Arizona Paycheck Calculator

Your estimated take-home pay in Arizona for 2026 — federal tax plus Arizona withholding figured with the Department of Revenue's Form A-4: the percentage you elected, from 0.5% to 3.5% of your gross taxable wages. No A-4 on file means the 2.0% standard default, shown below.

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Method & sources: Federal withholding: IRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage method · FICA rates: IRS Topic No. 751 · Social Security wage base $184,500 (SSA). Arizona: Form A-4, Employee's Arizona Withholding Election (2026) — the elected percentage of gross taxable wages (0.5% to 3.5%, plus the box-2 zero election and an extra-amount line), 2.0% standard default when no A-4 is filed, and the flat 2.5% income tax rate for 2023 and beyond (Arizona Dept. of Revenue). Figures checked November 2026. Methodology & full sources

Quick answers

Worked examples, not your result — the figures below use the salaries and defaults stated in each example. Enter your own numbers in the calculator above for your figure.

All three assume a single filer with no pre-tax deductions and the 2.0% standard default election on Form A-4.

How this calculator works

Arizona publishes its withholding election outright — Form A-4 — and this calculator uses it, step for step. The steps:

1. Start with gross pay for the period — your salary divided by the number of paychecks in the year, or your hourly rate times the hours in the paycheck.
2. Subtract pre-tax deductions for both sides. Arizona's "gross taxable wages" is the federal wage definition — generally the amount in box 1 of your Form W-2, which is gross pay less pre-tax deductions such as health premiums and traditional 401(k) contributions — so a 401(k) contribution comes out of wages before Arizona tax is figured, exactly as on the federal side.
3. Annualize and apply the IRS schedule. Your federal taxable pay is annualized, run through the Publication 15-T (2026) schedule for your filing status and W-4 entries, then divided back into paychecks.
4. Add FICA. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 for 2026; Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% withholding on wages from one employer above $200,000.
5. Arizona tax — Form A-4. Multiply your gross taxable wages for the paycheck by the percentage you elected on Form A-4 — 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.5%, 3.0% or 3.5% — and add any extra amount you entered on the form. No A-4 on file means the 2.0% standard default. Electing zero (box 2) means no Arizona withholding at all for paychecks after the election is filed.
6. The remainder is your take-home pay — with no local income tax to add: Arizona reserves income tax to the state, so no county or city may levy one on wages.

The election is why Arizona's effective bite is whatever you chose: at the 2.0% default it is exactly 2.0% of gross taxable wages at every salary — no deduction shelters part of it first, and no bracket changes it as pay grows. Move the election and the line moves with it, dollar for dollar.

Three examples, worked in full

Example 1 — $80,000 salary, paid every two weeks

Arizona's share comes to $1,600.04 over the year — exactly 2.0% of gross pay, because the election applies to the whole paycheck with no shelter in front of it. The same worker keeps $2,431.46 a check in Texas, where there is no state tax at all, and $2,305.38 in Colorado, where the 4.40% rate runs over an allowance: at this salary Arizona's default takes less than Colorado's formula. Change the election and the comparison changes with it — at 3.5% the Arizona line would be $107.69 a check, leaving $2,323.77, still ahead of Colorado but $107.69 a check behind Texas.

Example 2 — $120,000 salary with a 401(k)

Paid every two weeks, single, at the 2.0% default election, contributing $300 a paycheck to a traditional 401(k):

Because Arizona's gross taxable wages follow the federal wage definition, the contribution escapes Arizona tax too. Without it, federal withholding would be $753.77 and Arizona's $92.31; contributing cuts the federal line by $71.23 and Arizona's by $6.00 a paycheck. The $300 of saving costs $222.77 of spendable pay — over a year, $83,029.70 of take-home plus $7,800 into the 401(k). FICA is figured on pay before the contribution: 401(k) deferrals do not escape Social Security and Medicare.

Example 3 — $30 an hour, paid weekly

At 40 hours a week all year that is $62,400 of gross pay and $49,588.24 of take-home.

