Kentucky paycheck calculator: 2026 take-home pay

• Federal income tax: withheld with the IRS 2026 percentage method for Forms W-4 from 2020 or later (Publication 15-T).
• Social Security: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026.
• Medicare: 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a calendar year.
• Kentucky withholds income tax at a flat 3.5% after a standard deduction.

• Pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health premiums: they lower taxable pay, and states treat them differently.
• Bonuses and other supplemental pay, which can be withheld at flat rates.
• Year-to-date wages: the result is your first paycheck of 2026 from this employer, with no earlier wages counted. Social Security stops once your 2026 wages from the employer reach $184,500, and the employer withholds the extra 0.9% Medicare tax only on wages it pays you above $200,000 in 2026; the calculator names the paycheck in which each change starts.
• Kentucky cities and counties can levy an occupational license tax on wages. It is not included unless you enter its rate.
• Kentucky's formula uses one standard deduction for every filing status.
• Kentucky's 2026 formula document shows its biweekly example as $47, which does not match its own arithmetic (47.98); the calculator follows the formula text and rounds to the cent.

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