Does Tennessee have a state income tax?

Not on wages. Tennessee's Hall income tax applied only to interest from bonds and notes and dividends from stock, and the Department of Revenue says it was repealed for tax periods beginning January 1, 2021 or later. Nothing is withheld for the state, so your paycheck loses only federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, plus anything you choose to set aside, such as a 401(k) or health premiums.

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

For a single employee on a standard Form W-4 who is paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,938.07 a paycheck, or $50,389.88 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.

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

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $684.72 take-home a week for a single employee with a standard Form W-4. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch the calculator to hourly and type your own hours, including overtime.

What does a 401(k) do to my Tennessee paycheck?

It lowers take-home pay by less than you put in. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) is $138.46 a paycheck, but take-home pay falls by only $121.84, because federal income tax withholding drops by $16.62. Tennessee has no income tax to lower, and Social Security and Medicare are still taken on the full pay.

How often must a Tennessee employer pay me?

Not less often than once a month, under Tennessee Code § 50-2-103 as the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reads it. An employer that pays once a month owes all wages earned before the first of a month by the fifth of the next. One that pays in two or more periods owes wages earned before the 16th by the fifth of the next month, and the rest by the twentieth. Private employers with five or more employees must also keep regular paydays.

When is my last paycheck due in Tennessee?

If you quit or are fired, the employer has until the next regular payday after you left or 21 days after you left, whichever comes last, and the Department says there is no exemption. It does not have to pay on your last day. Unused vacation, sick pay and other fringe benefits are owed only if the employer's policy or a labor agreement says so.

Does Tennessee require a lunch break?

Yes, a 30-minute unpaid meal or rest period if you are scheduled for six consecutive hours, except in workplaces that by their nature give ample chance to rest, such as food service or security work. The state requires no other breaks. An unpaid half hour comes off your paid hours, and the planner in the hourly paycheck calculator does that sum for a shift pattern.

Who pays unemployment tax in Tennessee?

It is an employer tax, collected by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The Department says the new employer rate for industries other than construction, mining and three manufacturing sectors is 2.7%, and the 2026 taxable wage base is $7,000 of each employee's pay, which is $189 a year per employee at that wage. A new employer keeps the rate until its account has been charged and has paid premiums for 36 consecutive months ending on December 31; then its own reserve experience sets it.

Tennessee Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid and your Form W-4 choices, and this Tennessee paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. Tennessee withholds no state income tax from wages, so only federal tax, Social Security and Medicare come out, and the employer's side of the bill is worked out right under it.

State

Tennessee

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

I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

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

$1,938.07

$2,307.69 gross · $369.62 withheld (16%)

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
Tennessee income tax: - $0.00
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,938.07

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $9,610
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 84%

Take-home pay$50,390

Of every $100 of gross pay, $84 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Tennessee income tax$0 · 0%
Take-home pay$50,390 · 84%

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

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $64,821 a year, $2,493.12 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
Tennessee unemployment2.7% of the first $7,000: $189

Employer taxes$4,821

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $4,821
Per pay period: $2,493.12

Per year$64,821

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Tennessee takes no income tax out of your wages, and its Hall tax is gone.

Tennessee's one income tax, the Hall tax, was enacted in 1929 and applied only to interest on bonds and notes and dividends on stock, never to wages. The Department of Revenue says it was repealed for tax periods that begin on January 1, 2021 or later. What is left on a Tennessee pay stub is federal income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare, then whatever you set aside before tax.

A $60,000 Tennessee salary takes home $1,938.07 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single employee 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 ($60,000 less the $8,600 of IRS Worksheet 1A is $51,400; $1,240 plus 12% of everything over $19,900 is $5,020 a year)
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
Tennessee income tax: $0.00
Take-home pay: $1,938.07 a paycheck, $50,389.88 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $50,390 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Tennessee income tax$0 · 0%
Take-home pay$50,390 · 84%

Each paycheck: $1,938.07Kept: 84%

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.

A 401(k) takes $138.46 of a paycheck and costs $121.84 of take-home pay.

With no state tax to lower, the whole saving is federal: a 6% deferral on the $60,000 example cuts federal withholding by $16.62 a paycheck. Social Security and Medicare are still taken on the full $2,307.69, which is why a 401(k) deferral never lowers them. Health premiums and an HSA contribution made through a cafeteria plan do skip Social Security and Medicare.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 a paycheck and Tennessee tax by nothing.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
Tennessee tax, no 401(k)$0.00
Tennessee tax, 6% 401(k)$0.00

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

Social Security tax stops at $184,500, so a bigger salary pays a smaller share.

