Find out how much of your Seattle paycheck you can actually take home
Seattle employees do not pay a Washington state wage income tax or a separate Seattle city income tax in 2026. But federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Paid Family & Medical Leave, WA Cares and workplace deductions can still reduce your paycheck.
Enter your salary or hourly wages below to estimate annual take-home pay and average pay per week, every two weeks, twice a month or once a month. Add bonuses, overtime, retirement contributions, health benefits and employer-specific deductions for a more useful estimate.
2026 Seattle salary and hourly paycheck calculator
Start with one W-2 job. The calculator annualizes your earnings and estimates federal income tax, payroll taxes and employee-paid premiums. It is not an exact replication of an employer’s payroll withholding software.
Overtime is estimated at 1.5 times the hourly rate for the entered hours. Actual overtime eligibility and rates may differ.
The 2026 federal standard deduction for single filers is $16,100.
This is a state-plan estimate. Approved Paid Leave voluntary plans and employer premium payments may change your actual deduction.
Washington Paid Leave and WA Cares are estimated from applicable gross wages before the benefit deductions entered here. Payroll classification and coverage can produce a different actual premium base.
This browser-based tool does not need your Social Security number, address, employer account or bank details. It does not submit your entries to any tax agency.
How much tax comes out of a Seattle paycheck in 2026?
Seattle employees generally do not pay a state or city income tax on wages. However, they can still have several federal and Washington payroll deductions.
Federal income tax
Based on progressive IRS tax brackets, filing status, federal deductions, applicable credits and actual Form W-4 withholding settings.
Social Security and Medicare
Most covered W-2 employees pay 6.2% Social Security up to the annual wage base and 1.45% Medicare, with possible Additional Medicare withholding.
Washington employee premiums
Eligible workers contribute to the Washington Paid Leave and WA Cares programs unless an exemption or other permitted arrangement changes withholding.
Gross earnings − federal withholding − FICA − WA Paid Leave − WA Cares − eligible employee benefits − other payroll deductions = estimated net paycheck.
The Seattle Payroll Expense Tax is not included as an employee deduction because it is imposed on qualifying employers, not their employees.
What is $85,000 a year after taxes in Seattle?
Assume a single Seattle W-2 employee earns $85,000 in 2026, takes the $16,100 federal standard deduction, has no tax credits or benefit deductions, pays the typical full employee share of WA Paid Leave, and has no WA Cares exemption.
For simplicity, assume no tips, additional withholding or L&I employee deduction.
| Annual salary calculation | Estimated amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | $85,000.00 |
| 2026 federal standard deduction | $16,100.00 |
| Federal taxable income | $68,900.00 |
| Federal income tax estimate | $9,870.00 |
| Washington state income tax | $0.00 |
| Seattle employee city income tax | $0.00 |
| Social Security at 6.2% | $5,270.00 |
| Medicare at 1.45% | $1,232.50 |
| WA Paid Leave employee premium | $686.09 |
| WA Cares premium at 0.58% | $493.00 |
| Total estimated taxes and premiums | $17,551.59 |
| Estimated annual take-home pay | $67,448.41 |
| Average biweekly paycheck | $2,594.17 |
| Average monthly net pay | $5,620.70 |
Other Seattle salaries: what should you check?
$50,000 salary
Federal withholding, FICA, WA Paid Leave and WA Cares are important. Employee health benefits can make a large difference to take-home cash.
$100,000 salary
Review Traditional 401(k), HSA contributions, filing status and extra federal withholding. State wage income tax remains zero.
$200,000+ salary
The Social Security and Paid Leave wage caps matter, while WA Cares generally remains uncapped. Additional Medicare withholding may also apply.
Federal, Washington and Seattle paycheck tax rates
| Tax or premium | 2026 rate | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Washington state individual wage tax | 0% | No general state income tax on employee wages in 2026. |
| Seattle city income tax | 0% | No separate Seattle income tax on employee wages. |
| Federal income tax | 10%–37% marginal brackets | Depends on federal taxable income and filing status. |
| Social Security | 6.2% | Applies up to $184,500 of covered employee wages. |
| Medicare | 1.45% | Generally applies to all covered Medicare wages. |
| Additional Medicare withholding | 0.9% | Employer withholding begins above $200,000 of Medicare wages paid by that employer. |
| WA Paid Family & Medical Leave | 1.13% combined premium | Typical employee share is 71.43% of the total rate, on covered wages up to $184,500. |
| WA Cares Fund | 0.58% | Generally applies to covered gross wages without a Social Security wage cap, unless exempt. |
| Employee L&I workers’ compensation | Varies | Depends on risk classifications, hours and employer-specific rates. |
2026 federal standard deductions
| Filing status | 2026 base standard deduction |
|---|---|
| Single | $16,100 |
| Married filing jointly | $32,200 |
| Married filing separately | $16,100 |
| Head of household | $24,150 |
These are base deductions for federal income tax, not separate Washington deductions. Additional deductions for eligible older taxpayers, special income types or other tax provisions require individual eligibility checks.
