Last verified: September 22, 2026.
How much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia depends mostly on your salary and filing status, but for a typical worker it's about 20%. A single person earning $60,000 and paid every two weeks has about $456 in taxes taken out of each $2,307.69 check. That's $193.08 in federal income tax, $143.08 for Social Security, $33.46 for Medicare and $86.37 in Georgia income tax. That leaves $1,851.71 to spend.
The rest of this guide breaks down each of those deductions using 2026 rates, including Georgia's new 4.99% income tax, with worked examples for five salaries. If you'd rather plug in your own numbers, our Georgia paycheck calculator uses the same formulas. We based it on IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue publications and didn't test it against real pay stubs. It isn't tax advice.
The five deductions on a Georgia paycheck
Every Georgia paycheck has up to four taxes taken out, plus any pre-tax benefits you sign up for. Here's what each one is and what it costs in 2026.
| Deduction | 2026 rate | Who sets it | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | 0% to 37%, by bracket | IRS | Pay after pre-tax deductions, adjusted by your W-4 |
| Social Security | 6.2% | Federal law | First $184,500 of wages |
| Medicare | 1.45%, plus 0.9% over $200,000 | Federal law | All wages |
| Georgia income tax | 4.99% flat | Georgia Department of Revenue | Pay after pre-tax deductions, the standard deduction and dependent allowances |
| Pre-tax benefits | Your choice | You and your employer | 401(k), health insurance, HSA and similar plans |
You won't see a local tax line either. Georgia's 2026 employer guide has withholding tables for the state income tax only, with no city or county rates. Maryland, by contrast, publishes a separate local rate for every county.
Georgia's 4.99% income tax in 2026
Georgia cut its flat income tax rate to 4.99% for 2026, down from 5.19% in 2025. Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 463 on May 11, 2026, and the governor's office announcement confirms the lower rate applies from January 1, 2026.
The 4.99% doesn't apply to your whole salary. First, Georgia's withholding formula subtracts a standard deduction. It's $15,000 if you're single or head of household, and $30,000 if you're married and your spouse doesn't work. It also takes off $5,000 for each dependent you claim on Form G-4, Georgia's version of the W-4. All three figures come from the Georgia Department of Revenue's 2026 Employer's Tax Guide, which raised the dependent amount from $4,000.
That's why a single person earning $60,000 pays about $2,245.50 a year in Georgia income tax, not the $2,994 you'd get from 4.99% of the full salary. Here's the math:
- Start with $60,000 in pay.
- Subtract the $15,000 standard deduction, which leaves $45,000.
- Multiply $45,000 by 4.99% to get $2,245.50 for the year.
- Divide by 26 paychecks to get $86.37 per check.
Why your pay stub may have changed partway through 2026
Because the rate cut was signed in May, the Department of Revenue told employers to keep withholding at 5.19% until the law took effect and allowed them to switch to 4.99% from May 11, 2026. If your Georgia withholding dropped slightly in late spring, that's the reason: the cut changed how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia for nearly every worker. The 4.99% rate covers the whole year, though. So the extra withheld from January to May should come back as a slightly larger refund, or a smaller balance due, when you file your 2026 Georgia return.
Two other rules from the same guide catch people out. If you're married and you both work, you should each use the $15,000 standard deduction, not $30,000, or your household won't have enough withheld. And if you never gave your employer a Form G-4, the employer must withhold as if you're single with no allowances.
Federal income tax withholding
Federal income tax usually takes the biggest bite, and it's also the hardest to guess. Your employer works it out with the percentage method in IRS Publication 15-T (2026), based on your pay and the answers on your W-4.
The tax is progressive. Only the dollars inside each bracket are taxed at that bracket's rate, so moving into the 22% bracket doesn't raise the tax on the pay you already had. For a single worker earning $60,000, federal withholding comes to $5,020 for the year, or $193.08 per biweekly check. That's about 8.4% of gross pay, even though the top bracket that worker reaches is 12%.
Two parts of the W-4 matter most. Claiming children under 17 in Step 3 cuts withholding by $2,200 per child for the year, and other dependents cut it by $500 each. Checking the box in Step 2 for a second job or a working spouse does the opposite and raises withholding.
Social Security and Medicare
Social Security takes 6.2% of your wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, according to the IRS guide to Social Security and Medicare withholding. Once you pass that amount in a year, the deduction stops for the rest of the year.
Medicare takes 1.45% of all your wages with no cap. After your employer has paid you $200,000 in the year, it also withholds an extra 0.9% as Additional Medicare Tax, a rule explained on the same IRS page. Your employer pays a matching 6.2% and 1.45% on top of your pay, but that doesn't come out of your check. If you're curious where those Social Security dollars end up, our look at the Social Security COLA for 2027 explains how benefit increases are set.
