Iowa Paycheck Calculator

How the Iowa 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)
• Iowa income tax

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

Iowa income tax in 2026

Iowa's 2026 rate is a flat 3.8% of Iowa taxable income, which starts from federal taxable income (so the $16,100 federal standard deduction applies). A single filer also gets a $40 personal credit. Employees use Form IA W-4.

Other Iowa payroll deductions

Many Iowa school districts charge a school district surtax, but it is calculated as a percentage of your Iowa tax on your annual return – it is normally not withheld from pay. Iowa has no employee-paid disability or paid-leave deduction.

Example: $60,000 salary in Iowa (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 18.7% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your Iowa 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. Iowa income tax: $1,628.20 for the year (see the brackets below) = $62.62 per check.
7. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,875.45 per check ($48,761.80 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.

Iowa income tax brackets for 2026

Iowa single-filer amounts for 2026: standard deduction $16,100, personal tax credit $40.

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.

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

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in Iowa 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 Iowa

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

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

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and Iowa 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 $3,031 – roughly $569 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:

Iowa 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 Iowa

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 Iowa paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. Iowa uses Form IA W-4 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.

Your Iowa 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 Iowa

• Iowa's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
• Overtime is 1.5× pay after 40 hours in a workweek.
• At $7.25 an hour, a 40-hour week is $290.00 gross ($15,080.00 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $10.88.

Living in Illinois, working in Iowa?

Iowa and Illinois have a reciprocal agreement: residents of one state who work in the other pay income tax only to their home state. File the reciprocity form with your employer.

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. Iowa Department of Revenue – Withholding — revenue.iowa.gov
5. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state