# Louisiana Paycheck Calculator Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo 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 LouisianaHow it is figuredLouisiana 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](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator). I'm paid SalaryHourly Yearly salary (USD) Pay frequencyWeekly (52 paychecks a year)Every two weeks (26 a year)Twice a month (24 a year)Monthly (12 a year) Filing status on Form W-4Single or married filing separatelyMarried filing jointlyHead of household Louisiana withholding Louisiana Form L-4, Block A1 or 2, from your filing status0, no standard deduction 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 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 $1,882.06 $2,307.69 gross · $425.63 withheld (18.4%) teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator/louisiana Where this paycheck goes Gross pay $2,307.69 Federal income taxW-4 methodIRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage method, worked from your Form W-4 entries. \- $193.08 Social Security6.2%To $184,500Social Security tax stops once your pay for the year reaches the $184,500 wage base. \- $143.08 Medicare1.45% \- $33.46 Additional Medicare0.9%Over $200,000Withheld on pay above $200,000 in a calendar year, whatever your filing status. \- $0.00 Louisiana income taxState methodLouisiana 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)Pre-taxSkips federal income tax, but Social Security and Medicare still apply. \- $0.00 Health premiumsPre-taxThrough a cafeteria plan, these skip income tax, Social Security and Medicare. \- $0.00 HSA \- $0.00 Take-home pay$1,882.06 Over the year, 26 paychecks Gross pay $60,000 Taxes \- $11,066 Pre-tax deductions \- $0 Share kept 81.6% Take-home pay$48,934 Copy resultsCopy link _Figure: Bar chart of the year's gross pay of $60,000. Federal income tax: $5,020; Social Security: $3,720; Medicare: $870; Louisiana income tax: $1,456; Take-home pay: $48,934._ _Figure: Line chart of yearly take-home pay against gross pay, from $0 to $100,000, with the same filing status and deductions as the calculator. The dashed line is gross pay. At $60,000 gross, take-home is $48,934._ ## 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 $7,000No credit cut6.0% 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 $7,000New employer rateLouisiana 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 Employer taxes$4,724 Total cost of the employee Gross pay $60,000 Employer taxes \+ $4,724 Per pay periodYearly averageUnemployment taxes stop at their wage bases, so the first paychecks of the year cost more than the last. $2,489.37 Per year$64,724 See which of your own people may be leaving, before they hand in notice. [Start 30-Day Free Trial](https://app.teampredict.ai/signup) ## Louisiana 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 _Figure: Bar chart for a single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks, paid 26 times a year. 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%._ 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. ## 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. _Figure: Bar chart of the Louisiana income tax withheld from one biweekly paycheck on a $60,000 salary: 2: married filing jointly or head of household: $40.70; 1: single or married filing separately: $56.01; 0: no standard deduction: $71.31._ Invented example: a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions. The federal Form W-4 status changes along with the number. ## 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. _Figure: Bar chart of the Louisiana income tax withheld in a year as a share of pay, single, paid every two weeks: $30,000: 1.76% ($529); $60,000: 2.43% ($1,456); $100,000: 2.69% ($2,692); $150,000: 2.82% ($4,237)._ Invented salaries, single, a 1 in Block A, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions. ## 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. _Figure: Bar chart of the tax withheld from one biweekly paycheck on a $60,000 salary, single: 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._ Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck. ## 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. _Figure: Bar chart of the employer's taxes on an employee on a $60,000 salary: Employer Social Security $3,720; Employer Medicare $870; Louisiana unemployment $92; Federal unemployment (FUTA) $42. Together $4,724, for a total cost of $64,724 a year._ An employee on a $60,000 salary. Louisiana unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 1.31% on the first $7,000. ## 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](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator/texas). Take-home pay in Louisiana for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. Louisiana taxes are its income tax. 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](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf) - [IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide: Social Security wage base of $184,500, Medicare, FUTA, 401(k) and cafeteria plan treatment](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf) - [IRS Form W-4 (2026): Step 3 credits of $2,200 and $500](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf) - [IRS Topic 751: Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, Additional Medicare Tax over $200,000](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751) - [IRS Instructions for Form 940: FUTA tax of 6.0% less a credit of up to 5.4%, on the first $7,000](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i940) - [U.S. Department of Labor: FUTA credit reductions, potential 2026 list (California and the Virgin Islands)](https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/futa_credit.asp) - [IRS: 401(k) limit of $24,500 for 2026](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/401k-limit-increases-to-24500-for-2026-ira-limit-increases-to-7500) - [IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19: 2026 HSA limits of $4,400 and $8,750](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-19.pdf) - [U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: overtime at time and one-half over 40 hours in a workweek](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay) - [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](https://dam.ldr.la.gov/taxforms/1306-1-26.pdf) - [Louisiana Department of Revenue: R-1300 (1/26) Employee's Withholding Certificate, Form L-4 (Block A, 0, 1 or 2)](https://dam.ldr.la.gov/taxforms/1300-1-26-F.pdf) - [Louisiana Workforce Commission: 2026 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rate Table (wage base $7,000)](https://www.laworks.net/Downloads/UI/WTS/2026RateTable.pdf) - [U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026 (taxable wage base and new employer rate by state)](https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf) - [U.S. Department of Labor: Significant Measures of State Unemployment Insurance Tax Systems, 2024 (average tax rate on taxable wages by state)](https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/pdf/sigmeasures/sigmeasuitaxsys24.pdf) - [Louisiana Department of Revenue: Are supplemental wage and vacation payments subject to withholding? (the same as regular pay)](https://revenue.louisiana.gov/tax-education-and-faqs/faqs/withholding-tax/are-supplemental-wage-and-vacation-payments-subject-to-withholding/) - [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)](https://dam.ldr.la.gov/lawspolicies/RIB-25-012-Louisiana-Individual-Income-Tax-Reform-1.pdf) ## 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 Trial](https://app.teampredict.ai/signup) No charge today · Cancel anytime ## Keep reading [Texas Paycheck Calculator The neighbor to the west: no state income tax, so only federal tax, Social Security and Medicare come out of a paycheck. Read more](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator/texas) [Mississippi Paycheck Calculator The neighbor to the east: 4% of everything above $10,000 after your exemptions and standard deduction. Read more](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator/mississippi) [Bonus Tax Calculator What the flat 22% rate or the combined method and each state withhold from a bonus, and how much you keep. Read more](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/bonus-tax-calculator)