Tax year 2026 · Updated
Illinois Paycheck Calculator
Estimate Illinois take-home pay with the 4.95% payroll formula and separate IL-W-4 basic and additional allowances. Match your state certificate independently of your federal W-4.
Illinois payroll withholding. The state income-tax line uses the Illinois automated formula and your IL-W-4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill.
Annual and monthly figures assume the entered pay repeats for a full year. Wage caps are averaged across those paychecks; year-to-date pay and deductions are not tracked.
| Line | Per paycheck | Full-year projection |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 | $60,000.00 |
| Pre-tax retirement | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Health, HSA, FSA (pre-tax) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Federal income-tax withholding | $193.08 | $5,020.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $143.08 | $3,720.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $33.46 | $870.00 |
| Illinois withholding | $114.23 | $2,969.98 |
| After-tax deductions | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,823.85 | $47,420.02 |
Estimated tax share is the displayed federal withholding, FICA, state/local tax estimate and state payroll deductions divided by gross pay. Benefit deductions are excluded from that share; it is not your final income-tax rate.
Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T for a 2020-or-later W-4. Social Security applies to the first $184,500 of wages in 2026.
Compare a Illinois salary offer with your paystub
- Enter annual gross salary and the employer's pay frequency. Every two weeks means 26 paychecks; twice a month means 24. Benefits entered per paycheck follow that choice.
- Copy the elections from your current federal W-4 and the separate state certificate fields shown in the form. A job offer's salary alone does not establish withholding.
- Enter your employee retirement and health deductions, then any after-tax deductions. Compare gross pay and each deduction line with a regular paystub before relying on the net estimate.
- For a proposed raise, run both annual salaries with the same elections, pay frequency and benefit settings. Percentage-based retirement deductions change with salary. Keep one-off bonuses separate from regular annual salary.
A raise starting partway through the year affects fewer paychecks. The annual result here is a full year at the entered salary; it does not combine earlier wages or predict a refund. For household withholding and amounts already paid, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
How Illinois paycheck taxes work in 2026
Illinois’s 2026 automated payroll formula applies 4.95% after two separate allowance deductions: $2,925 per basic allowance on IL-W-4 line 1 and $1,000 per additional allowance on line 2, on an annual basis. Divide those deductions by pay frequency, subtract them from taxable pay, and apply the rate. Extra dollars from line 3 are added afterward.
The calculator rounds withholding to cents for each paycheck and projects those rounded amounts over a steady-pay year. Both allowance counts default to zero, as required when an employer has no valid IL-W-4. Federal filing status does not fill in your Illinois certificate. Use the counts from your current form and worksheet.
| Rate | Single filers and joint filers |
|---|---|
| 4.95% | over $0 |
Personal exemption: $2,925 per filer, $2,925 per dependent. Married filing separately and head of household use the single schedule in this estimate.
Good to know. Illinois payroll uses 4.95% after $2,925 per basic IL-W-4 line 1 allowance and $1,000 per additional line 2 allowance on an annual basis. Both counts default to zero; federal filing status does not select them. The automated formula uses the exact wage amount and can differ from the guide's wage-range tables. Withholding is rounded to cents per paycheck before annualizing, with line 3 extra withholding added after the regular calculation. Use exemption choices only to match existing qualifying certificates. IL-W-4 exempt certifies both federal and Illinois exemption; IL-W-5-NR exempts Illinois withholding only. Home-state withholding is not added automatically, and FICA remains separate. The IL-W-4 instructions limit return exemptions above the applicable adjusted-gross-income thresholds. Use your current certificate and its worksheet; eligibility, interstate wage allocation and a complete tax-return calculation are outside this estimate.
Worked example: $60,000 salary in Illinois
A single filer earning $60,000 a year, paid every two weeks, with a standard W-4 and no pre-tax deductions, zero IL-W-4 basic or additional allowances, no extra state withholding and no exemption election, sees this estimate for each paycheck in 2026. These numbers are produced by the same engine as the calculator above, so they never drift from the tool.
