Paycheck calculator
Illinois paycheck calculator
2026 federal, FICA and Illinois withholding. Change any field; the pay stub updates.
Take-home pay$1,829.42every two weeks · $47,565 a year
| Item | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings | ||
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 | $60,000.00 |
| Taxes | ||
| Federal income tax | −$193.08 | −$5,020.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$143.08 | −$3,720.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$33.46 | −$870.00 |
| Illinois income tax (4.95%) | −$108.66 | −$2,825.16 |
| Total taxes | −$478.28 | −$12,435.16 |
| Net pay | $1,829.42 | $47,564.84 |
Taxes take 20.7% of gross pay in Illinois. Your top federal withholding bracket is 12%.
Saves every field in the link, nothing on our servers.
How Illinois withholding is calculated in 2026
Illinois withholds one flat rate, 4.95%, from wages left over after your IL-W-4 exemptions[il1]. There are no brackets and no filing-status tables. Two people with the same pay and the same allowance count have the same Illinois withholding whether they are single or married.
The Department of Revenue's automated payroll method in Booklet IL-700-T works per paycheck in five steps[il1]:
- Start with the wages paid for the pay period.
- Multiply your IL-W-4 line 1 allowances by $2,925 and your line 2 allowances by $1,000, add them, and divide by the number of paychecks in a year.
- Subtract that exemption amount from the wages.
- Multiply what remains by 0.0495.
- Add any extra amount you asked for on IL-W-4 line 3.
The booklet's own example is a weekly worker, Alice, paid $800 with two line 1 and two line 2 allowances: her exemptions come to $150.96 a week, leaving $649.04, and the employer withholds $32.13[il1]. This Illinois paycheck calculator follows the same steps, and that example is one of its automated tests.
| Pay frequency | Line 1 allowance | Line 2 allowance | Tax saved per line 1 allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $56.25 | $19.23 | $2.78 |
| Every two weeks | $112.50 | $38.46 | $5.57 |
| Twice a month | $121.88 | $41.67 | $6.03 |
| Monthly | $243.75 | $83.33 | $12.07 |
Filling out Form IL-W-4
Form IL-W-4 is a separate certificate from the federal W-4, and it is what decides your Illinois withholding. The federal form has no allowances any more, but the Illinois one still does. It has three lines[il2]:
- Line 1, basic allowances. One each for you, your spouse and each dependent, from the worksheet on the back of the form. Each is worth $2,925 a year in 2026.
- Line 2, additional allowances. One each if you or your spouse is 65 or older, and one each if either of you is legally blind. Each is worth $1,000.
- Line 3, additional withholding. A flat dollar amount added to every paycheck.
Each line 1 allowance changes Illinois withholding by about $144.79 a year. On the $60,000 example, Illinois withholding is $2,970 with no allowances, $2,825 with one, and $2,680 with two. If you never turn in an IL-W-4, or you leave it unsigned or altered, your employer must withhold on all of your pay with no exemptions[il2].
The form also covers timing. If your allowances go down, you have 10 days to give your employer a new IL-W-4. If they go up, for example after a baby, you can file whenever you like. An employer may apply the change right away, but the law lets it wait until the first payday after the next quarter that starts at least 30 days later (January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1)[il2]. The instructions also point out that two-job households usually get closer to the right amount by claiming every allowance at the higher-paying job and zero at the other.
High earnersOn the Illinois return, the personal exemption cannot be claimed if federal adjusted gross income is over $500,000 (married filing jointly) or $250,000 (everyone else). Payroll still subtracts IL-W-4 allowances, so people above those levels can file a new IL-W-4 with fewer allowances to raise withholding[il2].
Salary calculator Illinois: what changed for 2026 and what lowers the state line
The one change for 2026 is a larger allowance. The value of each IL-W-4 line 1 allowance rose from $2,850 in the 2025 tables to $2,925 in 2026, while the rate stayed at 4.95% and the line 2 amount stayed at $1,000[il3][il1]. For someone with one allowance that is $75 more exempt pay a year, or about $3.71 less Illinois tax.
