Tennessee Paycheck Calculator

How to estimate your Tennessee take-home pay in 2026

Tennessee does not tax earned wages at the state level. Your paycheck still reflects federal income tax withholding and FICA payroll taxes. This calculator estimates net pay per paycheck using 2026 federal brackets and FICA limits so you can budget monthly expenses and compare job offers across states.

Enter your annual salary or build it from hourly wages using our gross pay calculator. If you receive 26 paychecks per year, the biweekly pay calculator shows how gross and net amounts spread across the calendar. For federal tax details and dependent credits, see the income tax calculator and salary calculator.

What gets withheld from a Tennessee paycheck

Tennessee employees typically see three major withholding categories on each paycheck:

• Federal income tax: Calculated on taxable income after the 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household) using progressive brackets from 10% to 37%.
• FICA payroll tax: 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the $184,500 wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare on all earnings. High earners pay an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Use our FICA tax calculator to isolate these amounts.
• Pre-tax deductions: Traditional 401(k), HSA, and health insurance premiums reduce federal taxable income but FICA is still calculated on gross wages before retirement contributions.

Tennessee repealed its Hall income tax on investment income, so wage earners face no state income tax withholding. Sales tax and local option taxes are not payroll deductions. Compare state income tax burdens with the state tax calculator.

Net pay formula for Tennessee employees

With zero state income tax on wages, Tennessee net pay simplifies to:

Federal taxable income is computed as:

To model any state from one page, use the take-home paycheck calculator, which supports all 50 states including Tennessee neighbors like Kentucky and Georgia.

Worked example: $65,000 salary, single, biweekly, 5% 401(k)

Consider a single Tennessee resident earning $65,000 per year, paid biweekly (26 paychecks), with 5% contributed to a traditional 401(k) and no dependents:

1. Gross per paycheck: $65,000 / 26 = $2,500.00
2. 401(k) contribution: 5% of $65,000 = $3,250.00 annually ($125.00 per paycheck)
3. Federal taxable income: $61,750 after 401(k) minus $16,100 standard deduction = $45,650. Federal income tax: $5,230.00
4. FICA: Social Security $4,030.00 plus Medicare $942.50 = $4,972.50 total. FICA applies to full $65,000 gross wages
5. Tennessee state tax: $0.00. No state income tax on wages
6. Net biweekly paycheck: $1,982.60 ($51,547.50 per year). Effective tax rate: about 15.7%

The same salary in neighboring Kentucky or Georgia would face state income tax on top of federal withholding. For another no-income-tax comparison, try the Florida paycheck calculator or Texas paycheck calculator.

Frequently asked questions