2026 · H-1B take-home pay
H-1B tax calculator: take-home pay in every state
Federal, state and Social Security tax on your H-1B salary, single or filing jointly with an H-4 spouse, and the year you switch from F-1 or arrive from abroad, when the day count decides whether you are a resident.
2026 figures, last updated .
Your pay
Filing status
Estimated 2026 take-home pay
$72,969
Where your pay goes
Out of $100,000 a year before tax.
- Take-home$72,96973%
- Federal income tax$13,17013%
- State & localIncludes State Disability Insurance (SDI)$6,2116%
- Social Security & Medicare$7,6508%
Income
H-1B pay
$100,000
Taxes
Federal income tax
$13,170
Social Security & Medicare (FICA)
$7,650
California income tax
$4,911
State Disability Insurance (SDI)
$1,300
Total tax
$27,031
Take-home
Take-home pay
$72,969
Show the math
Federal (Form 1040)
Wages $100,000 − pre-tax payroll $0 = $100,000 (W-2 box 1)
= adjusted gross income $100,000 − deduction $16,100 = taxable $83,900
- 10% on $12,400 ($0–$12,400) = $1,240
- 12% on $38,000 ($12,400–$50,400) = $4,560
- 22% on $33,500 ($50,400–$105,700) = $7,370
FICA
FICA wages $100,000: Social Security $6,200, Medicare $1,450.
California
Starting income $100,000 − standard deduction $5,900 = taxable $94,100 → tax $4,911 (after a $158 exemption credit)
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (brackets, standard deductions, child tax credit), Notice 2025-67 and Rev. Proc. 2025-19 (401(k), IRA, HSA limits), SSA 2026 wage base, Publication 519, and each state's revenue department.
FICA from the first H-1B day
Married? File jointly
About California
California taxes HSA contributions, so they still count as California income.
Estimate for 2026 W-2 wages in one state for the whole year. It is not tax advice and not your withholding. Not included: self-employment tax on 1099 pay (15.3%, which H-4 EAD freelancers owe), the dependent care and other credits, state child credits, other income, catch-up contributions, and a spouse's 401(k).
How much does an H-1B worker take home in 2026?
On a $120,000 H-1B salary in Texas, which has no income tax, a single worker pays about $17,570 of federal income tax and $9,180 of Social Security and Medicare, and keeps $93,250. The same salary in California keeps $86,479, after $6,771 of California income tax.
| Salary | Texas | Washington | California | New York | New Jersey | Illinois | Massachusetts | Georgia | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $80,000 | $65,110 | $65,110 | $62,045 | $61,387 | $62,204 | $61,295 | $61,330 | $61,717 | $62,427 |
| $100,000 | $79,180 | $79,180 | $74,269 | $74,320 | $75,000 | $74,375 | $74,400 | $74,789 | $75,699 |
| $120,000 | $93,250 | $93,250 | $86,479 | $87,069 | $87,796 | $87,455 | $87,470 | $87,861 | $88,971 |
| $150,000 | $113,791 | $113,791 | $104,230 | $105,500 | $106,426 | $106,511 | $106,511 | $106,905 | $108,315 |
| $200,000 | $148,927 | $148,927 | $134,716 | $137,599 | $138,377 | $139,172 | $139,147 | $139,546 | $141,456 |
How these are worked out
- A single filer who held H-1B status all of 2026: a resident alien filing Form 1040, with the $16,100 standard deduction, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%). No 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions.
- New York figures are for someone living outside New York City; city residents also pay 3.078% to 3.876%.
- State payroll programs also come out of pay and are not in these figures: Washington's Paid Family & Medical Leave, California's State Disability Insurance (SDI), New York's Paid Family Leave, New Jersey's Unemployment & Workforce (UI/WF/SWF), New Jersey's Temporary Disability Insurance, New Jersey's Family Leave Insurance, Massachusetts's Paid Family & Medical Leave. The calculator above includes them.
Figures last updated .
Read the guide
OPT vs STEM OPT vs H-1B: take-home pay on the same salary (2026)
How much does filing jointly with an H-4 spouse save?
Filing jointly with a spouse who has no income doubles the standard deduction to $32,200 and widens every bracket. On $120,000 in Texas that cuts federal income tax from $17,570 to $10,040, $7,530 a year.
| Salary | Texas, single | Texas, jointly | California, single | California, jointly | New Jersey, single | New Jersey, jointly | Illinois, single | Illinois, jointly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $80,000 | $8,770 | $5,240 | $11,835 | $6,337 | $11,676 | $6,815 | $12,585 | $8,910 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,640 | $18,081 | $9,586 | $17,350 | $10,280 | $17,975 | $12,300 |
| $120,000 | $17,570 | $10,040 | $24,341 | $13,186 | $23,024 | $13,785 | $23,365 | $15,690 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $15,340 | $34,295 | $20,670 | $32,099 | $20,742 | $32,014 | $22,475 |
| $200,000 | $36,734 | $26,340 | $50,945 | $36,162 | $47,284 | $34,910 | $46,489 | $35,950 |
How these are worked out
- Federal plus state and local income tax; Social Security and Medicare are the same either way, since they are charged on each paycheck.