How much WA Paid Family & Medical Leave comes out of your 2026 paycheck?
Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program provides qualifying workers with paid leave benefits for certain family and medical situations.
For 2026, the total state-plan premium rate is 1.13% of covered wages. Employees may pay up to 71.43% of that premium, while employers with 50 or more employees generally pay the remaining 28.57% employer portion.
1.13%
Total state-plan premium rate in 2026.
71.43%
Typical employee share of the total premium. The employer may cover part or all of the employee share.
$184,500
2026 maximum wage base for calculating state-plan Paid Leave premiums.
Covered gross wages up to $184,500 × 1.13% × 71.43% = estimated annual employee Paid Leave premium.
Estimated employee Paid Leave premiums by salary
| Covered annual wages | Employee annual premium | Average biweekly deduction |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $322.86 | $12.42 |
| $60,000 | $484.30 | $18.63 |
| $85,000 | $686.09 | $26.39 |
| $100,000 | $807.16 | $31.04 |
| $150,000 | $1,210.74 | $46.57 |
| $200,000 | $1,489.21 | $57.28 |
Amounts use the maximum 71.43% employee share and annual wage limit. Rounding, payment timing, voluntary plans and employer-paid premiums can change actual withholding.
What wages are counted?
The state-plan premium generally uses reported gross wages, excluding tips, up to the annual Social Security cap. Bonuses and some other compensation may be included under the applicable reporting rules.
Check the official Washington Paid Leave premium estimator if you need a direct comparison with the agency’s calculation.
WA Cares Fund 2026: 0.58% employee premium and exemptions
WA Cares is Washington’s long-term care insurance program, funded through premiums on covered employee wages.
The 2026 employee premium rate is 0.58%. Unlike Social Security and Washington Paid Leave, WA Cares does not stop at the Social Security taxable wage maximum.
| Annual covered wages | Estimated annual WA Cares premium |
|---|---|
| $40,000 | $232 |
| $60,000 | $348 |
| $85,000 | $493 |
| $100,000 | $580 |
| $150,000 | $870 |
| $200,000 | $1,160 |
| $300,000 | $1,740 |
Who may be exempt?
Some workers have approved exemptions based on eligibility categories established by Washington law. An earlier private long-term care insurance opt-out was available only during a specific application period; a new employee cannot assume that buying private insurance today automatically creates the same exemption.
How to check a WA Cares exemption
- Open the official program. Visit WA Cares Exemptions and select the category relevant to your situation.
- Review your eligibility. Check whether the category is permanent or conditional, and whether you satisfy all listed requirements.
- Use the official application or exemption account. Follow the instructions supplied by Washington ESD if an exemption is available to you.
- Provide the approval to your employer. Once approved, give the employer the required exemption documentation.
- Check your paystub. Confirm the employer stops withholding when the exemption takes effect, according to applicable rules.
Seattle hourly paycheck calculator: $21.30 minimum wage and overtime
Seattle’s official minimum wage for 2026 is $21.30 per hour for employees covered by the city’s minimum wage ordinance. This rate is not the same as the statewide minimum wage or the minimum wage in every surrounding King County jurisdiction.
$21.30/hour
At 40 hours weekly for 52 weeks, the illustrative annual gross pay is $44,304 before overtime.
$25/hour
At 40 hours weekly for 52 weeks, annual gross earnings equal $52,000.
$30/hour
At 40 hours weekly for 52 weeks, annual gross earnings equal $62,400.
The calculator uses your entered hourly wage, weeks worked and overtime hours. For qualifying employees, overtime compensation generally uses a higher rate than regular hours.
Regular hourly rate × 1.5 × qualifying overtime hours = estimated overtime gross earnings.
Washington overtime eligibility and the federal qualified-overtime deduction are separate matters. A qualifying federal overtime deduction does not automatically make all overtime pay exempt from Social Security, Medicare, WA Paid Leave or WA Cares.
Check the Seattle Office of Labor Standards minimum wage page for the official 2026 wage and coverage rules.
