Louisiana Paycheck Calculator
Figure basis: Official Louisiana Department of RevenueThis Louisiana 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 Louisiana state income tax withholding, applied with the brackets published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue for tax year 2025. 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 Louisiana is about $3,850.81 take-home, after federal income tax $766.69, Social Security $310.00, Medicare $72.50 and Louisiana income tax $0.00.
How the Louisiana 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 = Louisiana 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 Louisiana, 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
- Louisiana income tax withheld = $0.00
- Take-home = $5,000.00 - $766.69 - $310.00 - $72.50 - $0.00 = $3,850.81
Louisiana's flat 3% and a clean take-home picture
Louisiana rewrote its income tax for 2025, and the change shows up directly in take-home pay. After the federal withholdings that hit every paycheck, federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2% up to the wage base, and Medicare at 1.45%, Louisiana now withholds a single flat 3% on state taxable income. The old graduated rungs of 1.85%, 3.5%, and 4.25% are gone, so for most middle earners the state slice of the paycheck shrank, because wages that used to reach the 4.25% top rate are now taxed at 3%.
The reform also reset the deduction that shields your wages. Louisiana grants $12,500 to single and married-filing-separately workers and $25,000 to joint filers and heads of household, indexed to the Consumer Price Index each year. Louisiana does not adopt the federal standard deduction, so the amount protecting your state wages will not match the figure your federal W-4 math uses.
Two Louisiana features make take-home cleaner than in neighboring states. There is no city or parish income tax, so the flat 3% is the entire state-and-local income tax withheld from your check. And Social Security benefits are fully excluded from Louisiana income, which matters for anyone drawing benefits while still earning wages, since only the pay, not the benefit, feeds the 3% calculation.
Louisiana paycheck calculator: frequently asked questions
How much is take-home pay on a $5,000 biweekly paycheck in Louisiana?
A single filer earning $5,000 every two weeks in Louisiana keeps about $3,850.81 after federal income tax withholding ($766.69), Social Security ($310.00), Medicare ($72.50) and Louisiana state income tax withholding ($0.00). Enter your own gross pay, pay frequency and filing status above for your figure.
Does Louisiana have a state income tax withheld from paychecks?
Yes. Louisiana income tax is withheld from wages in addition to federal income tax and FICA. This calculator applies the Louisiana brackets published by the Louisiana Department of Revenue (tax year 2025) using the annualised method.
What FICA taxes are withheld from a Louisiana 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 Louisiana paycheck estimate include SDI or local taxes?
No. This estimate covers federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and Louisiana 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.
- Louisiana income tax brackets (tax year 2025): Louisiana Department of Revenue, 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.