States with no income tax on wages

Nine states don't tax wages: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. If you live and work in one of them, nothing is withheld from your paycheck for state income tax. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare still come out as they do everywhere, and a few of these states run payroll programs that take a small deduction of their own.

This guide covers what a paycheck looks like in those states, what still gets deducted, and the situations where you can still owe another state's tax. Each state has its own paycheck calculator with its payroll rules and sources.

The states that don't tax wages

• Alaska has no personal income tax. It's one of the few states where employees pay part of the unemployment insurance contribution, so a small deduction still appears.
• Florida doesn't impose a personal income tax, and its constitution limits any state tax on residents' income.
• Nevada doesn't tax individuals' income. Its Modified Business Tax is paid by employers, and the state says it may not be taken out of your wages.
• New Hampshire doesn't tax W-2 wages. Its separate tax on interest and dividends was repealed for periods after 2024.
• South Dakota has no personal income tax, no city or county income taxes, and no state disability, paid leave or employee unemployment deduction.
• Tennessee doesn't tax earned income, and since January 1, 2021 it hasn't taxed interest and dividends either, after the Hall income tax was repealed.
• Texas has no personal income tax: since 2019 the Texas Constitution has prohibited a tax on individuals' net incomes.
• Washington doesn't tax wages, but employees pay into Paid Family and Medical Leave and the WA Cares long-term care fund through payroll. Washington's capital gains excise tax applies to certain investment gains, not to pay, and the tax on very high incomes passed in 2026 doesn't start until 2028.
• Wyoming has no individual or corporate income tax, and no state disability, paid family leave or long-term care program.

What still comes out of your paycheck

Living in a state without an income tax removes one line from your pay stub, not all of them. Every paycheck still has:

• Federal income tax, worked out from your Form W-4 and the IRS tables. It's usually the largest deduction. The W-4 guide explains how your choices change it.
• Social Security, 6.2% of your pay up to $184,500 of wages in 2026.
• Medicare, 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000.
• State programs in some of these states, such as Washington's paid leave and long-term care premiums and Alaska's employee unemployment contribution.
• Your own deductions, such as a 401(k), health insurance or an HSA.

Here's how that works out in each state on the same salary, computed with the same engine as the calculators:

The take-home figures are close but not identical, because the state programs differ. Without those programs, two people with the same salary and W-4 take home exactly the same amount in any of these states.

What "no income tax" doesn't mean

A state without an income tax still raises money in other ways, such as sales, property and business taxes. Nevada's Modified Business Tax, for example, is a tax on employers' payrolls. Taxes like these don't show up on your pay stub, so a paycheck calculator can't capture them, but they matter when you compare the cost of living between states.

It also doesn't mean you'll never file a state return. Some of these states have taxes on businesses, and if you have income from another state, such as rental property or a second job across the border, that state may expect a return from you.

Living in one state and working in another

State income tax generally follows two things: where you live and where you earn the money.

• You live in a no-tax state and work in a state that taxes wages. The state where you work can tax the wages you earn there, and your employer may withhold its tax. A New Hampshire resident commuting into Massachusetts, or a Washington resident working in Oregon, can have that state's tax withheld.
• You live in a state that taxes wages and work in a no-tax state. Your home state usually taxes all your income, wherever it's earned. A Texas employer won't withhold another state's tax unless it has to, so you may need to arrange extra withholding or pay estimated tax.
• You work remotely. Rules vary by state, and some states have specific rules for people working remotely for employers based there.

The calculators on this site assume you live and work in the same state. If you don't, a tax professional can help you work out which states can tax your wages.

Moving to a no-tax state

If you move partway through the year, your old state can tax what you earned while you lived there, and your paychecks after the move should stop having state tax withheld once your employer updates your address and work location. Check your first few pay stubs after a move to make sure the old state's withholding has stopped.

Comparing take-home pay is a good first step when weighing a move or a job offer. The paycheck calculator lets you switch states with the same salary, and the conversion pages, such as what a 75K salary is per hour, compare take-home pay at one salary across every state with a published calculator. The pay raise calculator shows how a raise changes take-home pay in your state.

Checking your pay stub

In a no-tax state, a pay stub is short enough to check line by line. Start with gross pay, then look for:

• A state income tax line of zero, or no state line at all. If you see state income tax withheld, it may be for another state where you work, or your employer may still have an old address on file.
• Social Security and Medicare at their flat rates. Divide each by your gross pay, less any Section 125 health premiums, to check them.
• Federal income tax that matches your W-4. The paycheck calculator shows the federal amount for your pay, filing status and W-4 choices.
• State program lines in Washington and Alaska, at the rates shown on each state's calculator page.

Employers in every state also pay state unemployment tax on part of each employee's wages. In the no-tax states other than Alaska, that's an employer cost and doesn't appear as a deduction from your pay.

Overtime and bonuses in no-tax states

Overtime and bonuses aren't taxed by these states either. A bonus paid separately can still be withheld at the flat federal rate of 22%, and Social Security and Medicare apply to it in full. The bonus guide explains why bonus checks can look smaller than expected, and the overtime calculator works out overtime pay itself.

Frequently asked questions

Which states have no income tax on wages? Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

Do I still pay federal income tax in these states? Yes. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere in the United States.

Is take-home pay always higher in a no-tax state? For the same salary and W-4, usually yes, because there's no state income tax line. Living costs and other state taxes can offset that, and some no-tax states have small payroll program deductions.

Can a no-tax state take anything out of my paycheck? Some can, for payroll programs. Washington deducts paid leave and long-term care premiums, and Alaska deducts an employee unemployment contribution.