Louisiana Paycheck Calculator 2026

How this calculator works

Louisiana’s withholding formula is short. The Louisiana Department of Revenue describes it as calculating the tax on the total wage amount, then subtracting the tax calculated on the standard deduction the employee claims for withholding. In plain terms, your employer takes the standard deduction off your pay and withholds 3.09% of what is left. Pay that falls below the deduction has nothing withheld, because the Department tells employers to treat a negative figure as zero.

The calculator applies these deductions in this order:

• Federal income tax. Your gross pay minus the federal standard deduction for your filing status, run through the 2026 federal brackets.
• Social Security at 6.2% of gross wages, up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.
• Medicare at 1.45% of all wages, with no cap, plus the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on wages above $200,000.
• Louisiana income tax: your wages after any 401(k) contribution, minus the Louisiana standard deduction for your status ($12,875 single, $25,750 married or head of household), taxed at 3.09%.

This calculator has no other Louisiana line. We looked for any other state payroll deduction and found none.

Rates come from the agencies that set them. For federal tax, that is the IRS (the brackets, the standard deduction and FICA), cross-checked against the Social Security Administration for the wage base. For Louisiana, it is the Louisiana Department of Revenue’s 2026 withholding tables and formulas (publication R-1306, effective on or after January 1, 2026), its Form R-1300 (L-4) and its income tax FAQs, plus the Louisiana Revised Statutes and the Louisiana Constitution for the local-tax and unemployment points. Our full sourcing is on the methodology page.

How we checked the formula against the printed tables. The Department also prints wage-bracket tables for daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly and annual pay, with a column for each of the three deduction choices. We read every amount in all six tables (2,505 amounts) and recomputed each one with the formula at the midpoint of its pay range. Every printed figure agrees with the formula to within a cent. The one wrinkle is the daily table: it matches only if a year is counted as 260 pay days, although the text of the publication says 365. This page does not calculate daily pay, so it does not depend on that. Because the tables give one amount for a whole range of pay, a pay stub that follows a table can differ from this calculator’s result by a small amount for that reason alone.

Withholding is an estimate, not your final bill. The figure here is what an employer takes from each check using the Department’s method. Your actual Louisiana income tax is figured on your return, so what you owe or get back when you file can differ.

What the calculator deliberately leaves out: the “0” choice on Form L-4, extra withholding, bonuses, nonresidents, and health insurance premiums and other employer benefit deductions.

One rate, and a standard deduction that depends on Form L-4

There are no brackets to climb. The Louisiana Department of Revenue says that for tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, the individual income tax rate is a flat 3% and the graduated brackets and rates have been repealed. Withholding uses 3.09%. The only thing that changes from one employee to the next is the standard deduction, which comes from the code in Block A of Form R-1300 (L-4). For a single filer on $75,000, the base is $75,000 − $12,875 = $62,125, and $62,125 × 3.09% = $1,919.66.

The state statute sets the single-filer deduction at $12,500 for tax year 2025 and says it is adjusted each year for inflation, using the CPI-U, beginning January 1, 2026. The 2026 amounts in the table, $12,875 and $25,750, are the ones the Department prints in its withholding publication; we did not calculate them ourselves.

What the deduction does to your withholding

Nothing is withheld until your yearly pay passes the deduction: $12,875 for a single filer, $25,750 for a married filer or head of household. After that, every extra dollar adds 3.09 cents of withholding, whether your pay is $40,000 or $250,000. The table shows four salaries for a single filer.

Louisiana hourly paycheck: what your rate is worth after tax

Why we ask for your hours instead of assuming 2,080

Many hourly calculators multiply your rate by 2,080 and call it a year. That is 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, which describes a full-time schedule, not every hourly job. If you work 32 hours a week, or 45 with overtime, the assumed figure is wrong before any tax is applied. The calculator above asks for your hours and uses them. In Louisiana your hours also matter because of the deduction: part-time pay can fall entirely below it, and then no state tax is withheld at all.

What is $20 an hour after taxes in Louisiana?

At 40 hours a week, $20 an hour is $41,600 a year gross. After federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Louisiana income tax withholding, that leaves about $34,718 a year, or $2,893.17 a month. Your effective hourly rate — what an hour of work actually puts in your bank account — is $16.69. Louisiana’s share is $887.60 of income tax withholding for the year.

What are $25 and $30 an hour after taxes in Louisiana?

