Washington paycheck taxes at a glance
| State income tax | None on wages |
|---|---|
| Local income tax | None on wages |
| State payroll deductions | WA PFML 0.807% to $184,500; WA Cares 0.58% |
| Reciprocity | None |
| Figures | Tax year 2026 |
Every paycheck also has federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%), worked out with the same 2026 IRS figures as ourmain paycheck calculator.
Worked examples
A $70,000 salary in Spokane, single, paid every two weeks
| Per paycheck | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,692.31 | $70,000 |
| Federal income tax | − $252.69 | − $6,570 |
| Social Security and Medicare | − $205.96 | − $5,355 |
| WA PFML | − $21.73 | − $565 |
| WA Cares | − $15.62 | − $406 |
| Take-home pay | $2,196.31 | $57,104 |
Single, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks). With no state income tax, the only Washington lines are the two premiums. Together they take a little under 1.4% of pay, far less than a typical state income tax.
A $210,000 salary in Seattle, married filing jointly with one child
| Per paycheck | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,076.92 | $210,000 |
| 401(k) at 6% | − $484.62 | − $12,600 |
| Federal income tax | − $906.46 | − $23,568 |
| Social Security and Medicare | − $560.54 | − $14,574 |
| WA PFML | − $57.28 | − $1,489 |
| WA Cares | − $46.85 | − $1,218 |
| Take-home pay | $6,021.18 | $156,551 |
Married filing jointly, 1 child, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks). PFML stops at the $184,500 Social Security cap, while WA Cares keeps applying to every dollar. The 401(k) deferral lowers federal income tax but not either premium.
Paid Family and Medical Leave: 1.13% premium in 2026
The total PFML premium rose from 0.92% in 2025 to 1.13% of gross wages in 2026, not counting tips. Employees pay 71.43% of it, which works out to about 0.807% of pay. The premium stops once your wages for the year reach the 2026 Social Security cap of $184,500, so the most an employee pays is about $1,489. Employers with 50 or more workers pay the other 28.57%. Smaller employers skip their share, but they must still collect yours.
WA Cares: 0.58% on every dollar
WA Cares is Washington’s public long-term care insurance. Workers pay 0.58% of all wages, with no cap, so the deduction keeps growing with your salary. In return it pays for care such as home help, up to $36,500 over your lifetime, an amount that rises with inflation. Federal employees and temporary workers on non-immigrant visas do not pay. People whose permanent home is outside Washington, some military spouses and veterans with a 70% or higher service-connected disability can apply for an exemption.
What Washington taxes instead
Wages are free of state income tax in 2026. Washington raises money through sales tax, the business and occupation tax and property tax. People with large investment gains may owe the separate 7% capital gains tax on long-term gains above a yearly deduction ($278,000 for 2025), but it is paid with its own return, never through payroll. A 9.9% tax on income above $1 million was signed in March 2026; it is scheduled to start in 2028 and does not touch 2026 paychecks.
Workers’ comp and Oregon commuters
Many Washington pay stubs also show a small workers’ compensation deduction. Employees pay part of the Labor & Industries premium, charged per hour worked at a rate set by job type, so it is not included here. If you live in Washington but work in Oregon, Oregon taxes the wages you earn there, and there is no reciprocity. Use the Oregon paycheck calculator for that case.
Washington payroll deductions besides income tax
- Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML): Employees pay 71.43% of the 1.13% premium in 2026, about 0.807% of wages, on pay up to the $184,500 Social Security cap.
- WA Cares Fund (long-term care): Employees pay 0.58% of all wages with no cap; employers pay nothing unless they choose to.
Washington vs. neighboring states
Take-home pay on a $75,000 salary, single, no pre-tax deductions and no local tax:
| State | Income tax | State tax + programs | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | None on wages | $1,040 | $60,552 |
| Oregon | 4.75% to 9.9% (4 brackets) | $5,580 | $56,013 |
| Idaho | 5.3% above $4,811 (single) | $2,925 | $58,667 |
Where you work and where you live can both matter. See paycheck calculators for every state for the full comparison.