How does Arkansas work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?

The Department of Finance and Administration's formula multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, subtracts the $2,470 standard deduction, finds the tax in a bracket formula (nothing up to $5,599, then 2.0%, 3.0%, 3.4% and 3.7% each less a printed amount), subtracts $29 for each exemption on your AR4EC and divides back across the paychecks. Below $100,001 of taxable income the formula is read at the middle of its $100 band. For a $60,000 salary that is $57,530 taxable, looked up as $57,550, $1,762 of tax, less $29, $1,733 a year and $66.65 a paycheck.

How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Arkansas?

For a single employee paid every two weeks with one exemption, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,871.42 a paycheck, or $48,656.98 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $1,732.90 of Arkansas income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.

How much is $20 an hour after tax in Arkansas?

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $664.49 take-home a week for a single employee with one exemption. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $20.23 of Arkansas income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.

What do I put on the Arkansas Form AR4EC?

Line 1 takes one of three choices: 1a, you claim yourself (one exemption); 1b, you claim yourself and your spouse (two); or 1c, head of household and you claim yourself (two). Line 2 adds one exemption for each child or dependent, line 3 is the total, line 4 is an extra dollar amount to deduct from each paycheck and line 5 asks whether you qualify for the low-income tax rates. Without a certificate the employer withholds with no exemptions. Each exemption is worth $29 of tax a year: $67.77 a paycheck with none, $66.65 with one, $65.54 with two and $62.19 with five.

What are the Arkansas low-income tax rates on line 5 of the AR4EC?

An employee whose total income from all sources falls in a range on the form can check the box to be withheld under the low-income tables: a single filer from $14,644 to $17,500, a married couple filing jointly from $24,696 to $29,000 with one dependent or fewer and from $29,723 to $36,100 with two or more, and a head of household or qualifying widow(er) from $20,821 to $25,300 with one dependent or fewer and from $24,819 to $29,000 with two or more. This calculator uses the regular tables and does not model the low-income ones.

How does Arkansas tax a bonus?

When bonuses, commissions or overtime are paid at the same time as regular wages, the employer deducts 3.7% of the bonus or commission for state income tax. The instructions tell employers to warn employees that the 3.7% could in some cases be over-withholding, which cannot be recovered until the employee files the Arkansas return. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.

Do Texarkana residents pay Arkansas income tax?

Not if they live inside the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas. State law gives an Arkansas resident whose permanent residence is within those limits an exemption from Arkansas individual income tax on all income received while they live there, and a Texas resident living inside the limits of Texarkana, Texas is exempt on wages earned in Texarkana, Arkansas. People on rural routes or in the surrounding towns do not qualify.

Who pays unemployment tax in Arkansas, and how much is it?

The employer does, to the Division of Workforce Services, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. In 2026 the taxable wage base is $7,000 per worker and the new employer rate is 2%, until three full years of benefit experience are on record. That is $140 a year for an employee paid $60,000. Arkansas is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

Arkansas Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid, the exemptions on your Form AR4EC and the answers on your Form W-4, and this Arkansas paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows the Department of Finance and Administration's formula, rates up to 3.7% on what is left after a $2,470 standard deduction, and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.

State

Arkansas

Another state? Pick any of the 50 states and DC.

I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

Arkansas withholding

Exemptions on Form AR4EC (line 3)

1 for you, 1 for a spouse (or 1 more as head of household), and 1 for each dependent; each takes $29 off the year's tax.

Form W-4 steps 2 to 4

Step 2 box is checked

Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work.

Children under 17

Step 3: $2,200 each.

Other dependents

Step 3: $500 each.

Other income per year

Step 4(a).

Deductions per year

Step 4(b).

Extra withholding each paycheck (USD)

Step 4(c).

401(k), % of pay

2026 limit $24,500.

Health premiums per paycheck

Pre-tax.

HSA per paycheck

2026 limit $8,750.

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,871.42

$2,307.69 gross · $436.27 withheld (18.9%)

Where this paycheck goes

Gross pay: $2,307.69
Federal income tax: - $193.08
Social Security6.2%: - $143.08
Medicare1.45%: - $33.46
Additional Medicare0.9%: - $0.00
Arkansas income tax: - $66.65
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,871.42

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $11,343
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 81.1%

Take-home pay$48,657

Of every $100 of gross pay, $81 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Arkansas income tax$1,733 · 2.9%
Take-home pay$48,657 · 81.1%

Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $64,772 a year, $2,491.23 each pay period.

