Ohio Paycheck Calculator 2026

Ohio withholding tables changed on August 1, 2026

Ohio withholds state income tax from three bands of annual taxable wage, and the rates of the lowest and highest bands were cut for wages paid on or after August 1, 2026^[oh1]. The Department of Taxation kept the earlier tables, effective October 1, 2025, in force through July 31, 2026, so paychecks from the first seven months of the year used slightly higher rates^[oh2][oh3].

The optional computer formula, which this Ohio paycheck calculator runs, works on a yearly figure:

1. Taxable wage (TW) = pay per period × pay periods per year − $650 × the exemptions on your IT 4.
2. Find TW's band in the table below and apply its rate and base amount.
3. Divide by the number of pay periods to get the amount for one paycheck.

The per-paycheck percentage method gives the same answer with the exemption already divided out: $12.50 a week, $25.00 every two weeks, $27.08 twice a month or $54.17 a month for each exemption^[oh1]. For a worker paid $1,000 a week with two exemptions, our arithmetic gives $22.19 a week under the August tables against $23.07 before. The Department publishes no worked example, so those figures are our own check on its formula.

These are withholding rates, not the rates on the annual Ohio return. Bonuses and other supplemental pay may instead be withheld at a flat 2.75%^[oh3].

Ohio city income tax: Columbus, Cleveland and the rest

Many Ohio cities and villages also levy a municipal income tax, which the employer withholds for the city where the work is done. Columbus and Cleveland each charge 2.5%. In Columbus, "employee wages are withheld based on where the employee works, not where they live," and residents get a 100% credit, up to 2.5%, for tax paid to the city where they work^[oh4]. Cleveland's tax, collected by the Central Collection Agency, is also 2.50% with a 100% credit capped at 2.50%^[oh5].

City tax uses a different wage base from the state. Every Ohio municipality withholds on "qualifying wages" as defined in Ohio Revised Code 718.01(R): in general, Medicare wages minus Section 125 cafeteria plan amounts. As the Columbus instructions put it, employee deferrals into a 401(k) "remain taxable for city purposes"^[oh6]. A 401(k) therefore trims the state line but not the city line.

Pick Columbus or Cleveland in the calculator, or choose Other Ohio city and enter your city's rate from its tax office. On the example salary, Columbus adds $1,500 a year, $57.69 per check. Cincinnati is not preset because we could not confirm its rate on the city's own site.

Ohio tax calculator notes: IT 4 exemptions and school district tax

Form IT 4 sets your Ohio exemptions, and with no IT 4 on file the employer withholds as if you claimed zero^[oh7]. Its lines are simple:

• Line 1: 1 for yourself, or 0 if someone else can claim you as a dependent on an Ohio return.
• Line 2: 1 if you are married and your spouse does not file a separate Ohio return; otherwise 0.
• Line 3: your dependents, defined the same way as for federal tax.
• Line 4: the total, which the calculator multiplies by $650.
• Line 5: any extra Ohio tax to withhold each pay period, in whole dollars.

Section III of the same form stops Ohio withholding for full-year residents of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia^[oh7].

School district income tax is not included

Ohio also has school district income taxes, which follow where you live rather than where you work. An employer must withhold them for every employee who resides in a taxing district, even if it has no operations there^[oh8]. Traditional-base districts withhold using the same wage base and exemptions as the state. Earned-income districts withhold a flat rate with no exemptions. New districts for 2026 include Westerville CSD (0.75%) and Findlay CSD (1.00%), and Bowling Green CSD rose to 1.25%^[oh9]. The Department lists rates, not a complete formula, so this calculator leaves school district tax out. If your district taxes income, your actual paycheck will be lower by roughly your district's rate on your wages.

Unlike the city tax, the IT 4 also records your school district number. If an employee never turns in an IT 4, the employer does not withhold school district tax at all^[oh7]. Neighboring states handle local taxes differently; compare Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

Ohio take-home pay on common salaries

Worked example: $60,000 in Ohio

1. Gross pay: $60,000 a year ÷ 26 paychecks = $2,307.69.
2. 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].
3. FICA: 6.2% Social Security $143.08 plus 1.45% Medicare $33.46^[tc751].
4. Ohio: Ohio income tax $54.33.
5. Net pay: $1,883.75 per paycheck, $48,977 a year (81.6% of gross).

Compare Ohio with nearby states

Same $60,000 salary, different state: Michigan $1,849.65 · Indiana $1,825.30 · Pennsylvania $1,842.53 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 Ohio minimum wage page has the 2026 rate and what it pays after tax.