How much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia at five incomes
The table shows how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia at different incomes, for someone paid every two weeks with no pre-tax deductions. All figures are per paycheck and use 2026 rates.
| Situation | Gross pay | Federal | Social Security + Medicare | Georgia | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 salary, single | $1,538.46 | $100.77 | $117.69 | $47.98 | $1,272.02 |
| $20 an hour, 40 hours, single | $1,600.00 | $108.15 | $122.40 | $51.05 | $1,318.39 |
| $60,000 salary, single | $2,307.69 | $193.08 | $176.54 | $86.37 | $1,851.71 |
| $85,000 salary, single | $3,269.23 | $379.62 | $250.09 | $134.35 | $2,505.17 |
| $110,000 salary, married, 2 children, one earner | $4,230.77 | $170.77 | $323.66 | $134.35 | $3,602.00 |
The married couple in the last row earns almost twice as much as the $60,000 single worker but pays less federal tax per check. The $12,900 married adjustment in the withholding formula and the $4,400 in child credits do most of that work. On the Georgia side, their $30,000 standard deduction and two $5,000 dependent allowances shelter $40,000 of pay from state tax.
How pre-tax deductions lower the tax on your paycheck
Money you put into a traditional 401(k) or pay toward health insurance through work comes out before income tax. That shrinks your paycheck by less than the amount you set aside. It's also the simplest way to change how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia without earning less.
Take the same $60,000 single worker and have them put 6% into a 401(k) and pay $100 per check for health insurance. Their taxes per check fall from about $456 to about $408, roughly $48 less. The 401(k) contribution lowers federal and Georgia income tax, and the health premium lowers Social Security and Medicare as well. For 2026, you can put up to $24,500 of your own pay into a 401(k) under the IRS 2026 contribution limits. To see what that money could grow into, try our 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) contribution calculator.
How a bonus is taxed in Georgia
Bonuses usually lose more to withholding than a regular check, which surprises a lot of people. Most employers withhold federal income tax on a bonus at a flat 22%, the optional supplemental wage rate in IRS Publication 15 (2026). The rate jumps to 37% once your bonuses for the year pass $1 million.
Georgia withholds on bonuses at its normal income tax rate, which is 4.99% for payments made from May 11, 2026, according to the same Department of Revenue guide. On a $5,000 bonus, that works out to:
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax (22%) | $1,100.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $310.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $72.50 |
| Georgia income tax (4.99%) | $249.50 |
| Take-home | $3,268.00 |
The 22% is only withholding. If your real federal bracket is 12%, you'll get the difference back when you file.
Weekly, biweekly or semi-monthly pay
How often you're paid changes the size of each check but not your yearly tax. Biweekly means every two weeks, or 26 paychecks a year. Semi-monthly means twice a month, usually on the 15th and the last day, or 24 paychecks a year.
For the $60,000 single worker, a biweekly check is $1,851.71 after taxes and a semi-monthly check is $2,006.02. Both add up to the same $48,144.50 for the year. Biweekly workers get two months with a third paycheck, which is handy for paying down a bill or topping up savings.
Three mistakes people make with Georgia paycheck math
Most wrong guesses about how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia come from one of these.
- Applying 4.99% to the whole salary. The standard deduction and dependent allowances come off first, so the real Georgia rate on a $60,000 salary works out to about 3.7%.
- Using an old rate. Plenty of online tables still show 5.19% or 5.39%. Those were the rates for 2025 and 2024.
- Treating withholding as your final bill. Your employer withholds an estimate. You settle the real amount when you file, and side income, credits or itemized deductions can move it either way.
If you're planning further ahead, the same idea applies to savings. Our guide on how long your money will last in retirement works through what a steady paycheck turns into over a career.
How to check your own numbers
Before you use a calculator, have these to hand:
- Your latest pay stub, for gross pay, pay frequency and any pre-tax deductions.
- Your federal W-4 and your Georgia Form G-4, for filing status and dependents.
- Your 401(k) contribution percentage and health premium per check.
Enter those in the GA paycheck calculator and it'll show how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia for your situation. You get each line per check and per year. If the result doesn't match your stub, the usual culprits are a Step 2 checkbox on your W-4, extra withholding you asked for, or a benefit you forgot about.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia on $50,000?
A single worker earning $50,000 and paid every two weeks has about $361 in taxes taken out of each $1,923 check in 2026. That covers roughly $147 in federal income tax, $147 for Social Security and Medicare, and $67 in Georgia income tax.
What percentage of my paycheck goes to taxes in Georgia?
When people ask how much tax is deducted from a paycheck in Georgia as a percentage, the answer in our examples is about 15% to 24% of gross pay. A single person earning $60,000 has about 19.8% withheld. The share rises with income because of the progressive federal brackets and falls if you claim children or a non-working spouse.
How much taxes should be taken out of my paycheck?
Enough to cover what you'll owe when you file, which your employer estimates from your W-4 and G-4. If you got a large refund or owed money last year, update those forms so this year's withholding lands closer to your real bill.
Is Georgia's income tax 4.99% or 5.19% in 2026?
It's 4.99% for 2026. The 5.19% rate applied in 2025, and some employers withheld at 5.19% early in 2026 before the cut took effect.
Is there a local income tax on Georgia paychecks?
Georgia's 2026 employer withholding guide covers only the state income tax and lists no city or county rates. A typical Georgia pay stub shows federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Georgia income tax.
