Tennessee tax summary for 2026
| Tax on wages | No tax on wages |
|---|---|
| Employee payroll taxes | None |
| Local income taxes | None |
Worked example: $65,000, single, paid biweekly
Computed by the same engine as the calculator, with no pre-tax deductions.
| Line | Per paycheck | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,500.00 | $65,000 |
| Federal income tax | $216.15 | $5,620 |
| Social Security | $155.00 | $4,030 |
| Medicare | $36.25 | $943 |
| Tennessee income tax | $0.00 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $2,092.60 | $54,408 |
Effective tax rate 16.3%; tax on the next dollar earned 19.7%.
Second example: $120,000, married filing jointly, two children
Take-home $105,180 a year ($4,045.38 biweekly). Federal income tax $5,640 after a $4,400 Child Tax Credit, Social Security and Medicare $9,180, Tennessee income tax $0.
How the Tennessee estimate is calculated
Tennessee doesn’t tax wages, so your paycheck carries only federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Pre-tax 401(k) and Section 125 deductions still lower your federal tax, and Section 125 deductions also lower Social Security and Medicare.
On $65,000 (single, biweekly), federal income tax is $5,620 a year and Social Security and Medicare $4,973 — 16.3% of pay in total. Compared with a typical state income tax, that difference can be worth a meaningful amount each year; see how Tennessee ranks in the state comparison.
Data notes
- Tennessee has no individual income tax on wages or salaries.
- The Hall income tax (which taxed only interest and dividend income at 1%) was fully repealed effective January 1, 2021, after a phased reduction from 2017 through 2020.
- Tennessee has no plans to enact a broad-based income tax; the state constitution prohibits income taxes on wages and salaries.
Sources
- State income tax: Tennessee Department of Revenue — Hall Income Tax Repeal (read 2026-10-07)
Federal figures come from the IRS and SSA; see the methodology page.
Compare nearby and similar states
Neighboring states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia
States with a similar tax setup: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas
See every state side by side in the salary comparison by state, or browse all state paycheck calculators.