$15.50 an hour after taxes in Washington

$15.50 an hour is $32,240 a year before tax at 40 hours a week.

After 2026 federal, FICA and Washington taxes, you keep

$27,638 a year, estimated

Annual tax estimate averaged by pay period. Actual employer withholding depends on your W-4 and payroll. Excludes local income tax, dependents, credits and other income. Joint filing models one earner.

Washington has no state income tax on wages, but it withholds $447 a year in payroll contributions.

Every two weeks
$1,063
Every month
$2,303
Effective tax rate
14.3%

Tax year 2026. Single filer, 40.0 hours per working week, 52 paid weeks. Sources and individual retrieval dates.

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Pay
Filing status, weeks, overtime and benefits

Hourly overtime assumes time-and-a-half after 40 hours. Only FLSA-qualified premium is deductible; the reported amount is already part of your gross pay. Salary means total earnings for the year entered.

2026 employee 401(k) limits: $24,500 normally, $32,500 with age-50 catch-up, or $35,750 at ages 60–63 if the plan permits. Employer match is separate. Contributions elsewhere reduce the available limit; other employers' income and taxes are not included. Age here affects retirement limits only; age-related income-tax deductions are excluded.

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Where $15.50 an hour goes in Washington

Estimated annual liability averaged by period for $15.50 an hour in Washington; single, one earner
LineEvery two weeksYear
Gross pay$1,240.00$32,240.00
Federal income tax−$64.95−$1,688.80
Social Security tax−$76.88−$1,998.88
Medicare tax−$17.98−$467.48
Washington income tax (none)$0.00$0.00
WA Paid Family & Medical Leave (employee share)−$10.01−$260.23
WA Cares Fund (long-term care)−$7.19−$186.99
Take-home pay$1,062.99$27,637.62
Where each $100 of gross pay goes
Take-home pay $85.72 Federal income tax $5.24 Social Security $6.20 Medicare $1.45 Washington income tax $0.00 WA Paid Family & Medical Leave $0.81 WA Cares Fund $0.58

$15.50 an hour per paycheck, month and day in Washington

$15.50 an hour in Washington: gross and take-home by pay period (2026, single filer)
PeriodGrossTaxes and deductionsTake-home
Year$32,240−$4,602$27,638
Month$2,687−$384$2,303
Every two weeks$1,240−$177$1,063
Twice a month$1,343−$192$1,152
Week$620−$89$531
Day$124−$18$106

Biweekly means 26 paychecks a year. A day is one of 260 working days (five a week). "Taxes and deductions" includes every line of the pay stub above.

If you work more or fewer hours

$15.50 an hour at different weekly hours in Washington. Hours over 40 are paid at $23.25 (1.5×).
Hours a weekWeekly grossYearly grossYearly take-homeBiweekly take-home
20$310$16,120$14,661$564
25$388$20,150$17,924$689
30$465$24,180$21,187$815
35$543$28,210$24,450$940
40$620$32,240$27,638$1,063
45 5 overtime$736$38,285$32,653$1,256
50 10 overtime$853$44,330$37,668$1,449

Eligible FLSA overtime premium may qualify for a 2025–2028 federal deduction, capped at $12,500 for single filers before the MAGI phaseout. These examples assume eligibility. Overtime is still wages; FICA and modeled state taxes apply, and employer withholding does not automatically disappear. Choose eligibility and paid weeks.

Example monthly budget

Rent at 30% of gross pay
$806 a month
Needs (50% of take-home)
$1,152 a month
Wants (30%)
$691 a month
Savings and debt (20%)
$461 a month

These are budgeting heuristics, not local rent data or a finding that a household can afford these costs. HUD's housing-burden benchmark includes housing costs and utilities, not rent alone. The 50/30/20 illustration uses $2,303 estimated monthly take-home; compare it with your actual bills and debts.

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How Washington compares

Washington has no state income tax on wages, so on $15.50 an hour ($32,240 a year) you pay only federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, plus $447 in required state payroll contributions (WA Paid Family & Medical Leave (employee share), WA Cares Fund (long-term care)). That ranks Washington 14th lowest of 51 jurisdictions for state tax on this pay.

