$42 an hour after taxes in Iowa

$42 an hour is $87,360 a year before tax at 40 hours a week.

After 2026 federal, FICA and Iowa taxes, you keep

$67,620 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.

Iowa has a flat 3.8% income tax.

Every two weeks
$2,601
Every month
$5,635
Effective tax rate
22.6%

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 $42 an hour goes in Iowa

Estimated annual liability averaged by period for $42 an hour in Iowa; single, one earner
LineEvery two weeksYear
Gross pay$3,360.00$87,360.00
Federal income tax−$399.58−$10,389.20
Social Security tax−$208.32−$5,416.32
Medicare tax−$48.72−$1,266.72
Iowa income tax−$102.61−$2,667.88
Take-home pay$2,600.76$67,619.88
Where each $100 of gross pay goes
Take-home pay $77.40 Federal income tax $11.89 Social Security $6.20 Medicare $1.45 Iowa income tax $3.05

$42 an hour per paycheck, month and day in Iowa

$42 an hour in Iowa: gross and take-home by pay period (2026, single filer)
PeriodGrossTaxes and deductionsTake-home
Year$87,360−$19,740$67,620
Month$7,280−$1,645$5,635
Every two weeks$3,360−$759$2,601
Twice a month$3,640−$823$2,817
Week$1,680−$380$1,300
Day$336−$76$260

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

$42 an hour at different weekly hours in Iowa. Hours over 40 are paid at $63.00 (1.5×).
Hours a weekWeekly grossYearly grossYearly take-homeBiweekly take-home
20$840$43,680$36,269$1,395
25$1,050$54,600$44,628$1,716
30$1,260$65,520$52,987$2,038
35$1,470$76,440$60,353$2,321
40$1,680$87,360$67,620$2,601
45 5 overtime$1,995$103,740$79,722$3,066
50 10 overtime$2,310$120,120$91,824$3,532

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
$2,184 a month
Needs (50% of take-home)
$2,817 a month
Wants (30%)
$1,690 a month
Savings and debt (20%)
$1,127 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 $5,635 estimated monthly take-home; compare it with your actual bills and debts.

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How Iowa compares

Iowa taxes wages at a flat 3.8%. On $42 an hour ($87,360 a year) the state takes $2,668 in income tax (3.1% of gross), the 15th lowest of 51 jurisdictions.

$42 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
Iowa Selected$2,668$67,620Compare Iowa
Illinois$4,180$66,108Compare Illinois
MinnesotaProvisional parameters$4,805$65,483Compare Minnesota
MissouriProvisional parameters$3,095$67,193Compare Missouri
NebraskaProvisional parameters$3,095$67,192Compare Nebraska
South Dakota$0$70,288Compare South Dakota
WisconsinProvisional parameters$3,677$66,611Compare Wisconsin
Florida$0$70,288Compare Florida
Nevada$0$70,288Compare Nevada
New Hampshire$0$70,288Compare New Hampshire
Tennessee$0$70,288Compare Tennessee
Texas$0$70,288Compare Texas
Wyoming$0$70,288Compare Wyoming
Alaska$271$70,017Compare Alaska
North Dakota$423$69,865Compare North Dakota
Washington$1,212$69,076Compare Washington
Arizona$1,782$68,506Compare Arizona
Ohio$1,966$68,322Compare Ohio
Louisiana$2,236$68,052Compare Louisiana
Indiana$2,548$67,740Compare Indiana
Pennsylvania$2,743$67,545Compare Pennsylvania
ArkansasProvisional parameters$2,745$67,543Compare Arkansas
Mississippi$2,762$67,525Compare Mississippi
Kentucky$2,940$67,348Compare Kentucky
New Mexico$2,950$67,338Compare New Mexico
North Carolina$2,977$67,311Compare North Carolina
West Virginia$3,112$67,176Compare West Virginia
VermontProvisional parameters$3,306$66,982Compare Vermont
Oklahoma$3,386$66,902Compare Oklahoma
MichiganProvisional parameters$3,460$66,828Compare Michigan
South Carolina$3,477$66,811Compare South Carolina
Colorado$3,520$66,768Compare Colorado
IdahoProvisional parameters$3,532$66,756Compare Idaho
Montana$3,575$66,713Compare Montana
Alabama$3,609$66,679Compare Alabama
Georgia$3,611$66,677Compare Georgia
Rhode Island$3,620$66,668Compare Rhode Island
MarylandProvisional parameters$3,784$66,504Compare Maryland
UtahProvisional parameters$3,814$66,474Compare Utah
New Jersey$3,932$66,356Compare New Jersey
Kansas$4,075$66,213Compare Kansas
Virginia$4,209$66,079Compare Virginia
Massachusetts$4,450$65,838Compare Massachusetts
New York$4,529$65,759Compare New York
District of ColumbiaProvisional parameters$4,551$65,737Compare District of Columbia
MaineProvisional parameters$4,665$65,622Compare Maine
Connecticut$4,667$65,621Compare Connecticut
Delaware$4,774$65,514Compare Delaware
Hawaii$4,836$65,452Compare Hawaii
CaliforniaProvisional parameters$5,015$65,273Compare California
OregonProvisional parameters$6,698$63,590Compare Oregon

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 $42 an hour in Iowa

How much is $42 an hour a year after taxes in Iowa?

Working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, $42 an hour is $87,360 before tax. After $10,389 federal income tax, $6,683 Social Security and Medicare, and $2,668 in Iowa state taxes, you take home $67,620 a year as a single filer in 2026.

How much is $42 an hour biweekly after taxes in Iowa?

$42 an hour is $3,360 gross every two weeks. After taxes a biweekly paycheck comes to about $2,601.

$42 an hour is how much a month?

$42 an hour is $7,280 a month before tax and about $5,635 after tax in Iowa, averaged over 12 months.

How much rent can I afford on $42 an hour?

The 30% rule puts rent at $2,184 a month on $7,280 gross. Budgeting from take-home pay with 50/30/20, all needs including rent get $2,817.

How much is $42 an hour with overtime in Iowa?

At 50 hours a week (10 hours at $63.00), you earn $120,120 a year and keep $91,824. The 2026 federal overtime deduction takes $10,920 of overtime premium out of federal taxable income; Social Security and Medicare still apply.

How much Iowa state tax comes out of $42 an hour?

$2,668 a year, or $103 per biweekly paycheck, in Iowa income tax. Local income taxes, where they exist, are not included.

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: Iowa school districts levy an income surtax computed as a % of state tax (excluded). How we calculate.