Illinois Paycheck Calculator (2026)

How It Works

Illinois is the simplest taxed state to understand: one rate for everyone. The state constitution requires a non-graduated income tax, so every resident pays the same 4.95% on net income, whether they earn $30,000 or $300,000. The rate has been 4.95% since July 1, 2017, and voters rejected a 2020 ballot measure that would have allowed graduated rates, so the flat tax is not changing soon. There are no brackets to climb and no bracket creep: a raise is always taxed at 4.95% at the state level.

The one subtraction is the personal exemption: $2,925 per person for 2026. A single filer subtracts $2,925 from income before the 4.95% applies; a married couple filing jointly subtracts $5,850, and each dependent adds another $2,925. Illinois has no standard deduction — the exemption is the only reduction, and it is small next to the federal standard deduction of $16,100. There is one sharp edge: the exemption disappears entirely once federal adjusted gross income passes $250,000 on a single return ($500,000 joint). One dollar over the line costs the whole exemption — on a single return, $250,001 of income pays $144.84 more state tax than $250,000 does. This calculator models that cliff, using your gross pay as the stand-in for federal AGI.

There is no local income tax anywhere in Illinois: the constitution reserves income taxation to the state, so Chicago and other home-rule cities cannot levy one. A Chicago paycheck carries exactly the same state tax as one anywhere else in the state, which is why this page doubles as a Chicago paycheck calculator. Employers withhold using the Department of Revenue’s booklet IL-700-T: 4.95% of the pay for the period, less your exemptions for the period (from Form IL-W-4). This calculator figures the annual liability instead and spreads it evenly, so a real paycheck can differ by a few dollars.

On top of the state tax sit the federal payroll taxes, which work the same way in Illinois as anywhere else: 6.2% of wages goes to Social Security until pay reaches the $184,500 wage base for 2026, 1.45% of all wages goes to Medicare, and a further 0.9% Medicare tax applies to wages above $200,000 for a single filer. Federal income tax withholding is the one figure the calculator takes from you — it depends on your W-4, so enter the amount shown on your pay stub.

Worked Example

A single filer earning $3,200 every two weeks — $83,200 a year — with $380 of federal withholding per paycheck. Illinois taxable income is $83,200 minus the $2,925 personal exemption = $80,275. The state tax is 4.95% of $80,275 = $3,973.61 for the year, or $152.83 per paycheck — an effective state rate of 4.78%, a little below the headline 4.95% because of the exemption. FICA is $6,364.80 a year: Social Security 6.2% of $83,200 = $5,158.40, plus Medicare 1.45% of $83,200 = $1,206.40. Total deductions are $777.63 per paycheck ($380 federal + $244.80 FICA + $152.83 state tax), leaving net pay of $2,422.37 every two weeks — $62,981.62 a year, or 75.7% of gross pay.

How the numbers look at other bi-weekly pay levels, with federal withholding held at $380 per paycheck and no other deductions:

Because the rate is flat, the state tax rises almost in step with pay — the only thing bending the line is the fixed $2,925 exemption, which matters most at low incomes. At $39,000 the effective state rate is 4.58%; at $195,000 it is 4.88%, creeping toward the full 4.95% as the exemption becomes a smaller share of income. Note the $195,000 row also shows the Social Security cap: FICA is $14,266.50 rather than 7.65% of $195,000. And as with every table of this kind, federal withholding is held fixed at $380 in all rows, which understates it at the top — real federal withholding rises with income.

Assumptions and What This Calculator Leaves Out

• Single filer with one $2,925 personal exemption. A married couple filing jointly gets $5,850, and each dependent adds another $2,925 — neither is modelled here.
• The additional $1,000 exemption for being 65 or older or legally blind is not modelled.
• The $250,000 federal-AGI cliff is modelled using your gross pay as the stand-in for federal AGI. Real AGI differs — pre-tax deductions lower it — so if your gross pay sits near $250,000, the exemption treatment may differ from the calculator.
• There is no local income tax in Illinois. Chicago and other cities cannot levy one, so no local line is needed.
• Annual tax liability is spread evenly across paychecks. Employers withhold per period using the IL-700-T automated method and your Form IL-W-4 allowances, so a real paycheck can differ by a few dollars.
• Enter federal withholding from your pay stub. The calculator does not estimate it from tax tables, because it depends on your W-4.
• Illinois lets filers subtract federally taxed retirement income — including Social Security and 401(k) and IRA distributions — from state taxable income. That subtraction does not apply to a wage paycheck, so it is not modelled here.
• Pre-tax deductions such as a 401(k) are not modelled as tax reducers. Enter them under “Other deductions” if you want them in net pay — the calculator subtracts them from take-home but does not adjust any tax line.

How to Use This Calculator

Put in your gross pay per period and pay frequency, then your federal withholding per period from your latest pay stub and any other fixed deductions. The results show federal, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois income tax line by line, with total deductions, net pay per paycheck, and annual gross, state tax and net. Use Reset to return to the $3,200 worked example.

Tips and Practical Advice

The flat rate cuts both ways, and it is worth knowing which side you are on. Every raise is taxed at 4.95% by the state — there is no low bracket to shelter the first dollars, but there is also no high bracket waiting at the top, so a big raise never triggers a surprise jump in your state rate. The one real trap is the $250,000 exemption cliff: if your income sits near it, a small bonus can cost you the whole $2,925 exemption, adding $144.84 to your state bill in one step.

Complete Form IL-W-4. If you never gave your employer one, Illinois tax is withheld on your entire pay with no allowances at all, so a completed form usually means a bigger paycheck. Retirees get a different break: Illinois does not tax Social Security benefits or most retirement income, thanks to the retirement-income subtraction. And budget from your net pay — the worked example’s $83,200 salary sounds like $6,933 a month, but the money that actually arrives is $62,981.62 a year, or about $5,248 a month.

Sources: Illinois Department of Revenue — Income Tax Rates and 2026 Exemption Allowance (flat 4.95%, $2,925 exemption, $250,000/$500,000 AGI ceiling); Booklet IL-700-T (R-12/25), 2026 Illinois Withholding Tax Tables; 35 ILCS 5/201; Social Security Administration (wage base $184,500 for 2026). Figures checked 13 November 2026. Last reviewed: 13 November 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions