Tax & Paycheck Calculators
Washington Paycheck Tax Calculator
No state income tax — but not $0 in state deductions. Washington's Paid Family & Medical Leave and WA Cares premiums come straight out of every paycheck.
Calculate your Washington take-home pay
Federal, FICA, and the two Washington-specific payroll premiums most calculators skip.
Washington has no local city income taxes. These premiums are mandatory payroll deductions, not income tax, but they do reduce your actual take-home pay just the same.
No income tax — but two real deductions most calculators miss
Washington is one of nine states with no personal income tax on wages, and that part of a Washington paycheck really is simple. But a genuinely accurate Washington paycheck tax calculator needs to account for two mandatory state payroll premiums that come out of every check regardless: Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) and the WA Cares Fund. Neither is technically an "income tax," but both directly reduce your take-home pay, and a calculator that ignores them will overstate what actually lands in your account.
| Program | 2026 rate | Wage cap |
|---|---|---|
| Paid Family & Medical Leave (your share) | 0.81% (71.43% of the 1.13% total premium) | Capped at the Social Security wage base ($184,500) |
| WA Cares Fund | 0.58% of all gross wages | No cap — applies to every dollar earned |
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Washington's PFML program funds paid leave for family and medical situations through a payroll premium split between employer and employee. For 2026, the total premium rate is 1.13% of gross wages, up to the Social Security wage base. Employees cover 71.43% of that total — your effective withholding rate is approximately 0.81% of wages up to the cap, and the remainder is covered by employers with 50 or more employees.
WA Cares Fund — the long-term care premium
WA Cares is the nation's first state-run public long-term care insurance program, funded entirely through an employee-paid payroll premium of 0.58% of gross wages — with no wage cap, unlike PFML or Social Security. A worker earning $200,000 pays $1,160 a year into WA Cares; a worker earning $60,000 pays $348. There's no ceiling on the wages this applies to, so higher earners pay proportionally more with no cap-related relief.
Washington isn't entirely tax-free on every type of income
PFML and WA Cares premium rates for 2026 verified directly against Washington State's official Paid Family and Medical Leave site (paidleave.wa.gov) and cross-checked against multiple independent payroll guides, all converging on the same figures. This is a planning estimate — confirm your specific employer size (which affects the employer-side PFML split) doesn't change your own withholding rate, which stays constant regardless.
Frequently asked questions
Before you estimate your Washington paycheck.
Does Washington have a state income tax?
No — Washington has no personal income tax on wages or salaries. It's one of nine states with no state income tax on earned income.
If there's no income tax, why does my Washington paycheck have deductions beyond federal and FICA?
Washington requires two mandatory payroll premiums: Paid Family & Medical Leave (about 0.81% of wages, employee share, capped at the Social Security wage base) and the WA Cares Fund (0.58% of all wages, uncapped). Neither is an income tax, but both reduce take-home pay.
What is the WA Cares Fund?
A state-run long-term care insurance program funded through a mandatory 0.58% employee payroll premium on all gross wages, with no wage cap — the nation's first program of its kind.
Does Washington tax capital gains?
Washington imposes a 7% excise tax on long-term capital gains above an annual threshold, upheld by the state Supreme Court as a legal excise tax. This applies to investment gains, not wages, so it doesn't affect a standard paycheck.
Does Washington have local city income taxes?
No. Washington has no city or local personal income taxes anywhere in the state.