Washington has a high wage floor and no broad wage income tax, but local and paid leave topics still matter.
2026 federal withholding method
Washington paycheck calculator
Estimate a regular paycheck using annual salary, pay frequency, 2026 IRS Publication 15-T, W-4 Steps 2 through 4, Social Security, Medicare, and user-entered deductions.
Washington does not impose a personal income tax. The calculator automatically estimates the 2026 employee share of Paid Leave and the 0.58% WA Cares premium for covered wages. Benefits, local taxes, exemptions, garnishments, and employer-specific deductions may still change take-home pay.
WA wage snapshot
What to check before using this estimate
Weekly overtime generally applies after 40 hours for nonexempt workers.
State rules and local paid leave topics can affect payroll planning.
Method
How the paycheck estimate works
Federal income tax withholding
The calculator follows the automated percentage method in IRS Publication 15-T for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Filing status and W-4 Steps 2, 3, and 4 can change the result.
Social Security and Medicare
The estimate uses the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500 and accepts year-to-date wages so the current paycheck can stop Social Security withholding at the annual limit.
State employee payroll deductions
For a covered employee, Washington Paid Leave uses a 1.13% total premium in 2026 and an employee share of 71.43%, capped at the $184,500 Social Security wage base. WA Cares adds 0.58% with no Social Security wage cap. Tips are excluded, and approved program exemptions can be selected in the calculator details. Approved exemptions and employer-paid amounts are not inferred.
Sources and update checks: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), SSA contribution and benefit base, Washington Department of Revenue income tax forms, Washington Paid Leave 2026 premium estimator, WA Cares employer premium guidance, WA Cares exemptions. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.
Worked example
$85,000 salary paid biweekly in Washington
This example uses a 2020-or-later Form W-4, single filing status, no Step 2 checkbox, no Step 3 or Step 4 adjustments, and year-to-date wages below every applicable cap. Benefits, local items, and voluntary deductions are $0.
| Paycheck item | Estimated amount | How it is treated |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $3,269.23 | $85,000 divided by 26 pay periods |
| Federal income tax withholding | $379.62 | 2026 Publication 15-T percentage method |
| Social Security | $202.69 | 6.2% while below the 2026 wage base |
| Medicare | $47.40 | 1.45% at this year-to-date wage level |
| WA Paid Leave and WA Cares | $45.35 | The calculator automatically estimates the 2026 employee share of Paid Leave and the 0.58% WA Cares premium for covered wages. |
| Estimated take-home pay | $2,594.17 | Before benefits, local items, and voluntary deductions |
Year-to-date cap scenario
If Paid Leave wages are $184,000 before a $3,269.23 paycheck, only $500 remains below the 2026 Paid Leave wage base. The employee Paid Leave share is about $4.04 for that check, while WA Cares continues on covered non-tip wages because it does not use the Social Security wage cap.
Items to enter separately
Health premiums, retirement contributions, garnishments, employer-specific deductions, and applicable local items can change the deposited amount. Enter known per-paycheck amounts instead of treating this example as a pay stub.
Overtime connection
Overtime can change both taxable wages and the amount potentially eligible for the federal qualified overtime deduction. Only the qualifying FLSA premium is considered for that deduction.
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