What the employer adds, per year

Employer Social Security6.2% to $184,500: $3,720
Employer Medicare1.45%: $870
Federal unemployment (FUTA)0.6% of the first $7,000: $42
Arkansas unemployment2% of the first $7,000: $140

Employer taxes$4,772

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $4,772
Per pay period: $2,491.23

Per year$64,772

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Arkansas takes a $2,470 standard deduction, taxes the rest from 0% to 3.7%, then subtracts $29 for each exemption.

The Department's formula method has five steps. Your employer multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, subtracts the $2,470 standard deduction, and reads the tax from a bracket formula: nothing up to $5,599 of taxable income, then 2.0%, 3.0%, 3.4% and 3.7%, each less a printed amount that keeps the tax continuous. The credit of $29 for each exemption comes off the year's tax, and the result is divided back across the paychecks. The printed tax tables for weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly and monthly pay agree with the formula to within cents.

A $60,000 Arkansas salary takes home $1,871.42 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single employee with one exemption, on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.

Gross pay: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69
Federal income tax: $193.08
Arkansas income tax: $60,000 − $2,470 = $57,530, read as $57,550; 3.7% × $57,550 − $367.16 = $1,762; − $29 for one exemption = $1,733; ÷ 26 = $66.65
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
Take-home pay: $1,871.42 a paycheck, $48,656.98 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $48,657 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Arkansas income tax$1,733 · 2.9%
Take-home pay$48,657 · 81.1%

Each paycheck: $1,871.42Kept: 81.1%

A single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks. Invented example. Each tax is rounded to the cent in every paycheck, as payroll does.

Each exemption on the AR4EC is worth $29 a year, or $1.12 off every biweekly paycheck.

The credit is a fixed amount, so it saves the same $1.12 at any pay until the tax reaches zero. A married employee claiming two exemptions on line 1b has $65.54 withheld from the $60,000 example, one claiming five has $62.19, and one claiming none $67.77.

Each exemption takes $1.12 off the Arkansas tax of a biweekly paycheck.

0 exemptions$67.77
1 exemption$66.65
2 exemptions$65.54
3 exemptions$64.42
5 exemptions$62.19

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. The credit is the same for every exemption until the tax reaches zero.

The 3.7% rate starts at a salary of $28,869, so most paychecks are taxed at it.

The top bracket begins above $26,399 of taxable income, which is $28,869 after the standard deduction. Below it the rates are 0%, 2.0%, 3.0% and 3.4%, which keeps the share of pay withheld low on a small paycheck.

The share of pay Arkansas withholds climbs toward 3.7% as pay rises, because the lower brackets matter less.

$20,000 a year1.40% of pay, $280
$30,000 a year2.08% of pay, $623
$60,000 a year2.89% of pay, $1,733
$100,000 a year3.49% of pay, $3,490
$150,000 a year3.57% of pay, $5,350

Invented salaries, single, one exemption, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions.

Arkansas leaves 401(k) and cafeteria plan amounts out of wages for withholding.

The Department's instructions list the federal code sections whose benefits Arkansas has adopted: cafeteria plans, retirement savings, cash or deferred arrangements (401(k)), qualified annuity plans and others. A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck, and it lowers Arkansas withholding by $5.11. Social Security and Medicare still apply to a 401(k) deferral, but not to health premiums or an HSA contribution made through a cafeteria plan.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and Arkansas tax by $5.11 a paycheck.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
Arkansas tax, no 401(k)$66.65
Arkansas tax, 6% 401(k)$61.54

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck.

Hiring that employee costs $64,772 a year in Arkansas.

On top of the $60,000, the employer matches Social Security and Medicare at 6.2% and 1.45%, which is $4,590. It pays federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000, which is $42. A new Arkansas employer pays unemployment tax at 2% on the first $7,000 of pay, which is $140.00. The employee pays nothing toward it.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $4,772 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
Arkansas unemployment$140
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. Arkansas unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 2% on the first $7,000.