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 |
| Federal income-tax withholding | $193.08 |
| Social Security | $143.08 |
| Medicare | $33.46 |
| Illinois withholding | $114.23 |
| Take-home pay per paycheck | $1,823.85 |
| Full-year take-home projection | $47,420.02 |
| Estimated tax share of gross pay | 21.0% |
Comparing a raise or new offer? Use the pay raise calculator to find the percentage change and its federal-only paycheck effect, then compare both salaries above with your Illinois elections and deductions.
How Illinois basic and additional allowances differ
The IL-W-4 worksheet separates basic allowances from additional allowances for qualifying age, blindness and deduction amounts. Keep the two counts separate; they have different values in the payroll formula.
At $1,000 of weekly taxable pay, no exemption and no extra withholding, the 2026 automated formula gives:
| Basic | Additional | Withheld |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | $49.50 |
| 1 | 0 | $46.72 |
| 0 | 1 | $48.55 |
| 1 | 1 | $45.76 |
The official page 4 example uses $800 weekly wages, two basic allowances and two additional allowances. The annual allowance total is $7,850, and the formula gives $32.13 of Illinois withholding per week.
Federal exemption alone does not remove Illinois tax. The IL-W-4 exemption option certifies both federal and Illinois exemption. An existing IL-W-5-NR certificate instead exempts Illinois withholding only; any withholding for your home state must be considered separately. Publication 130 explains these distinctions and the applicable nonresident rules.
Use your completed certificate to account for multiple jobs, a working spouse and allowance limits. The calculator does not determine household eligibility, allocate interstate working days or calculate a full Illinois tax return.
Federal taxes on every paycheck in 2026
Federal income tax withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T: your pay is annualised, adjusted for the entries on your Form W-4, reduced by the standard deduction built into the withholding tables ($16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household), and run through the 2026 rate schedule below. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500; Medicare is 1.45% of all wages plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000.
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $12,400 | $0 – $24,800 | $0 – $17,700 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $17,700 – $67,450 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $67,450 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,775 – $256,200 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,200 – $640,600 |
| 37% | over $640,600 | over $768,700 | over $640,600 |
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois have state income tax?
Yes. Illinois has a flat income-tax rate of 4.95% for 2026. The state income-tax line uses the Illinois automated formula and your IL-W-4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Illinois?
For a single filer paid $1,000 a week with no pre-tax deductions, zero IL-W-4 basic or additional allowances, no extra state withholding and no exemption election, this 2026 calculator estimates $204.08 in tax and state-program deductions: $78.08 federal withholding, $62.00 Social Security, $14.50 Medicare, $49.50 Illinois withholding, leaving estimated take-home pay of $795.92. This assumes the same pay and elections throughout the year.
What is the difference between IL-W-4 lines 1, 2 and 3?
Line 1 is a basic allowance count, worth $2,925 per allowance annually in 2026. Line 2 is an additional allowance count, worth $1,000 each annually. Line 3 is an extra dollar amount withheld from each paycheck. Enter the completed certificate values; the calculator does not infer them from your federal filing status.
Does federal exemption automatically remove Illinois withholding?
No. Federal W-4 exemption can coexist with Illinois withholding. A valid IL-W-4 exempt election certifies exemption from both federal and Illinois income-tax withholding. IL-W-5-NR is a different certificate that can remove Illinois withholding for qualifying nonresidents while federal withholding continues. The calculator offers these separate choices and does not determine eligibility.
Why can this result differ from an Illinois withholding table?
This tool uses the IL-700-T automated formula on your actual wage amount. The booklet’s wage-bracket tables group wages into ranges and use rounded line 2 adjustments, so a small difference is possible. The formula example on page 4 gives $32.13 for $800 weekly pay with two basic and two additional allowances.
Can high-income employees claim Illinois allowances?
The IL-W-4 instructions warn that return exemptions are unavailable above the applicable adjusted-gross-income thresholds: $500,000 for joint filers and $250,000 for other filers. Use the certificate worksheet and update your elections when needed. This paycheck tool does not determine allowance eligibility from household income.
Are 401(k) contributions taxed in Illinois?
Qualifying traditional 401(k), 403(b) and similar pre-tax retirement contributions reduce federal and Illinois income-tax wages in this estimate. Social Security and Medicare still apply to those contributions; any local-tax or state-program wage rules are separate.