$25 an hour is $52,000 gross and about $42,753 after tax, an effective hourly rate of $20.55. $30 an hour is $62,400 gross and about $50,788 after tax, an effective hourly rate of $24.42. Louisiana income tax withholding is $1,208.96 a year at $25 an hour, and $1,530.32 at $30.

Overtime and bonuses

The calculator multiplies your rate by the hours you enter and adds no overtime premium, and it does not model bonuses. The withholding publication we read does not set a separate rate for them. If you work variable hours, enter the average number of hours you expect to work each week.

Louisiana take-home pay by hourly rate

Single filer, 40 hours a week (2,080 hours a year), 2026 rates.

What this calculator does not cover

This tool models federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and the payroll programs your state actually runs — nothing more. It deliberately leaves out:

• Itemized deductions and federal tax credits — the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits. The engine always applies the standard deduction; there is no itemizing path.
• A second job, self-employment income or 1099 pay. Every dollar you enter is treated as one employer’s W-2 wages, taxed at the employee share of Social Security and Medicare — not the self-employment tax a 1099 worker actually owes.
• Pre-tax benefits other than the 401(k) field — health insurance premiums, an HSA or FSA, commuter benefits. The only amount taken out before tax is the percentage you enter for a 401(k).
• Local income taxes — the Louisiana Constitution says a political subdivision of the state shall not levy an income tax, so we add no parish or city income tax here. The only local income tax lines on this site are on the Indiana and Maryland calculators.
• Overtime premiums. An hourly rate is multiplied by the hours you enter; it does not add a time-and-a-half rate for hours worked past 40 in a week.
• Wage garnishments or court-ordered deductions — child support, a wage levy. Your result assumes none exist.
• The Additional Medicare Tax, at the single-filer threshold. The 0.9% surtax above $200,000 is applied at that one figure for every filing status, the way an employer actually withholds it — not the higher threshold a married couple filing jointly may end up owing at tax return time.
• Married filing separately, or a qualifying surviving spouse. The calculator only offers single, married filing jointly, and head of household.

None of these are in the estimate. Some of them change what you owe or get back when you file, and a calculator cannot ask for everything they depend on. See why your pay stub will differ for the details.

Key facts that affect your take-home pay in Louisiana

Louisiana withholds 3.09%, but the tax on your return is 3%

The Department of Revenue says the withholding tables use 3.09% rather than the 3% income tax rate to provide a cushion, and that the cushion reduces the chances of a balance due with your return. Any amount withheld in excess of your tax liability is refundable. For a single filer on $75,000, the cushion is $55.91 a year: $1,919.66 withheld against $1,863.75 at a flat 3%. This calculator shows the withholding, because that is what leaves your paycheck.

Nothing is withheld on the first $12,875 of a single filer’s pay

A single filer with code 1 on Form L-4 has nothing withheld on pay up to $12,875 a year, and a married filer or head of household with code 2 on pay up to $25,750. At $30,000, Louisiana withholds $529.16 a year. The deduction is worth $397.84 a year to a single filer at 3.09%, and twice that to a married filer.

Married filers and heads of household get the same deduction

The Department’s publication groups married filing jointly, qualifying surviving spouse and head of household under the same deduction, $25,750, which is twice the single amount. Louisiana therefore withholds $1,521.83 on $75,000 for both. Their federal tax differs, so take-home pay does too: $63,101 for a married filer and $61,993 for a head of household, against $59,673 for a single filer.

We found no allowances or exemptions on Form L-4

Form L-4 asks for one code, 0, 1 or 2, and the withholding formula uses nothing else: no allowance count, no dependents, no subtraction for federal tax. Because of that, two single employees with the same pay and the same code have the same Louisiana withholding.

The “0” choice withholds more

Entering 0 on Block A tells your employer to withhold 3.09% of your whole pay with no deduction. On $75,000 that is $2,317.50 a year instead of $1,919.66. The form says you may enter 0 if you are married and have a working spouse or more than one job, to avoid having too little tax withheld. This calculator does not model it.

We found no local income tax

The Louisiana Constitution says a political subdivision of the state shall not levy an income tax (Article VII, Section 4(C)). We found no parish or city income tax on a Louisiana paycheck, and this calculator adds no local line.

Your employer pays unemployment tax, not you

Louisiana Revised Statute 23:1531 says unemployment contributions are paid by each employer and shall not be deducted, in whole or in part, from the wages of the people it employs. We did not find the employer wage base for 2026, so this page gives none. We also found no state disability insurance or paid family leave program run through payroll. That is a statement about what we read, not a guarantee that nothing exists, and your pay stub is the final word.