$15.50 an hour, single filer. Selected state and nearby states first, followed by all remaining states. Periods are annual averages; local taxes and credits are excluded.
Compare
Washington Selected$447$27,638Compare Washington
IdahoProvisional parameters$610$27,474Compare Idaho
OregonProvisional parameters$2,085$26,000Compare Oregon
CaliforniaProvisional parameters$691$27,393Compare California
Texas$0$28,085Compare Texas
Florida$0$28,085Compare Florida
New York$1,314$26,770Compare New York
Nevada$0$28,085Compare Nevada
New Hampshire$0$28,085Compare New Hampshire
North Dakota$0$28,085Compare North Dakota
South Dakota$0$28,085Compare South Dakota
Tennessee$0$28,085Compare Tennessee
Wyoming$0$28,085Compare Wyoming
Alaska$161$27,924Compare Alaska
South Carolina$343$27,742Compare South Carolina
New Mexico$402$27,683Compare New Mexico
Arizona$404$27,681Compare Arizona
Ohio$416$27,669Compare Ohio
Mississippi$558$27,527Compare Mississippi
MissouriProvisional parameters$558$27,527Compare Missouri
Iowa$573$27,512Compare Iowa
Louisiana$582$27,503Compare Louisiana
NebraskaProvisional parameters$602$27,483Compare Nebraska
UtahProvisional parameters$645$27,440Compare Utah
VermontProvisional parameters$646$27,439Compare Vermont
WisconsinProvisional parameters$702$27,383Compare Wisconsin
ArkansasProvisional parameters$705$27,380Compare Arkansas
Connecticut$736$27,349Compare Connecticut
New Jersey$749$27,336Compare New Jersey
Montana$759$27,326Compare Montana
North Carolina$778$27,307Compare North Carolina
West Virginia$798$27,287Compare West Virginia
Hawaii$801$27,283Compare Hawaii
MaineProvisional parameters$816$27,269Compare Maine
District of ColumbiaProvisional parameters$834$27,250Compare District of Columbia
Colorado$852$27,233Compare Colorado
Georgia$860$27,225Compare Georgia
Oklahoma$905$27,180Compare Oklahoma
Indiana$922$27,163Compare Indiana
Rhode Island$947$27,138Compare Rhode Island
Kentucky$1,011$27,074Compare Kentucky
Pennsylvania$1,012$27,073Compare Pennsylvania
Kansas$1,013$27,072Compare Kansas
Virginia$1,040$27,045Compare Virginia
MinnesotaProvisional parameters$1,051$27,034Compare Minnesota
MichiganProvisional parameters$1,117$26,968Compare Michigan
MarylandProvisional parameters$1,165$26,919Compare Maryland
Delaware$1,241$26,843Compare Delaware
Alabama$1,279$26,806Compare Alabama
Massachusetts$1,440$26,645Compare Massachusetts
Illinois$1,451$26,634Compare Illinois

Use the heading buttons to sort with JavaScript. Every state link and all annual values remain available without it. Compare different salaries and benefits.

Questions people ask about $15.50 an hour in Washington

How much is $15.50 an hour a year after taxes in Washington?

Working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, $15.50 an hour is $32,240 before tax. After $1,689 federal income tax, $2,466 Social Security and Medicare, and $447 in Washington state taxes, you take home $27,638 a year as a single filer in 2026.

How much is $15.50 an hour biweekly after taxes in Washington?

$15.50 an hour is $1,240 gross every two weeks. After taxes a biweekly paycheck comes to about $1,063.

$15.50 an hour is how much a month?

$15.50 an hour is $2,687 a month before tax and about $2,303 after tax in Washington, averaged over 12 months.

How much rent can I afford on $15.50 an hour?

The 30% rule puts rent at $806 a month on $2,687 gross. Budgeting from take-home pay with 50/30/20, all needs including rent get $1,152.

How much is $15.50 an hour with overtime in Washington?

At 50 hours a week (10 hours at $23.25), you earn $44,330 a year and keep $37,668. The 2026 federal overtime deduction takes $4,030 of overtime premium out of federal taxable income; Social Security and Medicare still apply.

Does Washington take state income tax out of paychecks?

No. Washington has no state income tax on wages, so nothing is withheld for it, though $447 a year goes to required state payroll contributions. Local taxes are not included here.

Sources and assumptions

Tax year 2026. Annual tax for one earner with no dependents, other income or credits; 52 paid weeks unless changed in the calculator. Hourly earnings assume time-and-a-half after 40 hours. The overtime deduction requires qualifying FLSA premium. Local income taxes are not included. How we calculate.