This Georgia paycheck calculator estimates what is left from 2026 wages after federal income tax, Georgia income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. House Bill 463 cut the flat rate from 5.19% to 4.99% for taxable years beginning on or after 1 January 2026. The Governor signed it on 11 May 2026, and the Department of Revenue’s 2026 employer’s tax guide tells employers they could start withholding at 4.99% on that date. A stub from January through early May can still show 5.19% even though the return for the year uses 4.99%. This page uses the annual 4.99% rate, not the pre-May withholding rate.
The same act raised the standard deduction to $15,000 for a single filer, a head of household, and a married person filing separately, and to $30,000 for married filing jointly. The dependent deduction is $5,000 for each dependent. Georgia no longer has a personal exemption for the taxpayer. The standard deduction does that work. The sample is $65,000, single, paid every two weeks, with no dependents and no 401(k). Federal tax uses the tax year 2026 brackets and standard deduction in IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Social Security is 6.2% up to $184,500, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages. Georgia has no city income tax on these wages.
How to use this calculator
- Enter annual gross wages in dollars. The sample, 65000, means $65,000 for the year, not one paycheck.
- Choose Single or Married filing jointly, then a pay frequency. Joint uses the $30,000 Georgia standard deduction and the $32,200 federal standard deduction. It does not change the 4.99% rate. Every two weeks means 26 paychecks.
- Enter a traditional 401(k) deferral for the year, or leave 0. Then enter Georgia dependent allowances. The sample is 0. Each allowance is $5,000. A person with two children who are dependents types 2.
- Press Calculate. The headline is one paycheck. Federal tax, Georgia tax, Social Security, Medicare, and the annual take-home are listed underneath. A deferral above $24,500 is cut back to the 2026 elective limit.
How a 2026 Georgia paycheck is estimated
Federal taxable wages are gross wages minus the traditional 401(k) actually applied, then minus the federal standard deduction. On $65,000 with no deferral, a single filer has $48,900 of federal taxable income and $5,620.00 of federal income tax. Social Security is $4,030.00. Medicare is $942.50. Additional Medicare Tax is $0.00. Those three federal lines match the Michigan and Texas paychecks at the same wages, because FICA does not depend on the state.
Georgia starts from the same wages minus the traditional 401(k). It then subtracts the standard deduction and $5,000 for each dependent. On the sample the deduction is $15,000, the dependent allowance is $0, and Georgia taxable income is $50,000. Tax at 4.99% is $2,495.00. Annual take-home is $51,912.50, and the headline is $1,996.63 every two weeks. Twenty-six times that headline is $51,912.38, twelve cents under the annual line, because each paycheck is rounded on its own. Michigan at the same wages, one exemption, and no city tax charges $2,511.75 and has annual take-home of $51,895.75. Georgia’s higher rate produces a bill that is $16.75 lower, because $15,000 comes off before 4.99% and only $5,900 comes off before Michigan’s 4.25%. North Carolina at the same wage, with no qualifying child, charges $2,084.78 after a $12,750 deduction and has annual take-home of $52,322.72. Texas, with state income tax at $0, has annual take-home of $54,407.50. The entire $2,495.00 gap from Texas is the Georgia tax.
A traditional 401(k) reduces both the federal line and the Georgia line. A $6,500 deferral on the $65,000 single sample cuts federal income tax from $5,620.00 to $4,840.00. Georgia taxable income falls from $50,000 to $43,500, and Georgia tax falls from $2,495.00 to $2,170.65. The $324.35 saving is 4.99% of $6,500. Social Security stays $4,030.00 because the deferral is still Social Security wages on this page, and Medicare stays $942.50. Annual take-home is $46,516.85, or $1,789.11 every two weeks. A deferral typed above $24,500 is cut back to $24,500. On these wages that capped deferral leaves Georgia taxable income of $25,500, Georgia tax of $1,272.45, and annual take-home of $31,575.05.
Two dependent allowances on the $65,000 single sample subtract $10,000 after the $15,000 standard deduction. Georgia taxable income is $40,000 and Georgia tax is $1,996.00, which is $499.00 less than the no-dependent result. That $499.00 is 4.99% of $10,000. Federal tax does not change, because this form does not apply a federal child tax credit. Annual take-home is $52,411.50, or $2,015.83 every two weeks. The allowance cannot reduce Georgia taxable income below zero. A $20,000 single wage with one dependent uses the whole $15,000 deduction and $5,000 of the dependent allowance, Georgia tax is $0.00, and annual take-home is $18,080.00 after federal tax of $390.00 and FICA. A wage of exactly $15,000 with no dependents is also $0.00 of Georgia tax. Federal income tax is $0.00 because the wage equals the point where the $16,100 federal standard deduction still covers it only if the wage is at or under $16,100. At $15,000, Social Security is $930.00 and Medicare is $217.50, so the monthly headline is $1,154.38.
