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Paycheck calculator · Wisconsin

Wisconsin paycheck calculator: 2026 take-home pay

Enter your pay to see what comes out for federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Wisconsin withholding, using the official 2026 tables.

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Updated Nov 5, 2026 · Tables: IRS Publication 15-T (2026) and official state withholding instructions
Calculator

Estimate your Wisconsin paycheck

Estimated paycheck

Quick answer

On $2,000.00 every two weeks ($52,000 a year), single, with a standard 2020-or-later W-4, a paycheck in Wisconsin has about $397.22 withheld and takes home $1,602.78. Wisconsin withholds income tax at rates from 3.54% to 7.65% after a standard deduction that shrinks as pay rises and $400 for each withholding exemption.

Worked example

$2,000.00 every two weeks in Wisconsin

Data
Worked example, single, standard W-4, Wisconsin defaults (2026 tables)
ItemPer paycheck
Federal income tax$156.15
Social Security (6.2%)$124.00
Medicare (1.45%)$29.00
Wisconsin income tax$88.07
Total withheld$397.22
Take-home pay$1,602.78
What comes out

The taxes on a paycheck in Wisconsin

Data
  • 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.
  • Wisconsin withholds income tax at rates from 3.54% to 7.65% after a standard deduction that shrinks as pay rises and $400 for each withholding exemption.
  • Wisconsin's withholding tables have been unchanged since January 1, 2022; the department's October 2025 update says there are no plans to change them.
Not included

What this estimate leaves out

  • 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.
  • No local income tax is included.
  • Uses Wisconsin's approved alternate method (Publication W-166), whose deduction shrinks as pay rises.
  • Head of household uses the single method (the WT-4 offers single and married).
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FAQ

Questions people ask

How much is taken out of a paycheck in Wisconsin?
On $2,000.00 every two weeks ($52,000 a year), single, with a standard 2020-or-later W-4, a paycheck in Wisconsin has about $397.22 withheld and takes home $1,602.78. Wisconsin withholds income tax at rates from 3.54% to 7.65% after a standard deduction that shrinks as pay rises and $400 for each withholding exemption.
Does Wisconsin have a state income tax?
Wisconsin withholds income tax at rates from 3.54% to 7.65% after a standard deduction that shrinks as pay rises and $400 for each withholding exemption.
What is the Social Security wage limit for 2026?
$184,500. Social Security tax of 6.2% stops for the rest of the year once your wages reach it (IRS Publication 15, 2026).
Why might my paycheck differ from this estimate?
Pre-tax deductions, bonuses, local taxes, year-to-date wages and the exact entries on your W-4 and state certificate all change the amount; your employer's payroll system settles it.
Method

How this page is built

Federal income tax follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A and the Annual Percentage Method tables; Social Security and Medicare follow Publication 15 (2026). Wisconsin withholding follows Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Publication W-166, Withholding Tax Guide (alternate method). The calculator in this page and the worked example run the same engine on the same tables. We re-read every table each January and whenever a state changes its withholding mid-year.

What this page can't tell you
  • An estimate of withholding, not your tax bill and not tax advice: your employer's payroll system and your own W-4 settle the real amount.
  • 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.
Sources
  1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods: Worksheet 1A and the 2026 Annual Percentage Method tables, irs.gov, read Nov 5, 2026.
  2. IRS Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide: social security and Medicare tax for 2026, irs.gov, read Nov 5, 2026.
  3. Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Publication W-166, Withholding Tax Guide (alternate method), official source, read Nov 5, 2026.
  4. Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Withholding Tax Update WTU-001 (October 2025), official source, read Nov 5, 2026.