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New Jersey Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Estimate your New Jersey take-home pay after federal tax, FICA, NJ state income tax, and NJ UI, DI, and FLI payroll taxes.

How this calculator works

Like the Texas and California calculators, this estimates federal tax and FICA the same way; New Jersey doesn’t change those. On top of that, it computes New Jersey’s own Gross Income Tax (using NJ’s own bracket schedule and personal exemption, not the federal standard deduction) plus three employee-paid payroll taxes: Unemployment Insurance (UI), Temporary Disability Insurance (DI), and Family Leave Insurance (FLI). UI shares a wage cap with the Workforce Development Fund; DI shares a separate, higher wage cap with FLI.

The formula

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

njTaxableIncome = max(0, wagesAfterPretax − njPersonalExemption)
                ($1,000 single/MFS, $2,000 joint)
njIncomeTax     = 2026 NJ bracket schedule applied to njTaxableIncome
                (Schedule A for single/MFS: 1.4% / 1.75% / 3.5% / 5.525% / 6.37% / 8.97% / 10.75%
                 Schedule B for joint/HOH/QW: same rates plus an extra 2.45% bracket
                 from $50,000-$70,000)

uiWfWages  = min(ficaWages, $44,800)
diFliWages = min(ficaWages, $171,100)
njUiDiFli  = 0.425% × uiWfWages + 0.42% × diFliWages

stateTax = njIncomeTax + njUiDiFli

Worked example

A single filer earning $80,000/year, paid biweekly, with no 401(k) or extra deductions:

  • FICA: $6,120.00/year (6.2% + 1.45% of $80,000, same as any state)
  • Federal tax: $8,770.00/year ($80,000 − $16,100 standard deduction = $63,900 taxable, same as any state)
  • NJ income tax: taxable income $80,000 − $1,000 personal exemption = $79,000 → $2,906.05/year (crosses the 5.525%/6.37% Schedule A boundary at $75,000)
  • NJ UI/DI/FLI: UI + Workforce Development capped at $44,800 × 0.425% = $190.40, plus DI + FLI on the full $80,000 (below its $171,100 cap) × 0.42% = $336.00, for $526.40/year
  • Net pay: $80,000 − $6,120 − $8,770 − $2,906.05 − $526.40 = $61,677.55/year, or $2,372.21 per biweekly paycheck

We cross-checked the income-tax portion against SmartAsset’s New Jersey Paycheck Calculator for the same inputs (accessed 2026-08-23): its printed 2026 bracket table matches this calculator’s Schedule A and Schedule B exactly, and its “State Income” line of $112/paycheck annualizes to $2,912/year, within $6 (0.2%) of our $2,906.05 figure. SmartAsset’s own UI/DI/FLI line items for the same inputs totaled roughly $240/year, well below our $526.40, which is the same stale-third-party-rate gap documented on our California calculator (there, SmartAsset’s SDI line used an outdated rate); this calculator uses the currently-in-effect 2026 NJDOL contribution rates.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why does New Jersey deduct UI, DI, and FLI from my paycheck on top of income tax?

New Jersey funds Unemployment Insurance, Temporary Disability Insurance, and Family Leave Insurance through dedicated employee payroll taxes, separate from the state income tax that pays for general government services. Together they total roughly 0.4% to 0.8% of wages in 2026, depending on how much of your pay falls under each program's wage cap.

Are New Jersey's tax brackets the same for single and married filers?

No. Single filers and those married filing separately use Schedule A, with seven brackets from 1.4% to 10.75%. Joint filers, heads of household, and qualifying widow(er)s use Schedule B, which has an extra 2.45% bracket from $50,000 to $70,000 that Schedule A doesn't have, and several other thresholds that aren't simply double the single amounts.

Is there a wage cap on New Jersey's UI, DI, and FLI payroll taxes?

Yes, and there are two different caps. Unemployment Insurance and the Workforce Development Fund share a $44,800 wage base for 2026 (max $190.40/year). Disability Insurance and Family Leave Insurance share a separate, much higher $171,100 wage base (max $718.62/year combined). Wages above both caps owe no more of these taxes for the rest of the year.

Does New Jersey have local or city income tax?

No. New Jersey has no municipal income tax anywhere in the state. Jersey City and Newark both levy a 1% payroll tax, but it's charged to employers, not withheld from employee paychecks, so it doesn't reduce your take-home pay directly.

What is New Jersey's personal exemption, and how is it different from a standard deduction?

New Jersey has no standard deduction. Instead, every filer subtracts a flat $1,000 regular exemption from taxable income (single or married filing separately), or $2,000 for joint filers (one $1,000 exemption per spouse), before applying the bracket schedule. This calculator does not model the additional $1,000 exemptions available for age 65+ or blind/disabled filers.

Are tips and overtime tax-free in New Jersey?

No. The federal 2025-2028 "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" deductions only reduce your federal taxable income. New Jersey has not adopted matching state deductions, so tips and overtime remain fully taxable on your New Jersey return.

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