Formula
Tax year 2026. One wage earner. HB 463 rate of 4.99%, retroactive to 1 January 2026. Georgia income = max(0, wages − traditional 401(k)) Standard deduction = $15,000 single, or $30,000 married filing jointly, not above that income Dependent allowance = $5,000 × dependents, not above the income left after the standard deduction Georgia taxable income = max(0, Georgia income − standard deduction − dependent allowance) Georgia tax = 4.99% × Georgia taxable income Federal tax, Social Security, and Medicare use the 2026 federal paycheck rules on this site Annual take-home = wages − federal income tax − Social Security − Medicare − Additional Medicare Tax − Georgia tax − 401(k) Paycheck = annual take-home ÷ number of paychecks
Married filing jointly on the same $65,000, still with no dependents, has federal income tax of $3,440.00 and Georgia tax of $1,746.50. The Georgia base is $35,000 because the joint standard deduction is $30,000. Annual take-home is $54,841.00, or $2,109.27 every two weeks. The Department of Revenue’s percentage-method note says a married couple who both have income should use the $15,000 column, not $30,000 each. This form applies the whole $30,000 to the one salary you type. If a spouse also has wages, run each wage with Single, or add the wages yourself and keep one $30,000 deduction for the return. Typing joint twice would deduct $60,000.
The guide’s own semi-monthly example is a different paycheck from this annual method. A married person paid $2,000 twice a month, spouse not working, one child, has $1,250 of standard deduction and $208.33 of dependent allowance removed from that cheque, then 4.99% of the $541.67 left, which the guide prints as $27.03. This page annualizes first. It will not reproduce a year-to-date stub that withheld 5.19% before 11 May and 4.99% after. Overtime and tipped wages can exclude up to $1,750 of each from Georgia taxable net income under the same act. There is no field for that exclusion. Georgia did not adopt the broader federal overtime and tip exclusions.
Worked 2026 Georgia paycheck examples
$65,000, single, no dependents
Federal income tax is $5,620.00, Social Security is $4,030.00, and Medicare is $942.50. The standard deduction is $15,000.00. Georgia taxable income is $50,000.00. Georgia income tax is $2,495.00. Annual take-home is $51,912.50. The headline is $1,996.63 / two weeks. Dividing the same annual figure by 12 gives $4,326.04 a month. Michigan’s monthly figure on the same wage, one exemption, and no city tax is $4,324.65. The two state taxes differ by $16.75 for the year.
Add two dependents and Georgia tax falls to $1,996.00. The federal line stays $5,620.00. Annual take-home rises to $52,411.50, or $2,015.83 / two weeks. The dependent deduction is not a credit against tax already computed. It reduces the base, and it stops at zero. A Roth contribution should not be typed in the deferral field. The form would treat it as pre-tax and understate both the federal tax and the Georgia tax.
The same wage filed jointly, and a capped 401(k)
Keep $65,000 and no dependents, and switch to married filing jointly. Georgia tax is $1,746.50 on a $35,000 base. Federal income tax is $3,440.00. Annual take-home is $54,841.00, or $2,109.27 / two weeks. The $2,928.50 gap from the single result is federal tax of $2,180.00 plus Georgia tax of $748.50. That Georgia piece is 4.99% of the extra $15,000 of standard deduction. A spouse’s own wages are not in the form.
Back on the single row, type a $30,000 deferral. The form cuts it to $24,500. Georgia tax is $1,272.45, federal income tax is $2,680.00, and annual take-home is $31,575.05, or $1,214.43 / two weeks. The detail line says the deferral was reduced. Social Security and Medicare are still computed on the $65,000 of wages.
$90,000, $210,000, and the deduction at the wage
At $90,000, single, and no dependents, Georgia taxable income is $75,000 and Georgia tax is $3,742.50. Federal income tax is $10,970.00, Social Security is $5,580.00, and Medicare is $1,305.00. Annual take-home is $68,402.50, or $2,630.87 / two weeks. The 4.99% rate does not step up at a higher wage. There is one rate after the deduction and the dependent allowances.
At $210,000, single, and no dependents, Social Security stops at $11,439.00 because wages are over the $184,500 base. Additional Medicare Tax is $90.00. Medicare is $3,045.00. Georgia tax is $9,730.50, which is 4.99% of $195,000. Federal income tax is $39,134.00. Annual take-home is $146,561.50, or $5,636.98 / two weeks. Michigan at this wage, one exemption, and no city tax has annual take-home of $147,617.75. The $1,056.25 gap is Georgia tax of $9,730.50 minus Michigan tax of $8,674.25. At the other end, $15,000 of wages and no dependents produce $0.00 of Georgia tax and a monthly headline of $1,154.38 after FICA only.