How do I calculate my hourly take-home pay in Illinois?
Switch the calculator to Hourly, enter your rate, hours per week and any overtime, and choose how often you are paid. The Illinois hourly paycheck calculator opens with those settings and shows the same federal, FICA and state breakdown.
Why is my actual paycheck different from this estimate?
The state income-tax line uses the Illinois automated formula and your IL-W-4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill. The estimate assumes steady regular pay and the elections and deductions you enter. Employer rounding, variable pay, year-to-date wage caps, benefit coverage and local-tax rules can produce different deductions. Compare gross pay and each deduction line with your paystub before using the net figure for budgeting. It does not predict a refund or balance due.
Related calculators
- Illinois hourly paycheck calculatorHourly rate, hours and overtime
- Federal income tax calculatorYour 2026 federal tax bill
- W-4 withholding calculatorCheck if enough is being withheld
- Pay raise calculatorWhat a raise means after tax
- Hours worked calculatorTime card to gross pay
- Texas paycheck calculator
- Florida paycheck calculator
- California paycheck calculator
- New York paycheck calculator
- Pennsylvania paycheck calculator
- Ohio paycheck calculator
Paycheck calculators for other states
- AlabamaUp to 5%
- AlaskaNo income tax
- ArizonaFlat 2.5%
- ArkansasUp to 3.9%
- CaliforniaUp to 13.3%
- ColoradoFlat 4.4%
- ConnecticutUp to 6.99%
- DelawareUp to 6.6%
- District of ColumbiaUp to 10.75%
- FloridaNo income tax
- GeorgiaFlat 4.99%
- HawaiiUp to 11%
- IdahoFlat 5.3%
- IndianaFlat 2.95%
- IowaFlat 3.8%
- KansasUp to 5.58%
- KentuckyFlat 3.5%
- LouisianaFlat 3%
- MaineUp to 9.15%
- MarylandUp to 6.5%
- MassachusettsUp to 9%
- MichiganFlat 4.25%
- MinnesotaUp to 9.85%
- MississippiFlat 4%
- MissouriUp to 4.7%
- MontanaUp to 5.65%
- NebraskaUp to 4.55%
- NevadaNo income tax
- New HampshireNo income tax
- New JerseyUp to 10.75%
- New MexicoUp to 5.9%
- New YorkUp to 10.9%
- North CarolinaFlat 3.99%
- North DakotaUp to 2.5%
- OhioFlat 2.75%
- OklahomaUp to 4.5%
- OregonUp to 9.9%
- PennsylvaniaFlat 3.07%
- Rhode IslandUp to 5.99%
- South CarolinaUp to 6%
- South DakotaNo income tax
- TennesseeNo income tax
- TexasNo income tax
- UtahFlat 4.5%
- VermontUp to 8.75%
- VirginiaUp to 5.75%
- WashingtonNo income tax
- West VirginiaUp to 4.82%
- WisconsinUp to 7.65%
- WyomingNo income tax
Sources and updates
Figures are for tax year 2026 and were checked against the sources below on . Tax rules and rates can change. Each calculator identifies the method and limitations used.
- Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 (as of Jan 1, 2026)
- Illinois DOR, 2026 employer withholding forms
- Illinois DOR, current IL-W-4 certificate and instructions
- USDA National Finance Center, July 2026 Illinois wage and allowance formula
- Illinois DOR, Publication 130, withholding duties and exemption certificates
- Illinois DOR, current IL-W-5-NR nonresident certificate
- Illinois DOR, 2026 IL-700-T automated payroll method, page 4
- IRS, Revenue Procedure 2025-32: tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (standard deduction, rate brackets)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods, Worksheet 1A percentage method for automated payroll systems
- Social Security Administration, 2026 contribution and benefit base $184,500
- IRS Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (6.2% and 1.45%; Additional Medicare Tax 0.9% over $200,000)
- Tax Foundation, 2026 Tax Brackets (head of household and married filing separately thresholds)
This calculator gives estimates for information only and is not tax, legal or financial advice. Your employer's payroll system, local taxes, benefits and year-to-date wages can change the exact amounts on your pay stub. See how we calculate.