How it works
Enter your pay and what’s on your W-4 to see each paycheck after taxes in Alabama. Federal income tax is figured with the IRS percentage method for 2026, the same tables payroll software uses, plus Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%).
Alabama annualizes your wages and subtracts a standard deduction that shrinks as income rises ($3,000 to $2,500 single, $8,500 to $5,000 married), your federal income tax withholding, a $1,500 or $3,000 personal exemption and an amount for each dependent. What’s left is taxed at 2%, 4% and 5%.
Some Alabama cities and counties levy local occupational taxes on wages; they are administered by the city or county, not the Department of Revenue.
Withholding is an estimate of your tax, paid as you go. Whether you get a refund depends on your full-year income, deductions and credits; the tax refund calculator estimates that. To compare states, use the paycheck calculator.
Formula
Take-home = gross pay − federal withholding − Social Security − Medicare − Alabama withholding − local tax − pre-tax deductions
Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods: percentage method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide: social security wage base and Medicare
- Alabama Withholding Tax Tables and Instructions for Employers and Withholding Agents (Revised January 2026)
Questions people ask
How much Alabama income tax comes out of a $60,000 salary?
About $96.50 per paycheck, or $2,509 a year, for a single filer paid every two weeks with the default allowances. Take-home pay comes to about $1,841.58 per paycheck after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare as well.
Does Alabama have local income taxes?
Some Alabama cities and counties levy local occupational taxes on wages; they are administered by the city or county, not the Department of Revenue. Enter your local rate in the calculator to include it.
Why is my real paycheck different?
Employers round to the cent or dollar, some benefits change which wages are taxed, and bonuses are often withheld at a flat supplemental rate. Social Security also stops for the year once your wages pass $184,500. Use your pay stub to check, and this page to see how a change would affect it.