Introduction
Every U.S. state handles income tax in its own way. Some states charge no income tax at all, while others use tax brackets that take a bigger cut as you earn more. This free state income tax calculator helps you estimate how much you owe to your state for tax years 2023 through 2026.
Just pick your state, filing status, and tax year, then enter your income. The calculator applies your state's tax brackets, standard deduction and personal exemptions for that year and filing status, and any credits you claim. You get your estimated state tax, effective tax rate, marginal tax rate, and whether you should expect a refund or a balance due.
You can also compare two states side by side. If you are thinking about moving, this feature shows you exactly how much more or less you would pay in a new state. The tool gives you a full bracket-by-bracket breakdown, a step-by-step solution, and a visual chart so you can see where your money goes.
How to Use Our State Tax Calculator
Enter your income, deductions, credits, and withholdings below. The calculator will estimate your state income tax, effective tax rate, marginal tax rate, and whether you owe money or get a refund.
State: Pick the U.S. state where you live and pay taxes. States with no income tax will show a $0 result.
Tax Year: Choose a year from 2023 to 2026. Each year uses that year's brackets and deductions. If a year is not available for your state, it cannot be selected.
Filing Status: Select how you file your taxes: Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, or Qualifying Surviving Spouse.
Compare With a Second State: Turn this on to see a side-by-side comparison between two states. This is helpful if you plan to move.
Second State: If comparison mode is on, pick the second state you want to compare against.
Wages & Salaries: Enter your total W-2 income from jobs, tips, and salary. Use the slider to quickly adjust this amount.
Self-Employment Income: Enter your net income from freelance or 1099 work. The calculator auto-deducts half of self-employment tax for you.
Business Income: Enter your net profit from a business you run (Schedule C income).
Short-Term Capital Gains: Enter gains from selling assets you held for one year or less.
Long-Term Capital Gains: Enter gains from selling assets you held for more than one year.
Rental Income: Enter your net income from rental properties or real estate.
Unemployment Compensation: Enter the total taxable unemployment benefits you received.
Other Taxable Income: Enter any other taxable income such as interest, dividends, or gambling winnings.
Social Security Benefits: Enter your total Social Security income. Many states fully exempt this from tax.
Pension / Annuity: Enter income from private or public pensions and annuities.
IRA / 401(k) Withdrawals: Enter taxable money you took out of retirement accounts.
Military Retirement: Enter your military retirement pay. Pensions, retirement-account withdrawals and military retirement pay are taxed as entered; if your state exempts part of them, enter that amount under Other State Adjustments.
Student Loan Interest: Enter the student loan interest you paid during the year.
Educator Expenses: Enter out-of-pocket classroom expenses if you are a teacher.
Alimony Paid: Enter alimony payments you made during the year.
IRA Contributions: Enter deductible contributions you made to a traditional IRA.
HSA Contributions: Enter contributions you made to a Health Savings Account.
Other State Adjustments: Enter any other subtraction your state allows, such as retirement income it exempts or extra exemptions for age, blindness or dependents.
Deductions: The calculator applies your state's standard deduction and personal exemptions for the year and filing status, and shows the amount it used.
Child & Dependent Care Credit: Enter any state credit you claim for child or dependent care costs.
State EITC: Enter your state Earned Income Tax Credit amount. Not all states offer this credit.
State Child Tax Credit: Enter any state child tax credit you qualify for.
Education / 529 Credit: Enter any state credit for education expenses or 529 plan contributions.
Retirement Savings Credit: Enter any state credit for retirement savings contributions.
Energy / Green Credit: Enter any state credit for energy-efficient home improvements.
Property Tax / Renter's Credit: Enter any state credit for property taxes paid or rent paid.
Senior / Elderly Credit: Enter any state credit you qualify for based on your age.
State Tax Already Withheld: Enter the total state tax your employer took out of your paychecks.
Estimated Payments Made: Enter any estimated tax payments you sent to the state during the year.
Click Calculate to see your results. Click Reset to clear all fields and start over.
How State Income Tax Works
Every U.S. state sets its own rules for income tax. Some states, like Texas, Florida, and Alaska, charge no state income tax at all.1 Others, like California and New York, use a system of tax brackets where higher portions of your income are taxed at higher rates. A few states, like Illinois and Arizona, use a single flat rate on all taxable income.1
To find how much state tax you owe, you start with your gross income, all the money you earned in the year. Then you subtract adjustments like student loan interest or HSA contributions. The result is your adjusted gross income (AGI). Next, you subtract the standard deduction and personal exemptions your state gives you. What remains is your taxable income, the amount the state actually taxes.
Your taxable income is then run through your state's tax brackets. Each chunk of income is taxed at its own rate. The total of all those chunks is your gross state tax. After that, you subtract any tax credits you qualify for, such as a child care credit or an earned income tax credit. The final number is your net state tax liability, what you actually owe.
If your employer already withheld state taxes from your paychecks, or you made estimated payments during the year, that amount is compared to your final tax. If you paid more than you owe, you get a refund. If you paid less, you owe the remaining balance.
Two rates matter when you look at your results. Your effective tax rate is your total tax divided by your total income. It shows the real percentage of your money that went to state tax. Your marginal tax rate is the rate on the last dollar you earned, and it tells you how much of each extra dollar you earn will go to taxes.
State tax rules change from year to year. Brackets, deductions, and credits often shift with inflation or new laws. Many states also treat certain income differently. For example, most states do not tax Social Security benefits, and some states exempt military retirement pay or pension income.3 This calculator uses each state's own brackets and deductions for the filing status and tax year you choose, and leaves Social Security out of taxable income in states that do not tax it. Retirement income that your state exempts can be entered under Other State Adjustments.