Connecticut Paycheck Calculator

How the Connecticut paycheck calculator works

It starts from your gross pay for the pay period (annual salary ÷ number of pay periods, or hourly rate × hours plus any overtime) and then subtracts:

• Pre-tax deductions you enter, such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums
• Federal income tax, based on your Form W-4 and the IRS 2026 withholding method
• Social Security (6.2% of wages up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000)
• Connecticut income tax and CT Paid Leave

What is left is your estimated net (take-home) pay for the period, shown with a line-by-line breakdown.

Connecticut income tax in 2026

Connecticut taxes income in seven brackets from 2% to 6.99%. For a single filer the 2026 rates are 2% up to $10,000, 4.5% up to $50,000, 5.5% up to $100,000, then 6%, 6.5%, 6.9% and 6.99% at higher incomes.

Connecticut has no standard deduction. Instead there is a $15,000 personal exemption that phases out above $30,000 of income for single filers, a phase-out of the 2% rate for higher earners, and a personal tax credit for lower incomes. Because of these rules, employers use the Connecticut withholding tables (Form CT-W4 codes A–F), and the calculator does the same.

Other Connecticut payroll deductions

CT Paid Leave is funded by employees: 0.5% of wages up to the Social Security wage base ($184,500 in 2026), so the maximum is $922.50 a year.

Example: $60,000 salary in Connecticut (2026)

Assumptions: single filer, paid every two weeks, 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100), no other income, no pre-tax deductions and no extra withholding. Figures are annual estimates of tax owed; your employer's withholding can differ slightly.

In this example about 20.8% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your Connecticut paycheck by hand

You can check the calculator with a pen and paper. Here is the same $60,000 single-filer example worked through for one biweekly paycheck:

1. Gross pay per check: $60,000.00 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
2. Pre-tax deductions: none in this example (401(k) and health premiums would be subtracted here, before income tax).
3. Federal income tax: $60,000.00 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900.00 taxable; 10%/12% brackets give $5,020.00 a year, or $193.08 per check.
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08.
5. Medicare: 1.45% × $2,307.69 = $33.46.
6. Connecticut income tax: $2,570.00 for the year (see the brackets below) = $98.85 per check.
7. Other Connecticut payroll deductions: $300.00 a year = $11.54 per check.
8. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,827.69 per check ($47,520.00 a year).

Your employer uses the IRS percentage method (Publication 15-T) on each paycheck, so withholding can differ from the annual tax by a few dollars a check; the difference is settled when you file your return.

Connecticut income tax brackets for 2026

Connecticut single-filer amounts for 2026: personal exemption $15,000. Connecticut's $15,000 personal exemption shrinks by $1,000 for each $1,000 of income above $30,000, and the benefit of the 2% bracket is phased out above $56,500 – so the effective rate rises faster than the brackets suggest.

Brackets are marginal: each rate only applies to the slice of income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay.

Connecticut salary after taxes: take-home pay at common salaries

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in Connecticut for a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions:

Use these as quick reference points; the calculator above gives the figure for your exact pay, pay schedule and W-4.

Hourly wage after taxes in Connecticut

For hourly workers, this table converts common Connecticut wages into take-home pay for a full-time year (2,080 hours, no overtime):

How a 401(k) changes your Connecticut take-home pay

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and Connecticut income tax is worked out. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) deferrals.

Saving $3,600 only reduces take-home pay by about $2,950 – roughly $650 of the contribution is covered by lower income tax. Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan usually reduce FICA as well, so they save even more; check how your state treats them.

Single vs married filing jointly

Filing status changes federal withholding a lot. With one earner, the married-filing-jointly brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction cut federal tax compared with single filing:

Connecticut also has its own rules for married couples; choose 'Married filing jointly' in the calculator to apply them. If both spouses work, tick Step 2 on the federal W-4 (or use the IRS Withholding Estimator) to avoid under-withholding.

How a bonus is taxed in Connecticut

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental wages are usually withheld at a flat federal rate of 22% when they are paid separately from regular pay. On a $5,000 bonus that means:

22% is a withholding rate, not your final tax. If your real federal bracket is 12%, the extra comes back as a refund when you file; if it is 24% or higher, you may owe a little more.

Why your Connecticut paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. Connecticut uses Form CT-W4 for state withholding – update it whenever your situation changes.
• Pre-tax benefits (401(k), HSA, health premiums) are taken out before tax and are not in the basic example.
• Bonuses and commissions are often withheld at the federal supplemental rate of 22%, so a bonus check can look heavily taxed even though the final tax is settled on your return.
• Social Security stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500; high earners see bigger checks late in the year.
• Connecticut payroll items (CT Paid Leave) have their own rates and caps, shown in the breakdown.

Your Connecticut paycheck by pay frequency

Pay frequency changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. For the same $60,000 example:

Hourly pay, overtime and minimum wage in Connecticut

• Connecticut's minimum wage is $16.94 an hour in 2026.
• Overtime is 1.5× pay after 40 hours in a workweek.
• At $16.94 an hour, a 40-hour week is $677.60 gross ($35,235.20 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $25.41.

Working in New York while living in Connecticut

There is no reciprocal agreement between Connecticut and New York. If you work in New York, New York tax is withheld and Connecticut gives you a credit for it on your Connecticut return. Use the New York calculator for those wages.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf
2. Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base — ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html
3. Tax Foundation – State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026
4. Connecticut DRS – Withholding (Form CT-W4 and tables) — portal.ct.gov/drs
5. CT Paid Leave – contributions — ctpaidleave.org
6. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state