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Tennessee Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Estimate your Tennessee take-home pay after federal income tax and FICA. Tennessee has no state tax on wages or earned income.

How this calculator works

Tennessee has no state tax on wages or earned income, so your paycheck deductions are federal income tax and FICA only. This calculator takes your gross pay, subtracts any pre-tax 401(k) and health-insurance deductions, computes federal income tax and FICA on what’s left, and divides the year’s total by your number of pay periods to estimate what lands in your account each paycheck.

The formula

grossAnnual        = salary, or hourlyRate × hoursPerWeek × 52
ficaWages          = grossAnnual − pretaxHealth        (401(k) does NOT reduce FICA wages)
fedTaxableWages    = grossAnnual − pretaxHealth − 401(k) contribution
taxableIncome      = max(0, fedTaxableWages − standardDeduction)

FICA   = 6.2% of ficaWages (up to the $184,500 wage base)
     + 1.45% of ficaWages (no cap)
     + 0.9% of ficaWages over $200,000

federalTax = 2026 bracket engine applied to taxableIncome
stateTax   = $0 (Tennessee has no state tax on wages or earned income)

net = grossAnnual − pretaxHealth − 401(k) − FICA − federalTax − stateTax − postTaxDeductions
netPerPaycheck = net / payPeriodsPerYear

Worked example

A single filer earning $60,000/year, paid biweekly, with no 401(k) or extra deductions:

  • FICA: 7.65% × $60,000 = $4,590.00/year ($3,720 Social Security + $870 Medicare)
  • Taxable income: $60,000 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900 → federal tax = $5,020.00/year
  • Net pay: $60,000 − $4,590 − $5,020 = $50,390.00/year, or $1,938.08 per biweekly paycheck

This is the same arithmetic as our Texas, Florida, and Washington calculators’ worked examples, since all four states have $0 state tax on wages; only the state-specific content differs. Tennessee also had a Hall Income Tax on interest and stock dividend income, but it never touched wages and was fully repealed starting in 2021, so it has no effect on this result either.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why doesn't Tennessee have a state income tax?

Tennessee voters approved Amendment 3 in November 2014, adding language to Article II, Section 28 of the state constitution that bars the legislature from levying any state or local tax on payroll or earned personal income. That prohibition is permanent unless voters amend the constitution again, so Tennessee has no tax on wages or salaries.

What was the Hall Income Tax, and does it still apply?

The Hall Income Tax was a 6% tax on interest and stock dividend income, never on wages. Tennessee phased it down by one percentage point a year starting in 2016 and fully repealed it for tax years beginning January 1, 2021. It has not applied to any income, wage or investment, since then.

Does Tennessee tax any kind of income at all?

No. With the Hall Income Tax fully repealed as of 2021 and the constitution barring any tax on payroll or earned income, Tennessee currently levies no state tax on wages, salaries, interest, or dividends for individuals. Your paycheck deductions come entirely from federal income tax and FICA.

What is FICA?

FICA is the combined 7.65% Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) tax withheld from your paycheck, matched by your employer. Social Security stops once your wages hit the annual wage base ($184,500 for 2026); Medicare has no cap and adds an extra 0.9% above $200,000.

How does contributing to a 401(k) change my take-home pay?

A traditional 401(k) contribution lowers the wages your federal income tax is calculated on, so it shaves a bit off your income tax bill, but it does not reduce your Social Security or Medicare wages, since those are calculated before the 401(k) deduction.

Why doesn't my calculated net pay match what shows up in my actual paycheck?

This calculator estimates your annual tax liability and divides it evenly across your pay periods. Your actual employer withholds federal tax per paycheck using IRS withholding tables, which can differ slightly period-to-period; the two methods land close together but rarely to the exact cent.

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