Georgia Paycheck Calculator

Your estimated take-home pay in Georgia for 2026 — federal tax plus Georgia withholding figured with the Department of Revenue's official percentage method: a flat 4.99% on pay over the standard deduction and your Form G-4 allowances.

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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). Georgia: 2026 Employer's Withholding Tax Guide (rev. September 2026) percentage method — flat 4.99% (Georgia 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 claiming zero allowances on Form G-4, with no pre-tax deductions.

How this calculator works

Georgia taxes wages at one flat rate, and the Department of Revenue's 2026 Employer's Withholding Tax Guide gives employers two ways to withhold: wage-bracket tables, or the percentage method. This calculator uses the percentage method, the guide's formula for computerized payroll. 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. Georgia follows the federal guidelines for qualified plans, so a traditional 401(k) contribution is deducted from wages before Georgia taxable income 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. Georgia tax — the percentage method. From each paycheck's Georgia wages, subtract the standard deduction from Table E of the guide — $576.92 per biweekly paycheck for single and head-of-household filers, $1,153.85 for married filing jointly with one spouse working — and $192.31 for each allowance on your Form G-4 (the amounts are $5,000 a year per allowance, taken from the table). Multiply what is left by 4.99% and round to the cent. There is no personal exemption for you or a spouse in Georgia's system; only dependents and worksheet adjustments create allowances.
6. The remainder is your take-home pay. No Georgia city or county adds a local income tax.

One quirk worth knowing: the $30,000 married standard deduction assumes one income. When both spouses work, the guide puts each spouse in the $15,000 class (Form G-4 status B), so each employer withholds more — the toggle in the calculator above models exactly that.

Worked examples

These examples were produced with this calculator's own engine — IRS Publication 15-T for the federal lines, the Georgia percentage method for the Georgia line. Unless stated otherwise: single filer, zero G-4 allowances, no pre-tax deductions, no W-4 adjustments. Rows are the calculator's outputs, rounded to the cent.

Example 1: $80,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks

Gross pay per paycheck	$3,076.92
Federal income tax	−$410.08
Social Security (6.2%)	−$190.77
Medicare (1.45%)	−$44.62
Georgia state tax	−$124.75
Take-home pay	$2,306.71

Over a full year: $59,974.46 of take-home pay out of $80,000 gross. Georgia takes $124.75 a paycheck, $3,243.50 over the year — about 4.1% of gross pay, below the 4.99% rate because the first $15,000 of pay is sheltered by the standard deduction.

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

Paid every two weeks, with a pre-tax 401(k) contribution of $300 per paycheck.

Gross pay per paycheck	$4,615.38
Pre-tax 401(k) contribution	−$300.00
Federal income tax	−$682.54
Social Security (6.2%)	−$286.15
Medicare (1.45%)	−$66.92
Georgia state tax	−$186.55
Take-home pay	$3,093.21

Without the 401(k), federal withholding would be $753.77 per paycheck and Georgia withholding $201.52. Contributing $300 cuts federal withholding by $71.23 and Georgia withholding by $14.97 per paycheck, because Georgia follows the federal guidelines and excludes the contribution from state wages too. So the $300 contribution costs $213.80 of spendable pay per check. Take-home pay for the year is $80,423.46, plus $7,800 that went into the 401(k).

Example 3: $30 an hour, married filing jointly, paid weekly

Gross pay per paycheck (40 hours)	$1,200.00
Federal income tax	−$89.92
Social Security (6.2%)	−$74.40
Medicare (1.45%)	−$17.40
Georgia state tax	−$31.09
Take-home pay	$987.19

At 40 hours a week, $30 an hour is $62,400 a year before tax and $51,333.88 after. Georgia takes $31.09 a week, $1,616.68 over the year — figured with the $30,000 married standard deduction, because this example assumes one income. If the spouse also worked, each employer would use the $15,000 class instead: Georgia withholding on this same paycheck would be $45.49 a week, and the year's take-home $50,585.08. That $748.80 difference is the single most common reason two otherwise identical Georgia couples see different state withholding.

Georgia take-home pay by salary

Single filer, paid every two weeks, zero G-4 allowances, no pre-tax deductions.

