zero state tax means the lowest total tax. Property and sales taxes still matter.
• Forgetting FICA. Social Security and Medicare add 7.65% for most employees. See what is FICA tax.
• Not adjusting the W-4. A refund of several thousand dollars means you are lending money to the IRS. Use the W-4 withholding calculator.
• Skipping the homestead exemption. It can lower your property tax bill every year.
• Using old federal tables. Standard deduction and brackets change annually.

Ways to keep more of your Texas paycheck

Since federal tax is the largest deduction for most Texans, use the federal levers: a traditional 401(k), HSA contributions and flexible spending accounts lower taxable income, while Roth accounts help later. If your pay is variable, check your withholding twice a year. See how federal brackets work in our guide to 2026 federal tax brackets, and run scenarios with the federal income tax calculator or the national paycheck calculator.

Key takeaways

• Texas has no state income tax on wages, so paychecks show only federal tax and FICA.
• Sales tax (up to 8.25%) and local property tax fund state and local services.
• Pre-tax retirement contributions lower federal income tax but not FICA.
• Compare total cost of living, not only income tax, before moving.
• This is an estimate; your payroll department and tax return are final.

Rent and a budget on a typical Texas salary

On the $48,620 median, the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of gross pay on housing allows rent of about $1,216 a month. Using the 50/30/20 rule on the $3,437 monthly take-home pay, that is about $1,719 for needs such as rent, food and transport, $1,031 for wants and $687 for savings and debt payments.

If rents run above $1,216 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.