Illinois income tax withholding applies when an employer withholds federal income tax on pay for work done in Illinois[il4]. The calculator therefore uses the same wage figure as federal withholding: traditional 401(k) deferrals and pre-tax health premiums come off before the 4.95% is applied. Raising a 401(k) to 6% of $60,000 cuts Illinois withholding from $2,825 to $2,647 a year. Social Security and Medicare are still figured on the 401(k) money.
Living in a neighboring state
Residents of Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin who work in Illinois can be exempt from Illinois withholding by giving their employer Form IL-W-5-NR, the Employee's Statement of Nonresidence in Illinois[il2]. Their home state then taxes the wages instead. Compare take-home pay in Wisconsin, Indiana or Missouri with the state switcher above.
Bonuses and overtime are taxed by Illinois at the same 4.95% as regular pay. For the overtime math itself, the overtime tax calculator shows the federal side.
Illinois take-home pay on common salaries
| Salary | Federal tax | FICA | State + local | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $1,340 | $959.41 | $24,945 |
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $1,835 | $1,249.41 | $32,485 |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $2,330 | $1,539.42 | $40,025 |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $2,825 | $1,829.42 | $47,565 |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $3,568 | $2,231.72 | $58,025 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $4,805 | $2,860.56 | $74,375 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $7,280 | $4,096.57 | $106,511 |
Worked example: $60,000 in Illinois
- Gross pay: $60,000 a year ÷ 26 paychecks = $2,307.69.
- Federal income tax: the IRS percentage method annualizes $60,000 of taxable wages, subtracts the $8,600 built into the 2026 tables for a standard W-4, and applies the brackets (top rate 12%): $193.08[p15t].
- FICA: 6.2% Social Security $143.08 plus 1.45% Medicare $33.46[tc751].
- Illinois: Illinois income tax (4.95%) $108.66.
- Net pay: $1,829.42 per paycheck, $47,565 a year (79.3% of gross).
Compare Illinois with nearby states
Same $60,000 salary, different state: Indiana $1,825.30 · Wisconsin $1,831.75 · Missouri $1,866.08 per paycheck. The state tax calculator ranks every state we cover on one salary, and the paycheck calculator switches states in one click. Hourly? Add overtime with the time and a half calculator. For the hourly floor, the Illinois minimum wage page has the 2026 rate and what it pays after tax.
Frequently asked questions
How much is $60,000 a year after taxes in Illinois?
About $47,565 a year, or $1,829.42 per biweekly paycheck, for a single filer with a standard 2026 federal W-4 and one IL-W-4 allowance. Illinois withholding is about $2,825 for the year and federal income tax about $5,020.
What is the Illinois withholding allowance for 2026?
$2,925 a year for each basic allowance on IL-W-4 line 1, up from $2,850 in 2025. Each line 2 allowance (age 65 or older, or legally blind) is worth $1,000. Payroll divides these amounts by the number of paychecks in the year.
Is Illinois income tax withholding the same for married and single workers?
Yes. Illinois has no separate married or single tables; the only inputs are the number of IL-W-4 allowances and any extra amount you request. A married couple usually splits or stacks their allowances between their two jobs.
Does a Wisconsin or Iowa resident pay Illinois tax on wages earned in Illinois?
Not through withholding, if they qualify. Residents of Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin can file Form IL-W-5-NR with their Illinois employer to stop Illinois withholding.
Sources
- Booklet IL-700-T, Illinois Withholding Tax Tables, 2026 (R-12/25)
- Form IL-W-4, Employee's and other Payee's Illinois Withholding Allowance Certificate and Instructions (R-07/23)
- Booklet IL-700-T, Illinois Withholding Tax Tables, 2025 (R-12/24)
- Publication 130, Who is Required to Withhold Illinois Income Tax (R-02/26)
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates
- Contribution and Benefit Base ($184,500 for 2026)