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Georgia Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Estimate your Georgia take-home pay after federal tax, FICA, and Georgia's flat state income tax.

How this calculator works

Like our other paycheck calculators, this estimates federal tax and FICA the same way regardless of state. On top of that, it applies Georgia’s flat 4.99% state income tax to your wages after subtracting Georgia’s 2026 standard deduction. Georgia taxable net income starts from your federal adjusted gross income, so it already excludes your 401(k) contributions and pre-tax health premiums, the same wage basis Illinois and California use. Georgia has no state disability insurance tax, no employee-paid unemployment tax, and no local or municipal income tax anywhere in the state, so this calculator’s state-level estimate is already the full Georgia picture.

Georgia’s 4.99% rate is new for 2026, cut from 5.19% by House Bill 463. That specific cut is locked in and not contingent on anything. Further cuts scheduled for 2027 and later years, however, only happen if Georgia’s tax revenue hits certain targets each year, so treat this page’s rate as something we will revisit annually rather than a fixed number.

The formula

(federal tax, FICA, and net-pay assembly are identical to the Texas calculator)

gaWages     = grossWages − pretaxHealth − 401(k) contribution

standardDeduction = $15,000 (single/HOH/MFS) or $30,000 (joint)

gaTaxable   = max(0, gaWages − standardDeduction)
gaIncomeTax = gaTaxable x 0.0499

stateTax = gaIncomeTax

Worked example

A single filer earning $60,000/year, paid biweekly, with no 401(k) or extra deductions:

  • FICA: $4,590.00/year (same as any state)
  • Federal tax: $5,020.00/year (same as any state)
  • Georgia standard deduction: $15,000.00 (2026, single)
  • Georgia taxable wages: $60,000 − $15,000 = $45,000.00
  • Georgia income tax: $45,000 x 4.99% = $2,245.50/year
  • Net pay: $60,000 − $4,590 − $5,020 − $2,245.50 = $48,144.50/year, or $1,851.71 per biweekly paycheck

Now compare that to the same salary with a 10% 401(k) contribution ($8,000/year deferred). Georgia taxable wages drop to $80,000 − $8,000 = $72,000, then $72,000 − $15,000 standard deduction = $57,000.00, so Georgia income tax is $57,000 x 4.99% = $2,844.30/year. Like Illinois, Georgia follows the federal exclusion for 401(k) deferrals, so the contribution lowers both your federal and your Georgia tax bill, unlike Pennsylvania, which keeps taxing the full $80,000.

We used SmartAsset’s Georgia Paycheck Calculator to spot-check the absence of local income tax in Georgia. Its quick-facts panel confirms zero Georgia cities levy a local income tax, matching the sources cited below. Its displayed state rate had not yet been updated for the mid-2026 rate cut at the time we checked, so we did not use it as a numeric rate cross-check, only as confirmation of the local-tax picture.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is Georgia's 2026 state income tax rate?

A flat 4.99% on taxable income, the same rate for every filer regardless of income or filing status. This is a cut from 5.19% in 2025, enacted by House Bill 463 and signed into law on May 11, 2026, effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2026. Georgia has no tax brackets, so the rate applies uniformly once your wages exceed the standard deduction.

Is Georgia's 4.99% rate for 2026 guaranteed, or could it change again?

The 4.99% rate for 2026 itself is confirmed, not contingent on anything. But the same law that set it also put future cuts on a revenue-trigger schedule: starting in 2027, the rate is scheduled to drop 0.125 points a year toward a 3.99% floor, but only if Georgia hits its annual revenue collection targets. Expect this page's rate to be revisited each year.

Does Georgia have a standard deduction?

Yes: $15,000 for single filers, heads of household, and married filing separately, or $30,000 for married filing jointly, for tax year 2026. This is a large increase from prior years and applies as a flat dollar amount with no phase-out at higher incomes, unlike some other flat-rate states.

Does contributing to a 401(k) lower my Georgia state tax the way it lowers my federal tax?

Yes. Georgia taxable net income starts from your federal adjusted gross income, which already excludes 401(k) elective deferrals, so Georgia taxes the same reduced wage figure federal tax does. This is the same treatment Illinois uses, and the opposite of Pennsylvania, which taxes 401(k) contributions in full when you make them.

Does Georgia have a state disability insurance (SDI) tax or an employee-paid unemployment tax on my paycheck?

No. Georgia has no State Disability Insurance program (unlike California, New Jersey, New York, and a few other states), and Georgia unemployment insurance is funded entirely by employer contributions. There is no second state payroll-tax line on a Georgia paycheck beyond the flat income tax.

Does Atlanta or any other Georgia city have its own local income tax?

No. Georgia law prohibits cities and counties from imposing a local income tax, so there is no municipal or school district withholding to add anywhere in the state. This calculator's state-level estimate is already the complete Georgia income-tax picture, unlike Ohio, where hundreds of cities add their own tax on top.

Why is my actual Georgia paycheck different from this calculator's estimate?

This calculator estimates your annual state and federal tax liability and divides it evenly across your pay periods. Your employer withholds tax per paycheck using IRS and Georgia withholding tables, which can differ slightly from an even annual-liability split, especially in a paycheck near the May 2026 rate change, so the two figures rarely land on the exact same cent.

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