Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator
Figure basis: Official Pennsylvania Department of RevenueThis Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania state income tax withholding, applied with the brackets published by the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania is about $3,697.31 take-home, after federal income tax $766.69, Social Security $310.00, Medicare $72.50 and Pennsylvania income tax $153.50.
How the Pennsylvania 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 = Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, 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
- Pennsylvania income tax withheld = $153.50
- Take-home = $5,000.00 - $766.69 - $310.00 - $72.50 - $153.50 = $3,697.31
Pennsylvania's flat 3.07%, and the local wage tax on top
Pennsylvania makes the state portion of a paycheck unusually easy to predict: a flat 3.07% applies to compensation with no standard deduction and no personal exemption, so state withholding is simply 3.07% of your taxable wages from the first dollar. Filing status does not change it, which is why single, married filing jointly, and married filing separately all produce the same Pennsylvania line on this calculator. On $60,000 of wages that state layer is about $1,842.00 a year, and because the rate never steps up, your Pennsylvania effective rate equals the headline 3.07% at every income level.
The figure most Pennsylvania workers underestimate is local tax, which this state-only estimate does not include. Under Act 32, most municipalities and school districts levy a local Earned Income Tax on wages (commonly around 1%), and Philadelphia runs its own wage tax that is far higher than the state rate. For a typical worker the true deduction from earnings sits well above 3.07%, so treat the Pennsylvania line here as the state layer rather than the full paycheck bill.
One relief valve exists at the bottom: Pennsylvania's Tax Forgiveness credit (Schedule SP) can reduce or eliminate the 3.07% liability for qualifying low-income households, though it is claimed on the annual return rather than adjusted paycheck by paycheck. Enter your gross pay above to see the state withholding line for your own frequency and status.
Pennsylvania paycheck calculator: frequently asked questions
How much is take-home pay on a $5,000 biweekly paycheck in Pennsylvania?
A single filer earning $5,000 every two weeks in Pennsylvania keeps about $3,697.31 after federal income tax withholding ($766.69), Social Security ($310.00), Medicare ($72.50) and Pennsylvania state income tax withholding ($153.50). Enter your own gross pay, pay frequency and filing status above for your figure.
Does Pennsylvania have a state income tax withheld from paychecks?
Yes. Pennsylvania income tax is withheld from wages in addition to federal income tax and FICA. This calculator applies the Pennsylvania brackets published by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (tax year 2025) using the annualised method.
What FICA taxes are withheld from a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania paycheck estimate include SDI or local taxes?
No. This estimate covers federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.
- Pennsylvania income tax brackets (tax year 2025): Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, as at Jun 12, 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.