What paychecks look like at other salaries

Arizona, single filer, no pre-tax deductions, 2.0% standard default election, paid every two weeks:

Hourly workers

Arizona, single filer, 2.0% standard default election, 40 hours a week, paid weekly:

Arizona's minimum wage is $15.15 an hour in 2026 (Industrial Commission of Arizona) — at $15.15 for 40 hours, take-home comes to $496.88 a week on the assumptions above. Two cities run higher: Flagstaff pays $18.35 and Tucson $15.45. See minimum wages by state for how floors compare.

Arizona pay rules worth knowing

The election, not the rate, sets your withholding

Every other flat-tax state on this site hands you a rate and a shelter. Arizona hands you a choice: seven percentages on one form, and the percentage you check is the percentage that comes out of every paycheck. At $80,000 paid every two weeks the Arizona line runs from $15.38 a check at 0.5% to $107.69 at 3.5% — a $92.31 swing on the same salary, decided by one box on Form A-4. The calculator defaults to 2.0% because that is what an employer must withhold when no form is on file, but the default is a fallback, not a recommendation.

The default under-withholds by design

The 2.0% default sits below Arizona's actual 2.5% flat income tax rate, and the tax rate applies to Arizona taxable income — after Arizona's own standard deduction and exemptions — not to gross pay. So the default and the final bill are computed on different bases, and the gap usually lands as a balance due at filing time unless deductions or credits close it. Electing 2.5% matches the rate but not the base either: it withholds 2.5% of gross taxable wages, while the return taxes 2.5% of a smaller, deduction-reduced amount. The Department's own withholding calculator exists for exactly this reason — use it to pick a percentage, then set it here.

Zero is an election, not an exemption

Form A-4 box 2 lets you elect zero withholding if you expect no Arizona liability for the year — but it is an annual election, not a permanent status. File a new A-4 by February 15 of the following year to keep it, or your employer returns to the 2.0% default. And zero withholding never cancels a tax bill: if conditions change mid-year and a liability appears, file a new A-4 promptly and pick a percentage that covers it.

The extra-amount line is the fine tuner

Alongside the percentage, Form A-4 lets you add a fixed extra amount withheld from each paycheck — the same role the federal W-4's Step 4(c) plays. It is how you cover a second job, a spouse's income, or a balance due you saw coming, without jumping a whole half-point on the percentage scale. Enter it above and it is added to the Arizona line, paycheck by paycheck.

Bonuses — same percentage, no separate rate

Form A-4 applies your elected percentage to gross taxable wages from every paycheck, so a bonus check paid separately is withheld at the same percentage as your regular pay — there is no separate Arizona supplemental rate to look up. A bonus paid with your regular wages is simply part of that period's wages. This calculator prices no flat bonus rate of its own, because the Department publishes the election, not a bonus rate — the federal treatment of that same bonus is a separate question, see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

No local income tax — the whole state story

Arizona law reserves income tax to the state: no county, city or town may levy one on wages. That is the quiet difference from the other flat-tax states: a Pennsylvania worker still owes a local earned income tax, a Michigan worker may owe a city tax, and a Kentucky worker usually owes a local occupational tax — an Arizona worker does not, in Phoenix or in Flagstaff alike.

Nonresidents and the 60-day rule

Arizona withholding follows the work, not the employer: wages for services performed in Arizona are subject to withholding, and a nonresident working in Arizona becomes subject to it once they have worked in the state for 60 days in the calendar year (the employer and employee may agree to start earlier). Certain nonresidents — including residents of California, Indiana, Oregon and Virginia who can claim a credit for taxes paid to their home state — may claim an exemption from Arizona withholding on Form WEC. If you work in Arizona only briefly, check whether the 60-day rule or an exemption applies before assuming the Arizona line belongs on your check.