Because the standard deduction shelters a fixed $15,000, Georgia's effective bite grows with income: about 3.1% of gross pay at $40,000 and about 4.5% at $150,000, always below the 4.99% rate. The comparison that makes the point: the same $100,000 filer takes home $77,287.86 a year in Texas or Florida, where there is no state tax. In Georgia they keep $73,046.48. The $4,241.38 difference is exactly the year's Georgia tax.

Georgia take-home pay by the hour

Single filer, paid weekly, 40 hours a week, zero G-4 allowances, no pre-tax deductions.

Most of these rows sit well above Georgia's effective minimum wage of $7.25 an hour — the federal rate, which covers most Georgia jobs (the state's own $5.15 minimum reaches only a narrow set of small employers outside federal coverage). Notice the state column: Georgia rounds to the cent, so its line shows cents — a contrast with North Carolina, whose method rounds state withholding to whole dollars.

Georgia pay rules worth knowing

The rate keeps moving. Georgia's flat rate has fallen every year — 5.39% in 2024, 5.19% in 2025, 4.99% for 2026 after HB 463. The same law schedules further cuts of 0.125 points a year from 2027 toward a 3.99% floor, but each step depends on state revenue conditions, so treat the schedule as planned, not guaranteed.

A 2026-only wrinkle. Because HB 463 was signed on May 11, 2026 but applies retroactively to January 1, employers withheld at 5.19% for the first part of the year and 4.99% after. Nobody did anything wrong; the difference settles on the 2026 Form 500.

Minimum wage. $7.25 an hour for most workers, via federal law. Georgia's own minimum wage statute sets $5.15 but applies only to employers with six or more employees that the federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not cover — a small slice of jobs.

Paydays. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 34-7-2) generally requires employers to pay on regular paydays at least twice a month, with exceptions for salaried and executive employees and certain others.

No local income tax. No Georgia city or county taxes wages. What the state withholds is the whole state-and-local income-tax layer — a simpler picture than Pennsylvania or New York.

Retirement income exclusion — return only. Georgia excludes up to $35,000 of retirement income per person at ages 62–64 and $65,000 from 65, and Social Security is fully exempt. Those are filing-time exclusions: they do not reduce withholding on wages, though a part-time-working retiree can use Form G-4 Line 6-style adjustments or the worksheet to trim withholding toward the expected bill.

Tips and overtime subtractions — also return only. For 2026–2028 Georgia allows state subtractions for qualified overtime pay and cash tips (up to $1,750 each), claimed on the return. Per the withholding guide they do not reduce withholding or the Georgia wages on your W-2, and Georgia has decoupled from the federal tips and overtime exemptions — so your paycheck withholding still runs on full wages.

Bonuses: the rate in effect when paid. Georgia withholds on separately paid supplemental wages at the flat rate in effect at the time of payment — 4.99% now ($249.50 on a $5,000 bonus), 5.19% for bonuses paid before May 11, 2026. The federal side has its own supplemental rates — see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

Sources

Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026). FICA rates are from IRS Topic No. 751, and the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500 is from the Social Security Administration. Georgia withholding follows the Department of Revenue's 2026 Employer's Withholding Tax Guide (revised September 2026) — the Percentage Method and Tables E–F for the standard deductions and per-allowance amounts, the "What's New for Tax Year 2026" section for the HB 463 rate cut and deduction increases, and the guide's FAQ for the treatment of 401(k) contributions and supplemental wages. Payday rules are from O.C.G.A. § 34-7-2. Calculation details are on our methodology page.

Related calculators

Compare Georgia with the other flat-tax states: the North Carolina Paycheck Calculator (3.99%, withheld at 4.09% over a $12,750 standard deduction), the Illinois Paycheck Calculator (4.95% with IL-W-4 allowances) and the Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator (3.07%, but no standard deduction and most towns add a local tax). Run the same pay in a state with no income tax: the Florida Paycheck Calculator. The Paycheck Calculator hub covers every state we support, and Paycheck Calculators by State lists them all. Also see the Overtime Calculator, the Hourly Paycheck Calculator, and the Bonus Tax Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much is $100,000 a year after taxes in Georgia?
For a single filer paid every two weeks, claiming zero allowances on Form G-4, with no pre-tax deductions: $2,809.48 take-home per paycheck and $73,046.48 over a full year. Georgia takes $163.13 per paycheck, $4,241.38 over the year, using the Department of Revenue's percentage method.

