Washington has no state income tax, but your paycheck is not deduction-free. Two state insurance premiums come out of every check: Paid Family and Medical Leave and the WA Cares Fund for long-term care.
2026 tax year, verified Sources
Estimated take-home this week
$953.04
from $1,153.85 gross. You keep 83%.
2026 tax year, rules last verified November 12, 2026. An estimate, not tax advice. How we calculate
Each extra dollar you earn loses about 21¢ to taxes, but across all your pay the average is 17¢. A raise never lowers your take-home: only the dollars above a bracket line pay the higher rate.
| Annual pay | Effective | Marginal |
|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | 9.0% | 9.0% |
| $30,000 | 13.8% | 21.0% |
| $45,000 | 16.2% | 21.0% |
| $60,000 | 17.4% | 21.0% |
| $75,000 | 19.3% | 31.0% |
| $90,000 | 21.2% | 31.0% |
| $105,000 | 22.6% | 31.0% |
| $120,000 | 23.7% | 31.0% |
| $135,000 | 24.7% | 33.0% |
| $150,000 | 25.5% | 33.0% |
Same pay, W-4 and benefits; each state’s default withholding answers, no local taxes. Take-home per week:
There is no Washington withholding certificate and no state income tax withholding. Bonuses, overtime and raises only add federal tax and FICA.
The Paid Family and Medical Leave premium is 1.13% of gross wages in 2026. Employers may take up to 71.43% of that from you, which works out to 0.8072% of your pay. It stops once this employer has paid you $184,500 in the year, the Social Security wage base.
WA Cares is 0.58% of gross wages with no cap, paid entirely by employees unless your employer chooses to cover it.
Both premiums use gross wages before 401(k) and other pre-tax deductions. Tips are not included.
| Program | Employee rate | Wage cap | On a $1,000 check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Family & Medical Leave | 0.8072% | $184,500 | $8.07 |
| WA Cares Fund | 0.58% | None | $5.80 |
Employers with fewer than 50 employees owe no employer share of the Paid Leave premium but still collect the employee share.
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, paid weekly. Washington takes no income tax, so the only deductions are federal income tax and FICA plus state payroll contributions.
| Line | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,000.00 | $52,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$78.08 | −$4,060.16 |
| Social Security | −$62.00 | −$3,224.00 |
| Medicare | −$14.50 | −$754.00 |
| WA Paid Family & Medical Leave | −$8.07 | −$419.64 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care) | −$5.80 | −$301.60 |
| Take-home pay | $831.55 | $43,240.60 |
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, no local tax. Per-week amounts; annual totals account for the Social Security wage cap.
| Salary | Gross / week | Federal | FICA | Washington | Take-home / week | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $576.92 | $27.31 | $44.14 | $8.01 | $497.46 | $25,868 |
| $40,000 | $769.23 | $50.38 | $58.84 | $10.67 | $649.34 | $33,766 |
| $50,000 | $961.54 | $73.46 | $73.56 | $13.34 | $801.18 | $41,661 |
| $60,000 | $1,153.85 | $96.54 | $88.27 | $16.00 | $953.04 | $49,558 |
| $75,000 | $1,442.31 | $147.50 | $110.33 | $20.01 | $1,164.47 | $60,552 |
| $100,000 | $1,923.08 | $253.27 | $147.11 | $26.67 | $1,496.03 | $77,794 |
| $150,000 | $2,884.62 | $475.65 | $220.68 | $40.01 | $2,148.28 | $111,711 |
Married filing jointly with two children on $100,000: $1,687.00 a week ($87,724 a year).
None. Washington cities and counties do not tax wages. Seattle’s payroll expense tax is paid by employers on high salaries and is not deducted from your check.
Two state programs take a premium from Washington paychecks.
If you live in Washington and work in Oregon or Idaho, that state taxes your wages there; Washington has no income tax to credit it against. If you live in another state and work in Washington, you pay Washington’s premiums but no Washington income tax. Out-of-state residents can apply for a WA Cares exemption.
For the state, only $8.07 for Paid Leave and $5.80 for WA Cares. Federal income tax and FICA are the bigger deductions; the calculator above shows your take-home.
For most workers, yes. You can skip it only with an approved exemption, for example if you live outside Washington, are a veteran with a 70% or higher service-connected disability, or are the spouse or partner of an active-duty service member. Since 2026, workers on temporary non-immigrant work visas are exempt automatically. The private-insurance opt-out closed in 2022.
Yes. Premiums stop after $184,500 of wages from one employer in 2026, so the most you pay that employer is $1,489.21. WA Cares has no maximum.
Not with income tax. A bonus is still gross wages, so Paid Leave (0.8072%) and WA Cares (0.58%) apply to it, along with federal withholding and FICA.
Washington rules for the 2026 tax year, last verified November 12, 2026. Federal sources are on the methodology page.
Every state page has its own withholding formula, local taxes, payroll programs and worked examples. Compare all states.