Tennessee Paycheck Calculator
Your estimated take-home pay in Tennessee, using 2026 federal rules. Tennessee takes no state income tax out of your paycheck — so only federal tax, Social Security, and Medicare come out.
Advanced — W-4 adjustments (optional)
| Gross pay | $0.00 |
| Pre-tax deductions | −$0.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$0.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$0.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$0.00 |
| Tennessee state income tax | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $0.00 |
Quick answers
$60,000 a year in Tennessee: take-home pay of $1,890.30 per paycheck (every two weeks), or $49,147.80 a year.
$25 an hour in Tennessee (40 hours a week): take-home pay of $825.58 per weekly paycheck, or $42,930.16 a year.
$100,000 a year in Tennessee: take-home pay of $2,972.61 per paycheck (every two weeks), or $77,287.86 a year.
All three assume a single filer with no pre-tax deductions. The only taxes in them are federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare — in Tennessee, that is the whole list.
How this calculator works
A Tennessee paycheck is the federal calculation with nothing added at the state level. The steps:
- 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.
- Subtract pre-tax deductions such as a traditional 401(k). What remains is your pay subject to federal income tax. Social Security and Medicare are still figured on your full gross pay.
- Annualize and apply the IRS schedule. Your taxable pay is multiplied up to a full year and run through the Publication 15-T (2026) Percentage Method schedule for your filing status, with any W-4 adjustments you entered.
- Divide back into paychecks, after subtracting W-4 Step 3 credits and adding any Step 4(c) extra withholding.
- 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.
- Add Tennessee state income tax: $0. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages — its former tax on interest and dividends never applied to wages and was repealed in 2021 — so this step is always zero.
- The remainder is your take-home pay.
Worked examples
These examples were produced with this calculator's own engine. Unless stated otherwise, they assume no pre-tax deductions and no W-4 adjustments.
Example 1: $115,000 salary, single, with a 401(k)
Paid every two weeks, with a pre-tax 401(k) contribution of $250 per paycheck.
| Gross pay per paycheck | $4,423.08 |
| Pre-tax 401(k) contribution | −$250.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$651.23 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$274.23 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$64.13 |
| Tennessee state income tax | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $3,183.48 |
Without the 401(k), federal withholding would be $707.62 per paycheck. Contributing $250 cuts it by $56.39 per paycheck — $1,466.14 over a year — so the contribution costs $193.61 of spendable pay per check, not the full $250. Take-home pay for the year is $82,770.48, plus $6,500 contributed to the 401(k).
Example 2: $26 an hour, married filing jointly, paid every two weeks
| Gross pay per paycheck (80 hours) | $2,080.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$141.45 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$128.96 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$30.16 |
| Tennessee state income tax | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,779.43 |
At 80 hours per two-week paycheck, $26 an hour is $54,080 a year before tax and $46,265.18 after federal tax and FICA. Total withholding is $300.57 per paycheck, and more than half of it — $159.12 — is Social Security and Medicare rather than income tax, because the joint filing schedule keeps the federal income tax piece low at this level.
Example 3: $48,000 salary, single, paid weekly
| Gross pay per paycheck | $923.08 |
| Federal income tax | −$88.69 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$57.23 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$13.38 |
| Tennessee state income tax | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $763.77 |
Weekly pay slices the same salary into 52 smaller checks. Take-home pay for the year is $39,716.04 out of $48,000 gross — a total tax bite of about 17.3%, all of it federal. Weekly schedules also smooth out the annualization effect: each check is withheld on a smaller base, so weekly payers usually land closer to their final tax bill than monthly payers do.
Tennessee take-home pay by salary
Single filer, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions. Find your salary to see what actually lands in your account — and notice that the state column never appears, because there is nothing to put in it.
| Annual salary | Gross per paycheck | Federal tax | FICA | Take-home per paycheck | Take-home per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,538.46 | −$140.46 | −$117.69 | $1,280.31 | $33,288.06 |
| $50,000 | $1,923.08 | −$186.62 | −$147.11 | $1,589.34 | $41,322.84 |
| $60,000 | $2,307.69 | −$240.85 | −$176.54 | $1,890.30 | $49,147.80 |
| $75,000 | $2,884.62 | −$367.77 | −$220.68 | $2,296.18 | $59,700.68 |
| $100,000 | $3,846.15 | −$579.31 | −$294.23 | $2,972.61 | $77,287.86 |
| $125,000 | $4,807.69 | −$799.92 | −$367.79 | $3,639.98 | $94,639.48 |
| $150,000 | $5,769.23 | −$1,030.69 | −$441.34 | $4,297.19 | $111,726.94 |
Two patterns are worth seeing. First, FICA is a flat 7.65% at every row of this table — it does not rise with income until the Social Security cap, so it is a bigger share of the total tax at $40,000 (about 46% of all tax withheld) than at $150,000 (about 30%). Second, the federal column grows faster than salary: going from $50,000 to $100,000 doubles gross pay but more than triples federal withholding, because more of the pay lands in the 22% band.
