Paycheck Calculator Illinois
Illinois keeps it simple: one rate, 4.95%, on nearly every dollar. Enter your salary below and see what that flat tax does to a 2026 paycheck after federal tax and FICA.
Illinois's 2026 tax brackets
Illinois is a flat-tax state. There is one rate and one modest exemption, which works like a small deduction for each filer: Because the rate never changes, the only real variable in the Illinois calculation is how much income the exemption and your pre-tax benefits shield before the 4.95% meter starts running.
| Bracket | Rate applies to |
|---|---|
| Flat rate | 4.95% of income above the exemption |
| Exemption (single) | $2,925 |
| Exemption (joint) | $5,850 |
Flat rate, but not a low tax state
The 4.95% looks gentle on paper, and the $2,925 exemption shaves a little off the bottom. A single filer at $80,000 pays $3,815 of Illinois tax. The flat rate is also in the state constitution, and voters rejected a graduated-tax amendment in 2020, so it is not changing without a political earthquake.
But calling Illinois low-tax would be a stretch, because the state tax line is not the whole story. Property taxes carry the second-highest effective rate in the country, around 2% of home value in many suburbs, and Chicago's combined sales tax hits 10.25%, the highest of any major American city. The income tax is flat and predictable. Everything around it is not.
Where does the flat structure actually help? Clarity. You always know your marginal state rate, and a raise never pushes you into a surprise bracket. The trade-off is that low earners pay the same rate as millionaires, which is exactly the argument that lost at the ballot box in 2020.
Mistakes Illinois workers make
- Reading the flat rate as the whole bill. A $3,815 state tax on $80,000 feels modest until Cook County sends the property tax installment. Total Illinois burden is a three-line story: income, property, sales.
- Forgetting retirement income is exempt. Illinois does not tax pensions, 401(k) withdrawals or Social Security. Workers get no such break, but retirees effectively pay 0% state tax on retirement income, a genuine planning lever.
- Ignoring the reciprocity. Live in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky or Michigan and work in Illinois? Reciprocal agreements usually mean you pay your home state only. Commuters from Indiana get no such deal.
An example you can check
Take an $80,000 salary, single filer, no extras. Federal tax is $8,770, Social Security $4,960, Medicare $1,160, Illinois tax $3,815. Take-home: $61,295 a year, $2,357.49 every two weeks.
Two levers move your Illinois number. Filing jointly on $80,000, the state tax drops to $3,670 and the couple keeps $64,970 against $61,295 single, because the exemption doubles and federal brackets widen. A 10% 401(k) also works here, unlike Pennsylvania: it cuts the state tax from $3,815 to $3,419 for a single filer, since Illinois respects the federal pre-tax treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Illinois tax flat instead of graduated?
Is Illinois really a high-tax state at only 4.95%?
What does the Illinois exemption do?
How much Illinois tax comes out of a $60,000 salary?
Does Illinois tax Social Security benefits?
More paycheck calculators
Or use the national paycheck calculator to switch between states, or browse all twenty states from the paycheck hub.
Sources & methodology
The 2026 federal and Illinois figures in this calculator come from official tax sources and are documented on our methodology page. See what is taken from your gross pay for how a 401(k) interacts with a flat state tax like Illinois’s.