Washington Paycheck Calculator 2026

The two Washington payroll premiums

Washington withholds two state premiums instead of an income tax: the employee share of Paid Family & Medical Leave and the WA Cares Fund long-term care premium. The Employment Security Department publishes both formulas for 2026^[wa2]:

Of the 1.13% Paid Leave premium (tips excluded), employees owe up to 71.43% and employers 28.57%; businesses under 50 employees skip the employer share. Withholding stops at the $184,500 Social Security cap, counted separately at each employer. WA Cares is fully employee-funded and uncapped, so it overtakes Paid Leave at $250,000^[wa3]. An employer may pay either premium for the worker but cannot recover missed premiums from later paychecks.

Both premiums use one gross-wage definition (salary, bonuses, commissions, paid time off, severance)^[wa6]. It does not exclude an employee's own 401(k) deferrals, so the calculator charges both on gross pay.

No income tax in 2026, and the 2028 change

Washington has no individual income tax on 2026 wages. Senate Bill 6346, passed in 2026, adds a 9.9% tax on adjusted gross income above $1 million for individuals and joint filers from January 1, 2028, with first returns due April 2029^[wa1].

So the Washington paycheck calculator withholds federal income tax, FICA and the two premiums only. On $60,000 the premiums total $832 a year (1.4% of pay); compare the state line in Oregon or Idaho.

WA Cares exemptions and Paid Leave rate history

An exempt employee pays nothing to WA Cares; the employer files the ESD approval letter and stops the deduction. Tick the exemption box and take-home on $60,000 becomes $1,919.45 per check.

Since January 1, 2026, employees on a non-immigrant temporary-worker visa are exempt automatically, unless they tell the employer in writing that they want to take part. ESD grants voluntary exemptions to groups such as U.S. military veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or more, spouses or registered domestic partners of active-duty service members, and people who work for a Washington employer but live in another state. Workers exempted earlier because they held a private long-term care policy may give up that exemption between January 1, 2026 and June 30, 2028. The collective-bargaining carve-out ended December 31, 2025, so union-covered employees now pay unless they are otherwise exempt^[wa2].

The Paid Leave rate resets each January: 140% of the prior fiscal year's costs, minus the September 30 fund balance, divided by the prior year's taxable wages, rounded up to a hundredth of a percent and capped at 1.2%.

Minimum wage and overtime on a Washington paycheck

The state minimum is $17.13 an hour in 2026 and $17.73 from January 1, 2027, and some cities set higher rates^[wa4]. Full time at $17.13 grosses $1,370.40 per biweekly check. Hours over 40 in a 7-day workweek earn at least 1.5 times the regular rate; there is no daily overtime outside certain public works, and the right cannot be waived^[wa5]. Each overtime dollar also carries about 1.39% in premiums; try Hourly mode or the time and a half calculator.

Washington take-home pay on common salaries

Worked example: $60,000 in Washington

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. Washington: WA Paid Leave premium (0.81%) $18.63, WA Cares Fund (0.58%) $13.38.
5. Net pay: $1,906.07 per paycheck, $49,558 a year (82.6% of gross).

Compare Washington with nearby states

Same $60,000 salary, different state: Oregon $1,768.37 · Idaho $1,848.08 · California $1,838.66 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.