How 401(k), health insurance and L&I change Seattle net pay
Several paycheck deductions reduce the amount deposited into your bank account. Some also reduce federal taxable wages, while others do not.
| Deduction | Typical federal income-tax treatment | Effect on take-home pay |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional 401(k) | Eligible deferrals generally reduce federal income taxable wages. | Reduces cash pay, partly offset by lower current income tax. |
| Roth 401(k) | Generally after-tax. | Reduces cash pay without the same immediate income-tax reduction. |
| Qualifying Section 125 health premiums | May reduce federal income taxable and FICA wages. | Reduces cash pay but may provide tax savings. |
| Qualifying HSA payroll contributions | May qualify for federal pretax treatment. | May lower income and payroll taxes depending on the arrangement. |
| Employee L&I workers’ compensation | Employer-specific employee premium contribution. | Reduces cash pay; not a separate city or state income tax. |
| WA Paid Leave and WA Cares | Separate employee insurance premium programs. | Reduce cash pay when applicable. |
Why is L&I not automatically calculated?
Washington workers’ compensation premiums depend on the employer’s risk classifications, experience rating, hours and applicable insurance fund components.
Employee shares for permitted portions of workers’ compensation premiums may appear on your paystub. There is no single statewide employee dollar rate that can accurately be applied to every Seattle salary.
Instead, use the calculator’s optional employee L&I field with your actual annualized deduction.
For official guidance, review Washington L&I Workers’ Compensation Rates.
Does Seattle’s Payroll Expense Tax come out of your paycheck?
No. Seattle’s Payroll Expense Tax, sometimes referred to as the JumpStart tax, is imposed on qualifying businesses. It is not an individual employee wage income tax.
Under Seattle’s official rules, the tax is paid by the employer and may not be withheld from the employee’s paycheck as that tax.
2026 employer payroll expense tax thresholds
The city generally applies the tax to businesses meeting the specified prior-year Seattle payroll expense threshold and having qualifying highly compensated employees.
| 2026 employer tax condition | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Relevant 2025 Seattle payroll expense threshold | $9,074,409 or more |
| 2026 employee annual compensation threshold | $194,452 or more |
| Individual employee withholding for Seattle Payroll Expense Tax | $0 — employer tax |
Qualified employers may owe different tax rates based on their Seattle payroll expense and levels of employee compensation.
Official resource: Seattle Payroll Expense Tax — City of Seattle.
How to check your Seattle paycheck step by step
Use your paystub and these official resources to identify why your take-home pay is lower than gross wages.
- Check the pay period. Identify whether you are paid weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly. Do not confuse 26 biweekly paychecks with 24 semimonthly paychecks.
- Confirm gross earnings. Add regular wages, overtime, bonuses, taxable tips and other pay included on the statement. Check that your entered annual income reflects expected yearly earnings.
- Review federal income-tax withholding. Open the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. Compare your W-4 settings, dependents, pay frequency and year-to-date withholding.
- Verify Social Security and Medicare. Compare employee FICA deductions with IRS Topic 751. Check year-to-date taxable wages if you are near the Social Security wage limit.
- Check WA Paid Leave. Use the official Paid Leave estimator. Confirm whether the employer pays any share of your premium.
- Review WA Cares. Check the 0.58% premium on applicable wages using WA Cares employer guidance. If you have an exemption, confirm payroll received the approval.
- Identify your employee benefits. Compare Traditional or Roth retirement deductions, health premiums, HSA contributions and any post-tax insurance amounts with your benefit elections.
- Check L&I and other workplace deductions. Ask payroll for the employee workers’ compensation amount and how it was calculated for your hours and risk classification.
- Review your net pay and any differences. Compare your real paycheck with the calculator’s estimate. If the amounts differ, check the individual deductions rather than assuming the difference is another Seattle income tax.
Special Seattle paycheck situations worth checking
Salary above $184,500
Social Security tax and Washington state-plan Paid Leave premiums generally stop applying to covered wages above their respective 2026 wage caps. WA Cares generally does not stop at that wage level.
Salary above $200,000
An employer generally starts withholding an additional 0.9% Medicare tax once Medicare wages paid by that employer exceed $200,000 during the year. Final liability thresholds depend on filing status.
Remote work outside Washington
State tax withholding and insurance coverage may depend on the state in which work is actually performed, your residency and applicable employment rules. The Seattle calculator is not a multi-state payroll model.
Two or more W-2 jobs
Employers usually calculate payroll withholding separately. Combining salaries into one simulated job may produce incorrect Social Security caps, Additional Medicare withholding and annual insurance premium estimates.
Bonus or RSU compensation
Taxable bonuses and vested stock compensation may appear in payroll wages. The employer can use supplemental federal withholding methods, and the one-time check may differ from an annualized average.
Self-employed or 1099 income
Independent contractors generally do not have ordinary W-2 withholding or employee FICA deductions. Self-employment tax and Washington business tax considerations require a different calculation.