2026 Georgia tax at selected wages, single, no dependents
| Wages | Georgia taxable income | Georgia tax | Annual take-home | Every two weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $13,852.50 | $532.79 |
| $65,000 | $50,000.00 | $2,495.00 | $51,912.50 | $1,996.63 |
| $65,000 and two dependents | $40,000.00 | $1,996.00 | $52,411.50 | $2,015.83 |
| $65,000 and a $6,500 401(k) | $43,500.00 | $2,170.65 | $46,516.85 | $1,789.11 |
| $90,000 | $75,000.00 | $3,742.50 | $68,402.50 | $2,630.87 |
| $210,000 | $195,000.00 | $9,730.50 | $146,561.50 | $5,636.98 |
What this Georgia paycheck estimate leaves out
The up-to-$1,750 exclusions for overtime and for tips are not fields on the form. A worker who qualifies subtracts those amounts on the return, and this page will overstate Georgia tax by up to 4.99% of the excluded dollars. Itemized deductions are not offered. The standard deduction is used in every row. A filer whose itemized deductions exceed $15,000, or $30,000 on a joint return, can owe less than the figure here. The retirement exclusion for Georgia residents over a qualifying age is also omitted.
A traditional 401(k) reduces federal tax and Georgia tax. A Roth amount typed into the deferral field is treated as pre-tax, which is the wrong direction. Catch-up contributions above the $24,500 elective limit are cut back. Health insurance premiums that are excluded from federal wages are not a field here. If those premiums were already left out of the wage you type, do not subtract them again. Social Security and Medicare are computed on gross wages before the deferral.
Employers who withheld 5.19% before 11 May 2026 and 4.99% after will not match one-twenty-sixth of this annual tax on every stub. The percentage-method tables also remove the standard deduction and the dependent allowance from each pay period, which can differ by cents from an annual tax divided by 26. There is no Georgia city wage tax to add. A local occupational tax or a business license fee is not income tax withholding and is not subtracted. The Michigan page can add Detroit. This page cannot, because that ordinance is not a Georgia tax.
The calculator does not file a Georgia Form 500, and it does not decide residency. A part-year resident reports only the Georgia portion of the wage. Use the annual figure as a planning total, then compare it with the stub and with the Department of Revenue’s withholding tables if the question is what the employer should have withheld in a particular month.
Frequently asked questions
What Georgia income tax rate does this 2026 paycheck calculator use?
4.99% of Georgia income after the standard deduction and $5,000 for each dependent. On $65,000, single, with no dependents and no 401(k), Georgia tax is $2,495.00 and the two-week headline is $1,996.63. House Bill 463 set that rate for the 2026 taxable year. The 5.19% rate is the withholding rate employers used before 11 May 2026, not the rate on the annual return.
Does Georgia still have a personal exemption for the taxpayer in 2026?
No. The standard deduction replaced it. A single filer subtracts $15,000. A joint return with this salary as the only wage subtracts $30,000. Dependents are a separate $5,000 deduction each, not a personal exemption for the filer. Two dependents on the $65,000 single sample cut Georgia tax from $2,495.00 to $1,996.00.
Why is Georgia tax $16.75 below Michigan tax on the same $65,000?
The federal and FICA lines match. Michigan tax with one exemption and no city tax is $2,511.75. Georgia tax with no dependents is $2,495.00. Annual take-home is $51,895.75 in Michigan and $51,912.50 here. Georgia’s rate is higher, 4.99% against 4.25%, and the base is smaller because $15,000 comes off instead of $5,900. North Carolina on the same wage is $2,084.78 of state tax and $52,322.72 of annual take-home.
Does a traditional 401(k) reduce Georgia’s 4.99% tax?
Yes on this page. A $6,500 deferral on a $65,000 single wage cuts Georgia tax from $2,495.00 to $2,170.65 and cuts federal income tax from $5,620.00 to $4,840.00. Social Security stays $4,030.00. Do not type a Roth amount into the deferral field. A deferral above $24,500 is cut back to the 2026 elective limit, which leaves Georgia tax of $1,272.45 on this wage.
What if both spouses work and the return is married filing jointly?
The $30,000 standard deduction belongs to the return once. This form applies it to the single salary you type, which is right only when that salary is the only wage. The Department of Revenue tells two-earner couples to use the $15,000 withholding column rather than $30,000 each. On one $65,000 wage filed jointly, Georgia tax is $1,746.50 and the two-week headline is $2,109.27. Adding a second wage requires a second pass, or one combined wage with the deduction left at $30,000.
Related ClearCalc pages
- North Carolina paycheck calculator for 2026 A 3.99% tax after a $12,750 standard deduction. At $65,000 single the North Carolina tax is $2,084.78 and the two-week headline is $2,012.41.
- Michigan paycheck calculator for 2026 A 4.25% tax after a $5,900 exemption. At $65,000 single with one exemption and no city tax, Michigan tax is $2,511.75.
- Texas paycheck calculator for 2026 The same federal and FICA lines at $65,000, with state income tax at $0 and annual take-home of $54,407.50.
- 2026 401(k) contribution calculator Check a deferral against the $24,500 limit before you type the dollar amount here. The deferral reduces Georgia tax and federal income tax.