Illinois Paycheck Calculator
Calculate your 2026 take-home pay in the Prairie State. Discover how the 4.95% flat state tax rate and federal deductions affect your true net salary.
Use Our Free Illinois Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your exact take-home pay. This calculator applies the Illinois flat tax rate, personal exemptions, federal brackets, and FICA deductions.
Calculate Your Paycheck
Enter your gross salary to see your exact Illinois take-home pay.
Ready to Calculate
Enter your salary to see your take-home pay calculated with the Illinois 4.95% Flat Tax.
Illinois State Tax at a Glance
Why does your paycheck look the way it does? Here are the four foundational rules our Illinois paycheck calculator uses to estimate your net pay.
One single rate for all income levels
Basic 2026 allowance per person
No Chicago or county wage taxes
401(k), pensions & SS are exempt
The Illinois Flat Tax Advantage
While property and sales taxes in Illinois tend to be higher, the constitutional 4.95% flat tax ensures that high earners are not penalized with progressive brackets (unlike California's 13.3% or New York's 10.9%). Furthermore, Illinois remains one of the few states that completely exempts major forms of retirement distributions from state taxation.
How Does the Illinois Paycheck Calculator Work?
Our Illinois paycheck calculator helps you estimate your true take-home pay by calculating state income tax, federal withholdings, and FICA deductions. Unlike states with complex progressive tax brackets, Illinois utilizes a straightforward system.
The tool automatically applies the 4.95% flat state tax rate that affects all residents, regardless of how much they earn. It also accounts for the Illinois personal exemption (currently $2,850 for 2026), which reduces your taxable income before the state rate is applied.
Whether you are negotiating a new job offer in Chicago or reviewing your current salary, this calculator gives you a transparent breakdown of where your money goes every pay period.
What's Included in Your Calculations?
- Illinois Income Tax: Flat 4.95% rate
- Federal Income Tax: 2026 IRS progressive brackets (10%-37%)
- Social Security: 6.2% up to the annual wage limit
- Medicare: 1.45% (plus 0.9% surtax for high earners)
- No Local Income Tax: Cities like Chicago do not tax wages directly.
Understanding the Illinois Flat Tax Advantage
The most distinctive feature of the Illinois salary calculator is the flat tax model. While states like New York or California can tax high earners at rates upwards of 10-13%, Illinois caps individual income tax strictly at 4.95%.
For middle-income earners, this rate is relatively average compared to national standards. However, for high-income earners, the flat tax represents a significant saving on state withholdings compared to coastal states.
Good news for Retirees: Illinois is highly favorable for retirement income. The state does not tax distributions from 401(k) plans, IRAs, pensions, or Social Security. If you are generating income from these sources, your state tax obligation on them is 0%.
Important Considerations
While the state income tax is capped at 4.95%, Illinois residents face some of the highest property taxes and local sales taxes in the nation (Chicago's combined sales tax is 10.25%).
When planning a move or negotiating a salary, use this Illinois paycheck calculator to secure your baseline net pay, but ensure you budget extra for local housing and consumption costs.