Louisiana Paycheck Calculator
Last updated FreeNo signupFormula shown
Enter your pay, how often you are paid and the standard deduction on your Form L-4, and this Louisiana paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows the Department of Revenue's formula, 3.09% of pay after a $12,875 standard deduction ($25,750 for joint filers), and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.
State
LouisianaLouisiana takes a standard deduction ($12,875, or $25,750 if married filing jointly or head of household) off a year of pay and withholds 3.09% of what is left.
Another state? Pick any of the 50 states and DC.
I'm paid
Louisiana withholding
Block A takes 1 (single or married filing separately) or 2 (married filing jointly, head of household or qualifying surviving spouse), which your filing status picks. Choose 0 to have no standard deduction counted.
Form W-4 steps 2 to 4
Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work.
Step 3: $2,200 each.
Step 3: $500 each.
Step 4(a).
Step 4(b).
Step 4(c).
2026 limit $24,500.
Pre-tax.
2026 limit $8,750.
Take-home pay per paycheck
$1,882.06
$2,307.69 gross · $425.63 withheld (18.4%)
Where this paycheck goes
- Gross pay
- $2,307.69
- Federal income taxIRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage method, worked from your Form W-4 entries.
- - $193.08
- Social Security6.2%Social Security tax stops once your pay for the year reaches the $184,500 wage base.
- - $143.08
- Medicare1.45%
- - $33.46
- Additional Medicare0.9%Withheld on pay above $200,000 in a calendar year, whatever your filing status.
- - $0.00
- Louisiana income taxLouisiana takes a standard deduction ($12,875, or $25,750 if married filing jointly or head of household) off a year of pay and withholds 3.09% of what is left.
- - $56.01
- 401(k)Skips federal income tax, but Social Security and Medicare still apply.
- - $0.00
- Health premiumsThrough a cafeteria plan, these skip income tax, Social Security and Medicare.
- - $0.00
- HSA
- - $0.00
Over the year, 26 paychecks
- Gross pay
- $60,000
- Taxes
- - $11,066
- Pre-tax deductions
- - $0
- Share kept
- 81.6%
Of every $100 of gross pay, $82 is take-home.
Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Louisiana income tax$1,456 · 2.4%
Take-home pay$48,934 · 81.6%
Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.
Gross payTake-home pay
This pay costs the employer $64,724 a year, $2,489.37 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 $7,0006.0% less a 5.4% credit. The Labor Department's September 2026 list of states that may lose part of that credit names only California and the Virgin Islands.
- $42
- Louisiana unemployment1.31% of the first $7,000Louisiana gives a new employer no single rate: it is the average rate of the employer's industry. This estimate uses the state's average rate on taxable wages, 1.31% in the U.S. Labor Department's 2024 report, on the first $7,000 of each employee's pay.
- $92
Total cost of the employee
- Gross pay
- $60,000
- Employer taxes
- + $4,724
- Per pay periodUnemployment taxes stop at their wage bases, so the first paychecks of the year cost more than the last.
- $2,489.37
See which of your own people may be leaving, before they hand in notice.
Start 30-Day Free TrialLouisiana withholds 3.09% of pay above a standard deduction of $12,875 a year.
The Department of Revenue's formula has one line: your pay for the period, minus the standard deduction divided by the number of pay periods, times 3.09%. The deduction is $12,875 for a single or married-filing-separately employee and $25,750 for a married-filing-jointly employee, a head of household or a qualifying surviving spouse. There are no brackets, no exemptions and no credits, so two workers with the same pay and the same Block A number always have the same Louisiana withholding.
A $60,000 Louisiana salary takes home $1,882.06 every two weeks.
The calculator opens on this case: a single employee with a 1 in Block A of the L-4, 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
- Louisiana income tax: ($2,307.69 − $12,875 ÷ 26) × 0.0309 = ($2,307.69 − $495.19) × 0.0309 = $1,812.50 × 0.0309 = $56.01
- Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
- Take-home pay: $1,882.06 a paycheck, $48,933.62 a year
Of $60,000 gross, $48,934 reaches the bank account.
Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Louisiana income tax$1,456 · 2.4%
Take-home pay$48,934 · 81.6%
Each paycheck: $1,882.06Kept: 81.6%
The number in Block A of the L-4 decides the standard deduction, and it is worth $15.30 a paycheck at the single amount.
A 1 takes the single deduction off, a 2 takes the larger one off and a 0 takes none. The $12,875 deduction saves $15.30 of tax on every biweekly paycheck. At $60,000 a married employee entering 2 has $40.70 withheld, a single employee entering 1 has $56.01 and anyone entering 0 has $71.31.
The number in Block A sets the Louisiana tax of a biweekly paycheck, from $40.70 to $71.31.
2: married filing jointly or head of household$40.70
1: single or married filing separately$56.01
0: no standard deduction$71.31
The 3.09% rate is the 3% tax plus a cushion, and anything over-withheld is refunded.
Louisiana repealed its graduated rates and taxes income at a flat 3% from 2025. The Department's bulletin says the withholding formulas add 0.09% as a cushion against a balance due, and that anything withheld above the tax owed is refunded with the return. On the $60,000 example that cushion is about $1.63 of each paycheck. If you would rather keep it, the L-4 lets you lower the withholding with a negative adjustment on line 7, down to zero.
The share of pay Louisiana withholds climbs toward 3.09% as pay rises, and never reaches it.
Because the deduction comes off first, a $30,000 salary has $529.10 withheld over the year and a $150,000 salary $4,237.22, while the rate on the next dollar is 3.09% at both.
The share of pay Louisiana withholds rises with pay toward 3.09%, because the standard deduction matters less.
$30,000 a year1.76% of pay, $529
$60,000 a year2.43% of pay, $1,456
$100,000 a year2.69% of pay, $2,692
$150,000 a year2.82% of pay, $4,237
A 401(k) lowers Louisiana withholding by $4.28 a paycheck.
A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck, which takes the Louisiana formula's pay down by the same amount. Take-home pay falls by only $117.56 once federal withholding drops too. Social Security and Medicare still apply to the deferral.
A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and Louisiana tax by $4.28 a paycheck.
Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
Louisiana tax, no 401(k)$56.01
Louisiana tax, 6% 401(k)$51.73
Hiring that employee costs $64,724 a year in Louisiana.
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. Louisiana unemployment tax is charged on the first $7,000 of pay, which the Workforce Commission lowered from $7,700 for 2026. A new employer pays its industry's average rate, estimated here at 1.31%, or $91.70. The employee pays nothing toward it.
On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $4,724 more in taxes.
Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
Louisiana unemployment$92
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42
Take-home pay in Louisiana runs from $33,482 on $40,000 to $109,554 on $150,000.
For a single employee with a 1 in Block A, paid every two weeks. At $100,000 the year's take-home is $76,488. For the neighbor to the west, see the Texas paycheck calculator.
| Salary | Federal tax | Social Security and Medicare | Louisiana taxes | Take-home a year | Every two weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $838 | $33,482 | $1,287.76 |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $1,147 | $41,208 | $1,584.93 |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $1,456 | $48,934 | $1,882.06 |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $1,920 | $59,673 | $2,295.11 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $2,692 | $76,488 | $2,941.84 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $4,237 | $109,554 | $4,213.61 |
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:
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026): Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods, Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide: Social Security wage base of $184,500, Medicare, FUTA, 401(k) and cafeteria plan treatment
- IRS Form W-4 (2026): Step 3 credits of $2,200 and $500
- IRS Topic 751: Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, Additional Medicare Tax over $200,000
- IRS Instructions for Form 940: FUTA tax of 6.0% less a credit of up to 5.4%, on the first $7,000
- U.S. Department of Labor: FUTA credit reductions, potential 2026 list (California and the Virgin Islands)
- IRS: 401(k) limit of $24,500 for 2026
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19: 2026 HSA limits of $4,400 and $8,750
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: overtime at time and one-half over 40 hours in a workweek
- Louisiana Department of Revenue: Louisiana Withholding Tables and Formulas, R-1306 (1/26), the computer formula at a 3.09% withholding rate with $12,875 and $25,750 deductions
- Louisiana Department of Revenue: R-1300 (1/26) Employee's Withholding Certificate, Form L-4 (Block A, 0, 1 or 2)
- Louisiana Workforce Commission: 2026 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rate Table (wage base $7,000)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026 (taxable wage base and new employer rate by state)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Measures of State Unemployment Insurance Tax Systems, 2024 (average tax rate on taxable wages by state)
- Louisiana Department of Revenue: Are supplemental wage and vacation payments subject to withholding? (the same as regular pay)
- Louisiana Department of Revenue: Revenue Information Bulletin 25-012, Louisiana Individual Income Tax Reform (a flat 3% tax rate from 2025 and a 0.09% cushion in the withholding tables)
Frequently asked questions
- How does Louisiana work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?
