Texas Paycheck Calculator (2026)
Texas is one of nine states with no tax on wage income — and unlike some of them, the exemption is in the state constitution, so it isn't going anywhere. On a $75,000 salary, a Texas worker keeps roughly $3,000 more than an identical worker in California. Here's the full breakdown.
The ban isn't just policy — Texas voters put it in the state constitution in 2019, so no legislature can reinstate an income tax without another amendment. That permanence is a big reason the Texas-vs-California paycheck comparison has become a staple of relocation debates.
Run your own salary through our US Take-Home Pay Calculator — select Texas and the state-tax line simply disappears.
2026 Texas income tax: there isn't one
Texas levies no personal income tax on wages — no brackets, no standard deduction to look up, no state return to file on your salary. The same goes for local governments: no Texas city taxes wage income. The only lines on a Texas pay stub are federal income tax and FICA.
(Texas funds itself differently — primarily sales and property taxes — which is why the "no income tax" headline doesn't mean "no taxes." But for your paycheck, the state cut is zero.)
Worked example: $75,000 salary, single filer, 2026
Federal (2026: $16,100 standard deduction, single; brackets per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32): taxable $58,900 → 10% × $12,400 = $1,240; 12% × $38,000 = $4,560; 22% × $8,500 = $1,870 → federal income tax $7,670.
FICA: Social Security 6.2% × $75,000 = $4,650; Medicare 1.45% × $75,000 = $1,087.50 → $5,737.50 (under the 2026 $184,500 Social Security wage base).
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,670 |
| FICA | −$5,738 |
| Texas income tax | −$0 |
| Take-home | $61,592 |
Compare: the same $75,000 in California leaves about $58,651; in New York about $58,139. The Texas advantage is the entire state-tax line — roughly $2,900–$3,500 at this income.
What changes at $150,000
The same single filer at $150,000 in 2026: federal income tax $24,734 (taxable $133,900 → 10% × $12,400 = $1,240; 12% × $38,000 = $4,560; 22% × $55,300 = $12,166; 24% × $28,200 = $6,768) and FICA $11,475 ($9,300 Social Security + $2,175 Medicare — still under the $184,500 wage base).
| $75,000 salary | $150,000 salary | |
|---|---|---|
| Texas income tax | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home | $61,592 | $113,791 |
Doubling the salary roughly doubles the take-home — with no state tax, Texas scales linearly (federal progressivity aside).
Local taxes
None on wages. No Texas city or county levies an income tax on employee pay.
Final pay & PTO rules
In Texas, being fired comes with a strict deadline: your final paycheck is due within six calendar days of your last day. Quit on your own, though, and the check is due on the next regularly scheduled payday instead. Texas also says unused vacation or sick time only has to be paid out if your employer's written policy promises it — state law doesn't create that right by itself. Texas has no statewide mandatory paid sick leave law. If you get paid sick time, it's entirely up to your employer's policy, not state law.
Sources: Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) — Texas Payday Law wage claim and final pay guidance (twc.texas.gov). Checked 2026-10-10.
FAQ
Do I need to file a Texas state tax return for my wages? No — there's no wage income tax, so there's no state return for salary income. (You may still have federal filing obligations, of course.)
I moved from California to Texas mid-year. How does that work? You'll generally owe California tax on the wages earned while a California resident and none on Texas-earned wages — which usually means filing a part-year California return. Keep records of your move date; states audit this.
Does "no income tax" mean bonuses are untouched too? For state purposes, yes — Texas takes nothing from bonuses either. Federal supplemental withholding (flat 22%) and FICA still apply. See our bonus guide.
What about remote workers living in Texas but employed elsewhere? If you live and work in Texas, Texas taxes nothing. But the employer's state may try to tax the wages under its own sourcing rules — a handful of states are aggressive here. When in doubt, check the other state's rules.
Is Texas really cheaper overall, or does it make it up in property tax? Texas has among the highest property-tax rates in the country, which partly offsets the income-tax savings for homeowners. For renters and for pure paycheck comparison, though, the take-home advantage is real.
Should I move to Texas for the tax savings? Do the honest math first. At $75,000 single you save roughly $2,900 a year versus California — real money, but Texas has some of the highest effective property-tax rates in the country, and moving costs are real. Renters capture the paycheck savings most cleanly; homeowners should compare total tax burden, not just the pay stub.
Data sources
- State: Texas Constitution, Art. VIII, §24 — no personal income tax on wages (nine no-wage-tax states per Tax Foundation 2026 tables, as of January 2026).
- Federal: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (IR-2025-103, Oct 9, 2025); 2026 standard deduction $16,100 single.
- FICA: SSA 2026 — 6.2% to $184,500 wage base; 1.45% Medicare.
Estimates only, not tax advice.