Washington Paycheck Calculator 2026

Washington levies no income tax on wages, yet Washington paychecks are usually smaller than Texas ones at the same salary. Two state premiums account for the difference, and most calculators either miss them or apply them to the wrong wage base.

The two Washington premiums

Paid Family & Medical Leave is a 1.13% premium on wages in 2026, split between employer and employee. The employee carries 71.43% of it, which works out to 0.807159% of your wages. It applies only up to the Social Security wage base — $184,500 in 2026 — so the deduction stops late in the year for higher earners.

WA Cares is a separate 0.58% premium that funds a long-term care benefit. It is paid entirely by the employee and, unlike Paid Family & Medical Leave, has no wage cap: it applies to every dollar of wages all year. Certain employees — veterans with a service-connected disability, and spouses of active-duty service members, among others — can apply for a permanent exemption. Once granted it cannot be revoked.

Both are withheld by the employer and remitted quarterly, which is why they appear on a Washington pay stub under state programs rather than under tax.

Why a Washington paycheck can be smaller than a Texas one

At $50,000 the two states differ only by the Washington premiums: about $694 a year. The gap widens with salary until wages pass the Paid Family & Medical Leave base, after which only WA Cares continues.

An employer may also agree to cover the employee's share of the Paid Family & Medical Leave premium. Where they do, nothing is withheld from the paycheck, but the amount they pay is still treated as federal wages — so your federal withholding does not drop. The calculator exposes that as a switch because it changes take-home pay without changing federal tax.

A rate change is already scheduled

The 2027 premium is already published: 1.20%, up from 1.13%, and the employee share moves to 70.7% under SSHB 2345 from 1 January 2027. A Washington calculation that uses today's figures will be wrong on the first paycheck of next year. This site versions its tax data by year for exactly that reason, and the page will be updated when the 2027 federal figures are published.

Worked examples

Single filer, biweekly pay, no pre-tax deductions, standard withholding election. Produced by the same engine as the calculator.

Figures recomputed at build time by the same engine that powers the calculator. Verified 2026-10-30.

Frequently asked questions

Does Washington have an income tax?

Not on wages. Washington taxes capital gains above a threshold, which does not touch a paycheck, and it taxes some business income. For an employee, the state income tax line is zero and the two premiums are the only state deductions.

Can I opt out of WA Cares?

Some employees can. Veterans with a service-connected disability, spouses of active-duty military members and a few other categories may apply for an exemption, and it is permanent once approved. Employees born before 1968 were eligible for a one-time exemption that closed in 2023. There is no general opt-out.

Is there a wage cap on these premiums?

Paid Family & Medical Leave is capped at the Social Security wage base, $184,500 in 2026. WA Cares has no cap at all and applies to every dollar of wages.

Why is my Washington paycheck lower than a Texas paycheck at the same salary?

Because of the two premiums: roughly 1.39% of wages in total, or about $1,390 a year on $100,000, subject to the Paid Family & Medical Leave wage base.

Does my employer pay part of the Paid Family & Medical Leave premium?

Yes, 28.57% of the total premium in 2026. Some employers cover the employee's share as well. That does not reduce your federal taxable wages, so federal withholding stays the same.