Tennessee take-home pay by the hour
Single filer, paid weekly, 40 hours a week, no pre-tax deductions.
| Hourly rate | Gross per week | Federal tax | FICA | Take-home per week | Take-home per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $600.00 | −$49.92 | −$45.90 | $504.18 | $26,217.36 |
| $20.00 | $800.00 | −$73.92 | −$61.20 | $664.88 | $34,573.76 |
| $25.00 | $1,000.00 | −$97.92 | −$76.50 | $825.58 | $42,930.16 |
| $30.00 | $1,200.00 | −$130.58 | −$91.80 | $977.62 | $50,836.24 |
| $40.00 | $1,600.00 | −$218.58 | −$122.40 | $1,259.02 | $65,469.04 |
| $50.00 | $2,000.00 | −$306.58 | −$153.00 | $1,540.42 | $80,101.84 |
Hourly workers feel annualization more than salaried workers do: a week with overtime is withheld as if that were your pace all year. If your hours swing a lot, expect bigger refunds or smaller ones at tax time rather than exact withholding — the annual return evens it out. To work out the overtime itself, use the Overtime Calculator.
Tennessee pay rules worth knowing
Payday law. The Tennessee Wage Regulations Act (Tenn. Code § 50-2-103) covers private employers with five or more employees and requires wages to be paid at least once a month. Employers who pay twice a month or more often work to fixed statutory deadlines: wages earned before the 1st day of a month are due by the 20th of the following month, and wages earned before the 16th are due by the 5th of the following month. A monthly payer owes all of a month's wages by the 5th of the next month. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Labor Standards Unit enforces the act.
Final paychecks. When you leave a Tennessee job — quit or fired — your final wages are due by the next regular payday or within 21 days after your separation, whichever is later (Tenn. Code § 50-2-103(g)). That “whichever is later” makes Tennessee's deadline more forgiving to employers than most states', so a final check can legitimately arrive a few weeks after your last day.
No Tennessee W-4. States with an income tax usually have their own withholding form or use the federal elections. Tennessee has neither: the only withholding paperwork for a Tennessee job is the federal Form W-4, which is why this calculator only asks federal questions. Tennessee's only brush with an income tax was the Hall tax on interest and dividend income; it never applied to wages and was fully repealed in 2021.
Minimum wage and overtime. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies — and state law also keeps cities and counties from setting a higher local wage. Overtime follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, with no state daily-overtime rule. Tennessee employers pay state unemployment insurance tax themselves; it never comes out of your paycheck.
The trade-off. No income tax does not mean no taxes: Tennessee funds itself largely through sales taxes — its combined state and local sales tax rates are among the highest in the country — rather than a tax on wages. Those don't show up in your paycheck, but they are part of the honest comparison if you are weighing a Tennessee offer against one in a state with an income tax and lower sales taxes.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee have a state income tax?
No. Tennessee does not tax wages, and it has no personal income tax of any kind since the old Hall tax on interest and dividends — which never applied to wages — was fully repealed in 2021. On this calculator the Tennessee state line is always $0.
Is there a Tennessee W-4 form?
No. Because there is no state withholding, Tennessee has no state version of the W-4. The only withholding form you fill out for a Tennessee job is the federal Form W-4, which is what this calculator's filing status and adjustment fields mirror.
How much is $100,000 a year after taxes in Tennessee?
For a single filer paid every two weeks with no pre-tax deductions: $2,972.61 take-home per paycheck and $77,287.86 over a full year. The only taxes are federal withholding ($15,062.06 a year) and FICA — Social Security and Medicare ($7,649.98 a year).
What comes out of a Tennessee paycheck?
Federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500 of wages in 2026), and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% withholding on wages from one employer above $200,000). Beyond taxes, many paychecks also have voluntary or court-ordered deductions such as 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, and garnishments.
How often does my employer have to pay me in Tennessee?
Tennessee's Wage Regulations Act covers private employers with five or more employees and requires pay at least once a month. Employers who pay twice a month or more work to statutory deadlines: wages earned in the first half of a month are due by the 5th of the next month, and wages earned in the second half by the 20th of the next month.
When is my final paycheck due if I leave a Tennessee job?
Your final wages are due by the next regular payday or within 21 days after your last day, whichever is later (Tenn. Code § 50-2-103(g)). The rule is the same whether you quit or were fired.
Is overtime pay taxed less in 2026?
Not in your paycheck. Withholding on overtime works exactly like withholding on regular pay. A newer federal deduction for the premium half of overtime pay (the extra 0.5×) applies when you file your tax return for 2025 through 2028 — it lowers your tax bill at filing time, but it does not change the withholding this calculator estimates.
Why is my Tennessee paycheck a little different from this estimate?
Employers may round differently, and your actual W-4 entries, benefit premiums, 401(k) contributions, or garnishments may differ from what you entered here. Pay frequency matters too: the same salary produces different per-check amounts weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, or monthly.
Sources
Federal withholding follows the IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. FICA rates are from the IRS page Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates (Topic No. 751), and the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500 is from the Social Security Administration. Payday and final-pay rules are from Tenn. Code § 50-2-103 (the Wage Regulations Act), administered by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Labor Standards Unit. Tennessee has no state minimum wage statute, so the federal rate applies; overtime rules are from the U.S. Department of Labor's Fair Labor Standards Act pages. Calculation details are on our methodology page.
Related calculators
Compare take-home pay in every state on the Paycheck Calculators by State hub. Texas and Florida run the identical federal-only math — see the Texas Paycheck Calculator and Florida Paycheck Calculator. For the opposite end of the scale, the California Paycheck Calculator shows what a state income tax does to the same pay. For hourly work specifically, see the Hourly Paycheck Calculator and the Overtime Calculator.
Estimate for general information only — not tax, legal, or financial advice. Federal method: IRS Publication 15-T (2026). Social Security wage base 2026: $184,500 (SSA). Tennessee state income tax on wages: none. See our methodology & sources.