Arkansas Paycheck Calculator
Figure basis: Official Arkansas Department of Finance and AdministrationThis Arkansas paycheck calculator estimates your take-home pay after the taxes withheld from a typical wage. Enter your gross pay, choose how often you are paid (weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly) and select your filing status to see a full breakdown of every deduction and your net pay. The estimate combines four withholdings: federal income tax, calculated with the 2026 Internal Revenue Service annualised percentage method; Social Security at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.00; Medicare at 1.45% on all wages; and Arkansas state income tax withholding, applied with the brackets published by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration for tax year 2026. Results update as you type and the page link captures your inputs so you can save or share a calculation. This estimate covers federal withholding, FICA and state income tax only; State Disability Insurance where a state levies it, and any city or county local income tax, are not included and are noted separately. Use it to check a payslip, compare an offer, or plan a pre-tax contribution.
A $5,000 biweekly paycheck (single filer) in Arkansas is about $3,683.45 take-home, after federal income tax $766.69, Social Security $310.00, Medicare $72.50 and Arkansas income tax $167.36.
How the Arkansas paycheck calculation works
annual gross = gross per period x pay periods per year
federal withholding = IRS Pub 15-T annualised percentage method, de-annualised
Social Security = min(annual gross, $184,500.00) x 6.2% / periods
Medicare = annual gross x 1.45% / periods
state withholding = Arkansas income tax on annual gross / periods
take-home = gross per period - federal - Social Security - Medicare - state
Worked example
A single filer paid $5,000.00 every two weeks (26 pay periods a year) in Arkansas, for 2026:
- Annual gross = $5,000.00 x 26 = $130,000.00
- Federal income tax withheld this period = $766.69
- Social Security = $310.00; Medicare = $72.50
- Arkansas income tax withheld = $167.36
- Take-home = $5,000.00 - $766.69 - $310.00 - $72.50 - $167.36 = $3,683.45
Arkansas withholding is chasing a falling rate
Arkansas take-home pay reflects a state income tax that keeps getting cut. On top of federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% to the 2025 base of $176,100), and Medicare (1.45%), Arkansas withholds under a five-bracket schedule that now tops out at 3.7% on net income above $26,399 for tax year 2026, down from 3.9% a year earlier and 4.7% as recently as 2023.
The schedule is gentler at the bottom than the top rate suggests. The first $5,599 of net taxable income is taxed at 0%, then rates step up through 2%, 3%, and 3.4% before reaching 3.7%. A separate low-income tax table can further shrink or erase the bill for lower earners, so a smaller paycheck may carry little or no Arkansas withholding.
Timing is the nuance to watch on a payslip. Because the latest cut took effect on January 1, employer withholding formulas change between tax years, so the state tax pulled early in a transition year can differ slightly from the figure you settle at filing. Arkansas also uses a flat-dollar standard deduction ($2,470 single, $4,940 married filing jointly) rather than the federal amount, and this estimate excludes local taxes, though Arkansas does not levy a broad local wage income tax.
Arkansas paycheck calculator: frequently asked questions
How much is take-home pay on a $5,000 biweekly paycheck in Arkansas?
A single filer earning $5,000 every two weeks in Arkansas keeps about $3,683.45 after federal income tax withholding ($766.69), Social Security ($310.00), Medicare ($72.50) and Arkansas state income tax withholding ($167.36). Enter your own gross pay, pay frequency and filing status above for your figure.
Does Arkansas have a state income tax withheld from paychecks?
Yes. Arkansas income tax is withheld from wages in addition to federal income tax and FICA. This calculator applies the Arkansas brackets published by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (tax year 2026) using the annualised method.
What FICA taxes are withheld from a Arkansas paycheck?
Social Security is withheld at 6.2% on wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.00, and Medicare at 1.45% on all wages, with an additional 0.9% Medicare tax on wages above the filing-status threshold. These are federal taxes that apply to wages in every state.
Does this Arkansas paycheck estimate include SDI or local taxes?
No. This estimate covers federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and Arkansas state income tax withholding. State Disability Insurance (SDI), where a state levies it, and any city or county local income taxes are not included; check your state and local authorities for those.
Official sources
- Federal income tax withholding and standard deduction (tax year 2026): US Internal Revenue Service, as at Jun 12, 2026.
- Social Security wage base and FICA rates (2026): US Social Security Administration and IRS Topic 751, as at Jun 12, 2026.
- Arkansas income tax brackets (tax year 2026): Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, as at Jul 16, 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 25 June 2026. See our methodology. General information, not financial or tax advice. State Disability Insurance and local income taxes are not included.