A $250,000 salary paid every two weeks reaches the 2026 wage base in paycheck 20, so the last 6 paychecks of the year carry no Social Security tax, while the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax starts in paycheck 21 and adds $450 over the year.

Above $184,500 the share of pay that goes to payroll tax falls.

$60,000 a year7.65% of pay
Social Security $3,720, Medicare $870
$150,000 a year7.65% of pay
Social Security $9,300, Medicare $2,175
$250,000 a year6.21% of pay
Social Security $11,439, Medicare $3,625, Additional Medicare $450
$500,000 a year4.28% of pay
Social Security $11,439, Medicare $7,250, Additional Medicare $2,700

Social SecurityMedicareAdditional Medicare

Invented salaries, single, paid every two weeks. Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9% of pay above $200,000.

Hiring that employee costs $64,821 a year in Tennessee.

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. And a new Tennessee employer pays state unemployment tax at 2.7% on the first $7,000 of pay, which is $189.00 a year per employee. Tennessee's wage base has been $7,000 since 2018, and the Department says it varies with the balance of the Unemployment Trust Fund.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $4,821 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
Tennessee unemployment$189
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. Tennessee unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 2.7% on the first $7,000.

Tennessee sets how often you are paid, when your last paycheck is due and a 30-minute meal break.

Wages must be paid at least once a month: by the fifth of the next month for a monthly payroll, and by the fifth or the twentieth of the following month for a payroll with two or more periods a month. A worker who quits or is fired is owed final pay by the next regular payday or 21 days after leaving, whichever comes last. A shift of six consecutive hours carries a 30-minute unpaid meal or rest period, which comes off the paid hours: the hourly paycheck calculator works that out from your days and shift length, and the overtime calculator adds what the extra hours earn before any of this tax comes out.

Take-home pay in Tennessee runs from $34,320 on $40,000 to $113,791 on $150,000.

Take-home pay in Tennessee for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$34,320	$1,320.00
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$42,355	$1,629.05
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$50,390	$1,938.07
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$61,592	$2,368.94
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$79,180	$3,045.38
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$113,791	$4,376.58

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

Does Tennessee have a state income tax?: Not on wages. Tennessee's Hall income tax applied only to interest from bonds and notes and dividends from stock, and the Department of Revenue says it was repealed for tax periods beginning January 1, 2021 or later. Nothing is withheld for the state, so your paycheck loses only federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, plus anything you choose to set aside, such as a 401(k) or health premiums.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Tennessee?: For a single employee on a standard Form W-4 who is paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,938.07 a paycheck, or $50,389.88 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in Tennessee?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $684.72 take-home a week for a single employee with a standard Form W-4. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch the calculator to hourly and type your own hours, including overtime.
What does a 401(k) do to my Tennessee paycheck?: It lowers take-home pay by less than you put in. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) is $138.46 a paycheck, but take-home pay falls by only $121.84, because federal income tax withholding drops by $16.62. Tennessee has no income tax to lower, and Social Security and Medicare are still taken on the full pay.
How often must a Tennessee employer pay me?: Not less often than once a month, under Tennessee Code § 50-2-103 as the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reads it. An employer that pays once a month owes all wages earned before the first of a month by the fifth of the next. One that pays in two or more periods owes wages earned before the 16th by the fifth of the next month, and the rest by the twentieth. Private employers with five or more employees must also keep regular paydays.
When is my last paycheck due in Tennessee?: If you quit or are fired, the employer has until the next regular payday after you left or 21 days after you left, whichever comes last, and the Department says there is no exemption. It does not have to pay on your last day. Unused vacation, sick pay and other fringe benefits are owed only if the employer's policy or a labor agreement says so.
Does Tennessee require a lunch break?: Yes, a 30-minute unpaid meal or rest period if you are scheduled for six consecutive hours, except in workplaces that by their nature give ample chance to rest, such as food service or security work. The state requires no other breaks. An unpaid half hour comes off your paid hours, and the planner in the hourly paycheck calculator does that sum for a shift pattern.
Who pays unemployment tax in Tennessee?: It is an employer tax, collected by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The Department says the new employer rate for industries other than construction, mining and three manufacturing sectors is 2.7%, and the 2026 taxable wage base is $7,000 of each employee's pay, which is $189 a year per employee at that wage. A new employer keeps the rate until its account has been charged and has paid premiums for 36 consecutive months ending on December 31; then its own reserve experience sets it.

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