How it works
Enter your pay and what’s on your W-4 to see each paycheck after taxes in Wisconsin. 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%).
Wisconsin withholds at graduated rates from 3.54% to 7.65% of your yearly wages after subtracting a standard deduction of up to $6,702 for single filers and $400 for each exemption claimed on Form WT-4. The standard deduction shrinks as wages rise and reaches zero at $73,630 for single filers ($73,032 married).
Traditional 401(k) and 403(b) contributions lower your federal and Wisconsin income tax but not Social Security and Medicare. Pre-tax health insurance and HSA payroll contributions lower all of them.
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 − Wisconsin withholding − 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
- Wisconsin Publication W-166, Withholding Tax Guide (1/26)
Questions people ask
How much Wisconsin income tax comes out of a $60,000 salary?
About $106.33 per paycheck, or $2,765 a year, for a single filer paid every two weeks with the default allowances. Take-home pay comes to about $1,831.75 per paycheck after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare as well.
Does Wisconsin have local income taxes?
No. Wisconsin cities and counties don’t tax wages, so your paycheck has only federal and state withholding.
What is a Wisconsin withholding exemption worth in 2026?
Each one subtracts $400 from your yearly wages before Wisconsin tax is figured, which lowers state withholding by up to $31 a year at the 7.65% top rate, less in lower brackets.
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.