US payroll comparison · 2026 · 6 states
State Tax Comparison Calculator
Compare what you could take home in two states.
Enter a salary for each location to estimate annual and monthly payroll cash. Covers California, Texas, New York, Florida, Oregon and Washington. Uses 2026 withholding rules for one wage earner; city taxes and benefits are excluded.
Your comparison
B minus A · annual take-home
+$6,860.48
+$571.71 per month
Option B leaves more payroll cash before living expenses. This is a withholding comparison, not a relocation recommendation.
A · California
$6,026.63estimated take-home / month
$72,319.52 / year
B · Texas
$6,598.33estimated take-home / month
$79,180.00 / year
Annual payroll breakdown
| USD / year | A · CA | B · TX |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Federal withholding | $13,170 | $13,170 |
| State withholding | $5,560 | $0 |
| Social Security | $6,200 | $6,200 |
| Medicare | $1,450 | $1,450 |
| State programs | $1,300 | $0 |
| Total withheld | $27,680 | $20,820 |
Breakdown rows are rounded to whole dollars for readability. Totals and differences use cents.
Employee state-program detail
A · California
CA SDI: $1,300.00 / year
B · Texas
No employee state programs modeled for this state.
No living expenses entered. This comparison does not estimate housing, insurance, sales tax or property tax.
2026 payroll estimate · single · fixed allowances and exclusions. New York City, Yonkers and Portland-area taxes are not included.
How the comparison works
For each option, estimated annual take-home = gross salary − federal income-tax withholding − state income-tax withholding − Social Security − Medicare − included employee state programs. Monthly take-home is that annual result divided by 12. Cash remaining then subtracts the monthly living expenses you enter.
Federal withholding uses the 2026 standard deduction and rate schedules for one job, with no dependents, other income or W-4 adjustments. Social Security is 6.2% up to USD 184,500. Medicare is 1.45% of wages, plus payroll withholding of 0.9% on wages above USD 200,000 for either filing status. These rules come from IRS Publication 15-T, Publication 15 and the SSA 2026 wage base. The additional Medicare amount owed on a tax return can differ from payroll withholding.
State withholding uses California Method B (one regular allowance if single, two if married), New York Method II (zero allowances), and Oregon’s computer formula (one allowance if single, two if married, with its wage-based phase-outs). These are explicit comparison assumptions, not a recommendation for your withholding form. Texas, Florida and Washington have no individual wage income tax in this model. Annual tax-return deductions, credits and refunds are not calculated.
Choose locations where you both live and work. For Oregon versus Washington, a Washington address does not automatically remove Oregon tax on work performed in Oregon. City and county taxes, workers’ compensation, health insurance, retirement contributions, benefits, investment income and mid-year moves are outside this tool. Review those costs separately before choosing a job or a home.
Example: the same USD 100,000 salary
With the default single-filer assumptions, federal withholding is USD 13,170 and Social Security plus Medicare is USD 7,650 in both California and Texas. California adds USD 5,560.48 estimated state withholding and USD 1,300 SDI. The modeled annual take-home is USD 72,319.52 in California and USD 79,180 in Texas.
The Texas option leaves USD 6,860.48 more per year, or approximately USD 571.71 per month, before living expenses. If monthly expenses are USD 3,000 for A and USD 3,800 for B, B instead leaves approximately USD 228.29 less per month after the entered costs. This is our calculation under the stated withholding assumptions, not a claim about typical expenses or final tax savings.
Use the NY → FL preset for a New York and Florida comparison, or OR → WA for Oregon and Washington. Change the two salaries when evaluating different job offers. The presets change locations, while keeping your salary and expense entries.
State rules and official sources
Rules checked October 30, 2026 for 2026 payrolls. Employee program deductions are enabled by default; an exemption, voluntary plan or employer-paid contribution can change them.
- California: 2026 Method B tables supply the annual withholding schedule, standard deduction and allowance credit. EDD contribution rates set SDI at 1.3% without a wage cap. These are withholding rates, not final return tax rates.
- New York: NYS-50-T-NYS (1/26) supplies Method II. 2026 Paid Family Leave is 0.432%, capped at USD 411.91. The modeled disability contribution is 0.5%, capped at USD 0.60 per week (USD 31.20 for 52 weeks); employers or plans can differ.
- Oregon: 2026 withholding formulas, pages 6–7 include federal-withholding subtraction and allowance phase-outs. Paid Leave Oregon takes an employee share of 0.6% up to USD 184,500. The Statewide Transit Tax remains 0.1%; employer TriMet and Lane transit taxes are not employee deductions here.
- Washington: 2026 Paid Leave uses 1.13% × 71.43% employee share up to USD 184,500. WA Cares uses 0.58% with no Social Security wage cap. Workers’ compensation is excluded.
- States without wage income tax in 2026: see the official information for Texas, Florida and Washington. For a cross-border situation, check Oregon’s nonresident wage rules instead of treating a change of address as a tax exemption.
Use the estimate to prepare a comparison, then verify local taxes and employer deductions against official guidance or a payroll professional. No account, payment or document upload is required. Calculations run in your browser. Tool-use events do not include the salary or expense values.
About This Calculator
Compare 2026 take-home pay in CA, TX, NY, FL, OR and WA. Enter two salaries and monthly costs to see payroll deductions and cash remaining.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this state tax comparison calculator include?
It compares 2026 annualized federal and state income-tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and selected employee state payroll programs for California, Texas, New York, Florida, Oregon and Washington. Enter a separate salary and optional monthly expenses for each side. Results estimate payroll cash, not your final tax bill.
Does a state with no income tax always leave me with more money?
No. Federal taxes still apply, and Washington has employee Paid Leave and WA Cares contributions. Housing, insurance, property tax, sales tax and other costs can outweigh a paycheck difference. Enter your own monthly expense estimates; this tool does not supply a cost-of-living index.
Can I use this for a move between Oregon and Washington?
Use it to compare two full-year situations in which you both live and work in the selected state. It does not model living in Washington while working in Oregon, part-year moves, interstate tax credits or employer-specific remote-work sourcing.
Why is the result different from another tax calculator or my paycheck?
This tool uses published 2026 payroll withholding schedules and fixed state allowance assumptions, not annual tax-return schedules. California withholding rates, New York withholding adjustments and Oregon federal-tax subtraction can differ from a simple bracket estimate. Actual W-4 elections, local taxes, benefits, retirement contributions, pay-period rounding and exemptions also change take-home pay.
Which filing situations and locations are supported?
Single or married filing jointly with one wage earner, under age 65, no dependents and no other income. Each salary can be USD 0 to 1,000,000. Only the six listed states are supported. City and county taxes, including New York City, Yonkers and Portland-area taxes, are excluded. This is a planning tool, not a payroll or tax-filing service.
The SuperCalc Editorial Team maintains calculator interfaces, formula notes, examples, and supporting explanations. Methods, assumptions, source links, and review depth vary by calculator and are documented on the relevant page where available.