- A spouse who arrived during the year and is not a resident by days can still be on a joint return if you both choose to treat them as a resident (IRC 6013(g)). They need an SSN or an ITIN.
Figures last updated .
Read the guide
H-1B with a spouse in India or abroad: can you file a joint return?
FICA from day one
The student exemption ends with F-1 status: 7.65% Social Security and Medicare comes out of H-1B pay from the first day, even in a nonresident year.
Taxed like a resident
A full year on H-1B makes you a resident alien: the same brackets as a citizen, the $16,100 standard deduction, $32,200 filing jointly.
The F-1 to H-1B year
An October 1 start leaves 92 days in H-1B status, so within your five student years you stay a nonresident for that year. OPT months stay FICA-free.
Guides for international students
Residency and status changes
F-1 to H-1B: how to file your first tax return after the switch
When your residency starts after a change from F-1 to H-1B in tax year 2026: the day count, the three common cases, the first-year choice, dual-status returns, Form 8843 and Social Security tax.
OPT, CPT and work
Switching from F-1 to H-1B in 2026: your tax checklist
What to check before your H-1B starts, on your first H-1B paycheck, on December 31 and in the 2027 filing season, with a worked October 1 example.
OPT, CPT and work
OPT vs STEM OPT vs H-1B: take-home pay on the same salary (2026)
Estimated 2026 take-home pay on one salary from OPT to STEM OPT to H-1B, and the two things that change it: tax residency and Social Security and Medicare tax.
Residency and status changes
F-1 to H-1B and married: can a joint return lower your 2026 tax?
The IRS choices behind a joint 2026 Form 1040 after an H-1B start, how a start by July 2 or on October 1 changes the route, and an example where the joint return costs $8,072 less.
Residency and status changes
H-1B with a spouse in India or abroad: can you file a joint return?
The three 2026 filing statuses for an H-1B resident whose nonresident spouse lives in India or another country, a worked example on $100,000, and what the joint-return choice costs in later years.
Residency and status changes
What is a dual-status tax return? When F-1 students need one
On a 2026 dual-status return, your status on December 31 decides which form is the return, and the $16,100 standard deduction is lost even for the resident months.
Residency and status changes
Do resident or nonresident aliens pay more tax in 2026?
A resident alien gets the $16,100 standard deduction but pays 7.65% Social Security and Medicare tax. We ran the same 2026 wages both ways in four states.
H-1B tax questions
How much tax does an H-1B worker pay?
The same as a US citizen on the same pay, once you are a resident alien: federal income tax on the same brackets, 7.65% Social Security and Medicare, and state tax where you work. On $120,000 in Texas a single worker pays about $17,570 of federal income tax and $9,180 of FICA and keeps $93,250.
Are H-1B workers residents or nonresidents for tax?
It depends on days, not the visa. 183 days in the US in a year make you a resident alien for that year, so a full year on H-1B means filing Form 1040 like a citizen. In the year you arrive, a start after early July usually leaves you a nonresident for that year, filing Form 1040-NR; an earlier start makes it a dual-status year.
The full test: Resident vs nonresident alien for tax
Do H-1B workers pay Social Security and Medicare?
Yes, from the first day in H-1B status, even in a year you are a nonresident alien: 6.2% Social Security on pay up to $184,500 and 1.45% Medicare, with 0.9% more above $200,000 ($250,000 jointly). It is not refunded when you leave the US. A totalization agreement between the US and your home country may let your US years count there.
Can I file jointly with my H-4 spouse?
Yes, and it usually lowers the tax: the joint standard deduction is $32,200 and every bracket is twice as wide. On $120,000 in Texas with a spouse who has no income, federal income tax falls from $17,570 to $10,040. A spouse who is not a resident by days can still be on the return if you both choose to treat them as one (IRC 6013(g)); they need an SSN or an ITIN.
With a spouse abroad: Filing jointly with a nonresident spouse
What is my tax in the year I switch from F-1 to H-1B?
If the year is within your five student years and your H-1B starts on October 1, you have 92 days in H-1B status and are a nonresident for the whole year: Form 1040-NR, no standard deduction, and Social Security and Medicare only on the H-1B pay. A start on or before July 2 usually makes it a dual-status year. In your sixth calendar year you are a resident all year. Pick your H-1B start date above to work it out.
Step by step: Your first tax return after F-1 to H-1B
Do tax treaties lower an H-1B worker's tax?
Rarely. Student treaty articles cover pay you earned as a student, so in the switch year they apply only to your OPT months, and the India treaty's standard deduction is for students. Once you are a resident alien, most treaty benefits stop under the treaty's saving clause.
Which states do not tax H-1B pay?
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no income tax on wages. Washington also exempts workers on a temporary work visa such as H-1B from its WA Cares long-term care premium from 2026, without an application.
H-1B tax calculator by state
Take-home pay on an H-1B salary in every state and DC for 2026, single or filing jointly with an H-4 spouse.
Your first H-1B tax year, step by step
Which return to file after the switch from F-1, how the 183 days are counted, and when Social Security starts. F1TaxReturn prepares student returns; it does not prepare Form 1040 or dual-status returns.
Read the guide