What is Georgia's income tax rate in 2026?
A flat 4.99% of Georgia taxable income, for every filing status. Georgia has been cutting the rate on a schedule — 5.39% in 2024, 5.19% in 2025 — and HB 463 cut the 2026 rate to 4.99%, retroactive to January 1, 2026. Withholding uses the same 4.99%: unlike North Carolina, Georgia adds no buffer on top of the tax rate.

Why was more Georgia tax withheld from my early-2026 paychecks?
Because the rate changed mid-year. HB 463 was signed on May 11, 2026, so employers withheld at the old 5.19% rate on pay dates before then and switched to 4.99% from May 11. The 4.99% rate applies to all of 2026, so the extra withheld early in the year settles up when you file your 2026 Form 500 — it comes back as a bigger refund or a smaller balance due.

How is Georgia withholding calculated?
This calculator uses the percentage method from the Department of Revenue's 2026 Employer's Withholding Tax Guide. From each paycheck, subtract the Table E standard deduction for your Form G-4 status — $576.92 per biweekly paycheck if you are single or head of household, $1,153.85 if you are married filing jointly with one spouse working — then $192.31 for each G-4 allowance, and multiply what is left by 4.99%. Employers may instead use the guide's wage-bracket tables, which the guide itself says differ slightly, so a table-based pay stub can be off by pennies.

What are Form G-4 allowances worth?
Each allowance shelters $5,000 a year of pay — worth about $249.50 a year of withholding each. Line 4 of the G-4 counts your dependents; Line 5 adds worksheet allowances for itemized deductions and other adjustments, and Line 7 is the total your employer uses. Line 6 lets you ask for a flat extra amount per paycheck instead. There is no allowance for yourself or a spouse. If you never file a G-4, your employer withholds as if you were single with zero allowances, and a G-4 claiming exempt status or more than 14 allowances has to be sent to the Department of Revenue.

My spouse also works. Which standard deduction applies to my Georgia withholding?
The smaller one. The $30,000 standard deduction (Form G-4 status C) is for married couples where only one spouse works. When both spouses work, each files status B and each employer withholds using the $15,000 class — the same class as a single filer. On $30 an hour paid weekly, that is the difference between $31.09 and $45.49 of Georgia tax a week.

Does Georgia tax 401(k) contributions?
No. Georgia follows the federal guidelines for qualified plans, so a pre-tax 401(k) contribution is deducted from wages before Georgia taxable income is figured. In our $120,000 example, contributing $300 a paycheck cut federal withholding by $71.23 and Georgia withholding by $14.97 a paycheck.

Does Georgia have local income taxes?
No. No Georgia city or county levies an income tax on wages, so the 4.99% state withholding is the whole state-and-local income-tax layer on a Georgia paycheck — a simpler picture than Pennsylvania, where most workers also pay a local earned income tax.

Are bonuses taxed differently in Georgia?
Georgia withholds on supplemental wages such as bonuses at the income tax rate in effect when the bonus is paid — 4.99% today, so $249.50 on a $5,000 bonus. A bonus paid before May 11, 2026 was withheld at 5.19%, the rate then in effect. The federal side has its own flat supplemental rate — see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

What is Georgia's minimum wage in 2026?
$7.25 an hour for most workers — the federal rate. Georgia's own minimum wage law sets $5.15, but it reaches only employers with six or more employees that are not already covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers most jobs. So in practice nearly every Georgia paycheck starts from at least $7.25.

Estimate for general information only — not tax, legal, or financial advice. Federal method: IRS Publication 15-T (2026). Georgia: Department of Revenue, 2026 Employer's Withholding Tax Guide (rev. September 2026) — percentage method at the flat 4.99% rate (HB 463, retroactive to January 1, 2026), Table E standard deduction $15,000 / $30,000, $5,000 per Form G-4 allowance. Social Security wage base 2026: $184,500 (SSA). See our methodology & sources.