Illinois paycheck calculator 2025 and 2026

Estimate Illinois take-home pay after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare and the flat 4.95% Illinois income tax, with the exemption allowance and its income limit.

Estimates only, not tax advice. Results are for general information. Your actual tax depends on your full return; check with the IRS or a qualified tax professional.

Before any deductions.
Lowers income tax, but Social Security and Medicare still apply.
For example employer health insurance through a section 125 plan.
Each dependent adds one exemption allowance.
Enter your numbers to see the estimate.

What comes out of an Illinois paycheck

  1. Federal: federal income tax (estimate), Social Security 6.2% up to the wage base ($184,500 for 2026, $176,100 for 2025), Medicare 1.45%, and Additional Medicare 0.9% withheld on wages over $200,000.
  2. Illinois income tax: a flat 4.95% of your net income. Net income is your Illinois base income (which starts from federal adjusted gross income, so for most employees your wages after pre-tax 401(k) and health deductions) minus your exemption allowance.

The Illinois income tax has no brackets: every dollar after exemptions is taxed at 4.95%. There is also no Illinois standard deduction. Instead you get an exemption allowance for yourself, your spouse on a joint return and each dependent, plus $1,000 more for each person who is 65 or older or legally blind.

The exemption disappears completely at higher income. Under 35 ILCS 5/204(g), no exemption is allowed if your adjusted gross income is over $250,000, or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. It is a cliff, not a phase-out: one dollar over the line removes the whole allowance.

Illinois figures

Item20252026
Income tax rate (flat, individuals)4.95%4.95%
Exemption allowance – you, your spouse (joint) and each dependent$2,850 each$2,925 each
Extra exemption – 65 or older$1,000$1,000
Extra exemption – legally blind$1,000$1,000
No exemption allowance if federal AGI is over$250,000 ($500,000 joint)$250,000 ($500,000 joint)

The 2026 exemption allowance of $2,925 is from the Illinois Department of Revenue’s 2026 withholding booklet (IL-700-T). The 2025 amount of $2,850 is from the 2025 Form IL-1040 instructions.

How your employer withholds Illinois tax

Your employer does not run the yearly calculation above. It uses the allowances on your Form IL-W-4 and the automated payroll method in Booklet IL-700-T: withholding = 4.95% × (wages for the pay period − (Line 1 allowances × $2,925 + Line 2 allowances × $1,000) ÷ pay periods in the year), plus any extra amount you ask for on Line 3. Line 1 covers you, your spouse and dependents; Line 2 covers the extra allowances for age 65 and blindness.

IDOR example: $800 a week, 2 allowances on Line 1, 2 on Line 2$800.00
Exemptions: (2 × $2,925 + 2 × $1,000) ÷ 52− $150.96
Taxable amount$649.04
Withholding: 4.95% × $649.04$32.13

If your withholding allowances match your real exemptions and your pay is steady, withholding lands close to the yearly tax. The calculator shows both.

Worked example: $5,000 every two weeks, single, 2026

Illinois base income (26 × $5,000)$130,000.00
− Exemption allowance− $2,925.00
Net income$127,075.00
Illinois income tax: 4.95% × $127,075$6,290.21
Per paycheck: $6,290.21 ÷ 26$241.93
Take-home per paycheck: $3,850.81 federal take-home − $241.93$3,608.88

A married couple filing jointly with two children would have four exemptions: 4 × $2,925 = $11,700. If their AGI were $500,001 they would have none.

Federal figures use the same method as our federal paycheck calculator: the year’s income tax on your wages after pre-tax deductions and the standard deduction, spread evenly over your paychecks.

What this calculator does not cover

  • Illinois credits (property tax credit, K-12 education expense credit, Illinois EITC, child tax credit and others) and subtractions such as federally taxed Social Security benefits and qualified retirement income (Form IL-1040, Line 5).
  • Local taxes and any payroll deductions other than federal tax and Illinois income tax.
  • Your employer’s withholding from Form IL-W-4, which uses allowances rather than a yearly calculation.

Frequently asked questions

Does Illinois have tax brackets?

No. Illinois taxes individuals at one flat rate of 4.95% of net income (Illinois Department of Revenue).

What is the Illinois exemption for 2026?

$2,925 per exemption, according to IDOR’s 2026 Booklet IL-700-T. It was $2,850 for 2025.

Why did my exemption go to zero?

Illinois allows no exemption if your adjusted gross income is over $250,000, or $500,000 on a joint federal return.

Does a 401(k) lower Illinois tax?

Yes. Illinois starts from federal adjusted gross income, which already leaves out elective 401(k) deferrals.

How does my employer withhold Illinois tax?

With the IL-W-4 allowances and the IL-700-T formula: 4.95% of each paycheck after subtracting (Line 1 allowances × $2,925 + Line 2 allowances × $1,000) ÷ pay periods, for 2026.

Is my data stored?

No. Everything is worked out in your browser.

Official sources

Figures on this page come from these official pages.