Sources

Federal withholding tables: IRS Publication 15-T (2026). FICA rates and the Social Security cap: IRS Topic No. 751 and the Social Security Administration's 2026 announcement. Arizona withholding: Withholding Tax — Individual (election options 0.5% to 3.5% of gross taxable wages, 2.0% default when no Form A-4 is filed within five days of hire, 2.5% individual income tax rate for 2023 and beyond) and 2026 Form A-4, Employee's Arizona Withholding Election with its instructions (seven percentage boxes, extra-amount line, box-2 zero election; gross taxable wages are the wages generally in box 1 of the federal Form W-2), Arizona Department of Revenue. Minimum wage: Industrial Commission of Arizona, 2026 Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act notice ($15.15 statewide; Flagstaff $18.35, Tucson $15.45). See our methodology & sources page for the full list.

Related calculators

• Paycheck Calculator (all states) — the generic calculator with every covered state
• Paycheck calculators by state — all twenty state calculators in one directory
• Take-Home Index — all twenty states ranked at four salary levels
• Bonus Tax Calculator — how a bonus is really taxed
• Pay Raise Calculator — what a raise is actually worth after tax

Questions, answered

How much is $100,000 a year after taxes in Arizona?

For a single filer paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions and the 2.0% standard default election on Form A-4: $2,895.69 take-home per paycheck and $75,287.94 over a full year. Arizona takes $76.92 of state tax per paycheck, $2,000.00 over the year, at the default election.

What is Arizona's income tax rate in 2026?

A flat 2.5% of Arizona taxable income, for every filing status, in effect since 2023. But that is the rate on your return, not your withholding: what comes out of each paycheck is the percentage you elected on Form A-4, from 0.5% to 3.5% of gross taxable wages — or the 2.0% standard default if you filed no A-4.

How is Arizona withholding calculated?

This calculator uses the Department of Revenue's Form A-4 method: take your gross taxable wages for the paycheck — generally the amount in box 1 of your federal Form W-2, which is gross pay less pre-tax deductions — multiply by the percentage you elected on Form A-4, and add any extra amount you entered on the form. There is no standard deduction, no exemption count and no filing-status effect in the withholding itself.

What is Arizona's standard default withholding rate?

2.0% of gross taxable wages. New employees must complete Form A-4 within five days of hire; if you do not, your employer must withhold at 2.0% until you file a completed form. Because the actual income tax rate is 2.5%, the default usually under-withholds — expect a balance due at filing unless deductions or credits close the gap.

What does "gross taxable wages" mean on Form A-4?

For withholding purposes, your gross taxable wages are the wages that will generally be in box 1 of your federal Form W-2: your gross wages less any pre-tax deductions, such as your share of health insurance premiums and traditional 401(k) contributions. In our $120,000 example, contributing $300 a paycheck cut the Arizona line by $6.00 a paycheck.

Can I elect zero Arizona withholding?

Yes, if you expect no Arizona tax liability for the current year: Form A-4 box 2 lets you elect a withholding percentage of zero. The election must be renewed every year — file a new Form A-4 by February 15 of the following year, or your employer returns to withholding at the 2.0% default. Zero withholding does not relieve you from paying any Arizona tax that turns out to be due when you file.

Are bonuses taxed differently in Arizona?

No separate rate: Form A-4 applies your elected percentage to gross taxable wages from every paycheck, so a bonus check paid separately is withheld at the same elected percentage as your regular pay. A bonus paid with your regular wages is simply part of that period's wages. The federal side has its own flat supplemental rate — see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

Does Arizona have a local income tax?

No. Arizona law reserves income tax to the state: no county, city or town may levy one on wages. The Arizona line in this calculator is the whole state-and-local story — unlike Pennsylvania, Michigan or Kentucky, where a local tax sits outside the state formula.

What is Arizona's minimum wage in 2026?

$15.15 an hour statewide in 2026, set by the Industrial Commission of Arizona under the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act (Proposition 206) and adjusted each January 1 for inflation. Tipped workers may be paid a $12.15 cash wage with tips making up the $3.00 difference. Flagstaff ($18.35) and Tucson ($15.45) set higher local rates. At $15.15 an hour for 40 hours a week, this calculator shows take-home pay of $496.88 a week for a single filer at the 2.0% default election.

FigWage calculators are estimates for education, not tax advice. Your actual withholding can differ — your Form A-4 election, a mid-year job change, or the state's wage tables can all move the number. Your pay stub and the IRS Withholding Estimator are the final word.