- The Department of Revenue's computer formula takes your pay for the period, subtracts the standard deduction divided by the pay periods ($12,875 for a single or married-filing-separately employee, $25,750 for a joint filer or head of household) and multiplies what is left by 3.09%. Anything below zero counts as zero. For a $60,000 salary that is $2,307.69 less $495.19, $1,812.50, times 0.0309, which is $56.01 a paycheck.
- How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Louisiana?
- For a single employee on a standard Form W-4 who is paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,882.06 a paycheck, or $48,933.62 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $1,456.26 of Louisiana income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.
- How much is $20 an hour after tax in Louisiana?
- At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $667.65 take-home a week for a single employee. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $17.07 of Louisiana 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.
- Why does Louisiana withhold 3.09% when its income tax rate is 3%?
- Louisiana replaced its graduated rates with a flat 3% tax for 2025 and later years. The Department of Revenue's bulletin says the withholding formulas add 0.09% as a cushion, to prevent a balance due when the return is filed, and that anything withheld above the tax owed is refunded. On the $60,000 example the cushion is about $1.63 a paycheck.
- What do I put in Block A of the Louisiana Form L-4?
- A single number. Enter 1 if your filing status is single or married filing separately, 2 if it is married filing jointly, head of household or qualifying surviving spouse, and 0 to claim no standard deduction, which the form suggests if you are married with a working spouse or have more than one job and want to avoid too little being withheld. Line 7 adds or subtracts a fixed amount each pay period. The calculator takes the number from your Form W-4 filing status and lets you choose 0.
- What if I never give my Louisiana employer a Form L-4?
- The form says the employer must then withhold Louisiana income tax without any standard deduction, which is the same as entering 0. On the $60,000 example that is $71.31 a paycheck instead of $56.01, so take-home pay is $1,866.76 instead of $1,882.06.
- How does Louisiana tax a bonus?
- The Department of Revenue says supplemental wages and vacation payments are withheld the same as regular pay, even when they are paid separately. With the standard deduction already taken off each paycheck, a bonus is therefore taxed at 3.09% of the extra pay. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case, federal tax included.
- What does a 401(k) do to my Louisiana paycheck?
- The calculator takes a 401(k) deferral out of the pay before it applies the formula, so it lowers Louisiana withholding. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Louisiana withholding by $4.28 and take-home pay by only $117.56. The Department's formula publication does not list pre-tax items separately.
- Who pays unemployment tax in Louisiana, and how much is it?
- The employer does, to the Workforce Commission, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. In 2026 the taxable wage base is $7,000 per worker, down from $7,700 in 2025. A new employer pays the average rate of its industry rather than one standard rate, so this page uses the state's average rate on taxable wages in the Labor Department's 2024 report, 1.31%, which is $92 a year for an employee paid $60,000. Louisiana is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.
Turnover is cheaper to prevent than to calculate.
TeamPredict flags resignation risk early from public LinkedIn signals, giving you lead time to retain your best people before they hand in notice.
Start 30-Day Free TrialNo charge today · Cancel anytime