Why your real Seattle paycheck may not match the calculator
| What looks wrong? | Possible explanation | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Federal withholding is higher than estimated | Your W-4, multiple jobs, additional withholding or supplemental wages affect payroll calculations. | IRS Publication 15-T and your W-4 settings. |
| WA Paid Leave amount differs | Your employer pays part of the premium, uses an approved voluntary plan or has reached the wage cap. | Employer Paid Leave setup and official premium estimator. |
| WA Cares is missing | An approved exemption or a qualifying employment exception may apply. | Exemption approval and payroll records. |
| WA Cares seems too high | The premium has no Social Security wage cap, unlike Paid Leave. | Covered gross wages multiplied by 0.58%. |
| L&I deduction is unexpected | Employee-paid workers’ compensation components may depend on work hours and classification. | Employer L&I rate notice and payroll details. |
| Biweekly paycheck differs | Payroll may include uneven work hours, exact withholding and changing benefits. | Use annualized pay for planning, then compare actual pay-period earnings. |
| Bonus paycheck is much smaller | Federal supplemental withholding, FICA and state premiums may apply together. | Separate regular wages from the one-time bonus statement. |
| Employee appears to pay Seattle payroll expense tax | Potentially misunderstood or incorrectly classified payroll item. | Ask payroll to identify the deduction and review Seattle’s employer-only tax rules. |
Seattle Paycheck Calculator 2026: 10 FAQs
1. Does Seattle have a city income tax on wages in 2026?
No. Seattle does not have a separate individual city income tax on ordinary employee wages in 2026. Workers can still pay federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, WA Paid Leave, WA Cares and other applicable employee deductions.
2. Does Washington state tax your paycheck in 2026?
Washington has no general individual wage income tax for 2026. However, employee-paid programs such as Paid Family & Medical Leave and WA Cares can still reduce take-home pay, along with federal taxes and employee benefits.
3. How much is $85,000 a year after taxes in Seattle?
For a simplified single-filer example with the 2026 federal standard deduction, maximum typical WA Paid Leave employee share, WA Cares and no other benefits, estimated annual take-home pay is about $67,448.41, or $2,594.17 per biweekly paycheck. Actual payroll withholding and deductions can differ.
4. What is the WA Paid Family & Medical Leave employee rate for 2026?
The combined Paid Leave premium is 1.13% in 2026. The typical maximum employee share is 71.43% of the premium, producing an effective employee rate of about 0.807159% on covered wages up to $184,500. Employers may pay some or all of the employee share.
5. What is the WA Cares tax rate in 2026?
WA Cares premiums are 0.58% of covered gross wages in 2026. Unlike Social Security and Paid Leave, there is generally no maximum wage cap. Approved exemptions can change whether the employee premium applies.
6. Does Seattle’s JumpStart payroll tax come out of employee pay?
No. Seattle’s Payroll Expense Tax is imposed on qualifying employers and may not be withheld from employee wages as that tax. It is not included as an employee paycheck deduction in this calculator.
7. How do I calculate Seattle biweekly take-home pay?
Select biweekly frequency, enter your salary or hourly wages, federal filing status, applicable employee insurance premiums and deductions. The calculator estimates annual net pay and divides it by 26 to show an average biweekly paycheck.
8. Does a Traditional 401(k) reduce Seattle paycheck taxes?
Eligible Traditional 401(k) deferrals generally reduce federal income taxable wages, but usually do not reduce Social Security or Medicare wages. Washington has no general wage income tax in 2026, so there is no separate Washington income-tax saving from the deferral.
9. What is Seattle’s minimum wage in 2026?
Seattle’s minimum wage is $21.30 per hour beginning January 1, 2026 for employees covered by the city ordinance. Other cities in the Seattle metropolitan region may have different minimum wage rules.
10. Why is my Seattle paycheck smaller than expected if Washington has no income tax?
Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, WA Paid Leave, WA Cares, health insurance, retirement contributions and employee workers’ compensation deductions can reduce net pay. Comparing your paystub line by line is the best way to identify the difference.
Sources for 2026 Seattle paycheck tax calculations
These official resources support the rates and processes explained in this calculator.
- Washington Department of Revenue: Individual income-tax rules and Washington tax status.
- Washington Employment Security Department: 2026 Paid Leave premium announcement and employee/employer shares.
- Washington Paid Leave: Official premium estimator.
- WA Cares Fund: Employee premium calculation and wage rules.
- WA Cares Fund: Official exemption information.
- Social Security Administration: 2026 Social Security wage base.
- Internal Revenue Service: 2026 federal income tax brackets and standard deductions.
- Internal Revenue Service: Federal income-tax payroll withholding methods.
- Internal Revenue Service: Employee Social Security and Medicare taxes.
- City of Seattle: Payroll Expense Tax — employer requirements.
- Seattle Office of Labor Standards: 2026 Seattle minimum wage.
- Washington Labor & Industries: Workers’ compensation rates by classification.