Take-home pay in Arkansas runs from $33,327 on $40,000 to $108,441 on $150,000.

For a single employee with one exemption, paid every two weeks. At $100,000 the year's take-home is $75,690. For the neighbor to the west, see the Oklahoma paycheck calculator.

Take-home pay in Arkansas for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. Arkansas taxes are its income tax.
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	Arkansas taxes	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$993	$33,327	$1,281.81
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$1,363	$40,992	$1,576.63
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$1,733	$48,657	$1,871.42
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$2,288	$59,304	$2,280.94
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$3,490	$75,690	$2,911.15
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$5,350	$108,441	$4,170.81

Methodology & sources

The formula this calculator uses is shown in full above, and every assumption is an input you control. There are no hidden industry presets. All math runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server. For the reasoning behind the formula and its edge cases, see:

Frequently asked questions

How does Arkansas work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?: The Department of Finance and Administration's formula multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, subtracts the $2,470 standard deduction, finds the tax in a bracket formula (nothing up to $5,599, then 2.0%, 3.0%, 3.4% and 3.7% each less a printed amount), subtracts $29 for each exemption on your AR4EC and divides back across the paychecks. Below $100,001 of taxable income the formula is read at the middle of its $100 band. For a $60,000 salary that is $57,530 taxable, looked up as $57,550, $1,762 of tax, less $29, $1,733 a year and $66.65 a paycheck.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Arkansas?: For a single employee paid every two weeks with one exemption, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,871.42 a paycheck, or $48,656.98 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $1,732.90 of Arkansas income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in Arkansas?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $664.49 take-home a week for a single employee with one exemption. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $20.23 of Arkansas income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.
What do I put on the Arkansas Form AR4EC?: Line 1 takes one of three choices: 1a, you claim yourself (one exemption); 1b, you claim yourself and your spouse (two); or 1c, head of household and you claim yourself (two). Line 2 adds one exemption for each child or dependent, line 3 is the total, line 4 is an extra dollar amount to deduct from each paycheck and line 5 asks whether you qualify for the low-income tax rates. Without a certificate the employer withholds with no exemptions. Each exemption is worth $29 of tax a year: $67.77 a paycheck with none, $66.65 with one, $65.54 with two and $62.19 with five.
What are the Arkansas low-income tax rates on line 5 of the AR4EC?: An employee whose total income from all sources falls in a range on the form can check the box to be withheld under the low-income tables: a single filer from $14,644 to $17,500, a married couple filing jointly from $24,696 to $29,000 with one dependent or fewer and from $29,723 to $36,100 with two or more, and a head of household or qualifying widow(er) from $20,821 to $25,300 with one dependent or fewer and from $24,819 to $29,000 with two or more. This calculator uses the regular tables and does not model the low-income ones.
How does Arkansas tax a bonus?: When bonuses, commissions or overtime are paid at the same time as regular wages, the employer deducts 3.7% of the bonus or commission for state income tax. The instructions tell employers to warn employees that the 3.7% could in some cases be over-withholding, which cannot be recovered until the employee files the Arkansas return. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.
What does a 401(k) do to my Arkansas paycheck?: It lowers the tax. The Department's instructions list the federal code sections whose benefits Arkansas has adopted for withholding, among them cafeteria plans (125), retirement savings (219), cash or deferred arrangements (401(k)), qualified annuity plans (403(b)) and deferred compensation plans of state and local governments (457). Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Arkansas withholding by $5.11 and take-home pay by only $116.73.
Do Texarkana residents pay Arkansas income tax?: Not if they live inside the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas. State law gives an Arkansas resident whose permanent residence is within those limits an exemption from Arkansas individual income tax on all income received while they live there, and a Texas resident living inside the limits of Texarkana, Texas is exempt on wages earned in Texarkana, Arkansas. People on rural routes or in the surrounding towns do not qualify.
Who pays unemployment tax in Arkansas, and how much is it?: The employer does, to the Division of Workforce Services, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. In 2026 the taxable wage base is $7,000 per worker and the new employer rate is 2%, until three full years of benefit experience are on record. That is $140 a year for an employee paid $60,000. Arkansas is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

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