Living in Texas offers a significant financial advantage: Texas has no state income tax. This means that unlike residents of California or New York, Texans only have to worry about federal taxes and FICA contributions. This calculator uses the latest 2024 federal tax brackets and standard deductions to provide an estimate of your take-home pay.
Key Components of Your Texas Paycheck
Gross Pay: Your total earnings before any taxes or deductions are removed.
FICA Tax: This consists of two parts: Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%), totaling 7.65% for most employees.
Federal Income Tax: This is calculated based on your filing status and taxable income after the standard deduction.
State Income Tax: For Texas, this is always 0%.
Example Calculation
If you earn $65,000 per year in Texas and file as Single:
Gross Annual Pay: $65,000
Standard Deduction (2024): $14,600
Taxable Income: $50,400
Estimated Federal Tax: ~$6,340
FICA Tax (7.65%): $4,972.50
Total Annual Take-Home: ~$53,687.50
Why Texas Paychecks Are Higher
Because the Texas Constitution prohibits a personal income tax, workers keep a larger portion of their earnings. However, it is important to remember that Texas often offsets this lack of income tax with higher-than-average property taxes. For renters and those looking to maximize their liquid cash flow, Texas remains one of the most tax-friendly states in the U.S.
function calculateTexasWage() {
var grossInput = document.getElementById("grossPay").value;
var frequency = parseFloat(document.getElementById("payFrequency").value);
var status = document.getElementById("filingStatus").value;
if (!grossInput || grossInput 1) {
annualGross = annualGross * frequency;
}
// 2024 Standard Deductions
var deduction = 14600;
if (status === "married") deduction = 29200;
if (status === "hoh") deduction = 21900;
// FICA Calculation (Simplified)
var ficaRate = 0.0765;
var annualFica = annualGross * ficaRate;
// Cap SS at $168,600 for 2024 (Simplified: 6.2% of first 168600 + 1.45% of total)
var ssCap = 168600;
var ssTax = Math.min(annualGross, ssCap) * 0.062;
var medTax = annualGross * 0.0145;
annualFica = ssTax + medTax;
// Federal Tax Calculation (2024 Brackets – Simplified)
var taxableIncome = Math.max(0, annualGross – deduction);
var fedTax = 0;
if (status === "single") {
if (taxableIncome > 609350) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 609350) * 0.37 + 181327;
else if (taxableIncome > 243725) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 243725) * 0.35 + 53358.25;
else if (taxableIncome > 191950) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 191950) * 0.32 + 36730.25;
else if (taxableIncome > 100525) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 100525) * 0.24 + 14788.25;
else if (taxableIncome > 47150) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 47150) * 0.22 + 5447;
else if (taxableIncome > 11600) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 11600) * 0.12 + 1160;
else fedTax += taxableIncome * 0.10;
} else if (status === "married") {
if (taxableIncome > 731200) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 731200) * 0.37 + 177597;
else if (taxableIncome > 487450) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 487450) * 0.35 + 92334.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 383900) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 383900) * 0.32 + 59078.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 201050) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 201050) * 0.24 + 31446.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 94300) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 94300) * 0.22 + 11110;
else if (taxableIncome > 23200) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 23200) * 0.12 + 2320;
else fedTax += taxableIncome * 0.10;
} else { // Head of Household
if (taxableIncome > 609350) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 609350) * 0.37 + 174238;
else if (taxableIncome > 243700) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 243700) * 0.35 + 46260.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 191950) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 191950) * 0.32 + 29650.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 100500) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 100500) * 0.24 + 14502.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 63100) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 63100) * 0.22 + 7148.50;
else if (taxableIncome > 16550) fedTax += (taxableIncome – 16550) * 0.12 + 1655;
else fedTax += taxableIncome * 0.10;
}
var annualNet = annualGross – annualFica – fedTax;
// Convert back to period
var divisor = (frequency === 1) ? 1 : frequency;
var periodGross = annualGross / divisor;
var periodFedTax = fedTax / divisor;
var periodFica = annualFica / divisor;
var periodNet = annualNet / divisor;
document.getElementById("resGross").innerText = "$" + periodGross.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resFedTax").innerText = "$" + periodFedTax.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resFica").innerText = "$" + periodFica.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resNet").innerText = "$" + periodNet.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resultsArea").style.display = "block";
}