Your 401(k) lowers your Louisiana wages in this calculator

The withholding publication we read does not mention 401(k) contributions, so this is our modeling choice, the same as for federal tax and every other state on this site. On $75,000 with 6% going in, Louisiana income tax withholding falls by $139.05 a year. If your contribution is a Roth, enter 0 in the 401(k) field.

Social Security stops, Medicare does not

Social Security is withheld at 6.2% until your wages reach $184,500 in 2026, then stops for the rest of the year. Medicare has no ceiling at all: 1.45% on every dollar, plus an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000. On $250,000, Social Security and Medicare take $15,514.00 in total.

Common mistakes

Using 3% instead of 3.09%

The flat 3% is the rate on your return, not the rate your employer withholds. Applying 3% to the base understates Louisiana withholding by $55.91 on $75,000: $1,863.75 instead of $1,919.66.

Forgetting the standard deduction

Applying 3.09% to the full $75,000 instead of $62,125 overstates Louisiana withholding by $397.84: $2,317.50 instead of $1,919.66.

Looking for personal exemptions or an allowance count

We found none in the Department’s withholding publication or on Form L-4. The deduction code is the only input, so there is no number of allowances to adjust.

Entering 2 when your spouse also works

Code 2 gives a $25,750 deduction. If your spouse also claims it, or you have a second job, too little may be withheld from each check and you could owe more when you file. The form says you may enter 0 if you are married and have a working spouse or more than one job.

Expecting a head of household to get a separate table

We found none. The Department’s publication puts head of household in the same group as married filing jointly, with the same $25,750 deduction.

Expecting the calculator to match the pay stub to the dollar

It will not, and no calculator can. Health insurance premiums and other pre-tax benefit deductions come out before tax and are not modeled here, and the code on your Form L-4 may differ from the one we assume. Read why your pay stub will differ for the rest.

Example calculation

Amounts are shown to the cent, so adding the rounded lines can differ from the total by a cent.

A single filer earning $75,000 in Louisiana in 2026, entering 1 on Form L-4 and no retirement contribution:

• Federal taxable income: $75,000 − federal standard deduction of $16,100 = $58,900
• Federal income tax: $7,670.00
• Social Security: $75,000 × 6.2% = $4,650.00
• Medicare: $75,000 × 1.45% = $1,087.50
• Louisiana base: $75,000 − $12,875 standard deduction = $62,125
• Louisiana income tax withholding: $62,125 × 3.09% = $1,919.66 a year, $159.97 on a monthly paycheck or $73.83 on a biweekly one
• Total withheld: $15,327.16
• Take-home pay: $59,672.84 a year, or $4,972.74 a month
• Effective tax rate: 20.4%

Frequently asked questions

Compare with other states

The same $75,000 salary, single filer, 2026 rates. Louisiana borders three states, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, and we have a calculator for each of them. For Louisiana, the state-level deductions are only the income tax withholding; the other states may add payroll programs.

The table rounds take-home pay to the dollar; the differences in this paragraph use the exact amounts. Compared with a Louisiana worker on the same salary, a Texas worker keeps $1,919.66 more, because, as the Texas page documents, Texas levies no state tax on wages. An Arkansas worker keeps $458.01 less, and a Mississippi worker keeps $348.34 less. A worker who lives in one of those states and commutes into Louisiana is a different case that this calculator does not model: it assumes a Louisiana resident working in Louisiana.

Sources

Every figure on this page is read from an official document and dated, not taken from another calculator — the federal ones from the IRS and the Social Security Administration, the Louisiana ones from the state’s own documents below. Each one carries the date we last checked that it still answers. If one of our numbers disagrees with one of theirs, they are right and we have a defect to fix — tell us.

The documents these figures are read from

• Louisiana Department of Revenue — Louisiana Withholding Tables and Formulas, R-1306 (1/26), effective on or after January 1, 2026 (PDF) — the withholding formula (3.09% rate, a $12,875 or $25,750 standard deduction) and the printed wage-bracket tables.
• Louisiana Department of Revenue — Why do the withholding tables use 3.09%? — the statement that the tables use 3.09% rather than the 3% income tax rate to provide a cushion, and that any amount withheld in excess of the tax liability is refundable.
• Louisiana Department of Revenue — What are the individual income tax rates and brackets? — the statement that the individual income tax rate is a flat 3% for tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025.
• Louisiana Department of Revenue — Form R-1300 (L-4), Employee’s Withholding Certificate (1/26, PDF) — the standard deduction choices in Block A: 0 for none, 1 for single or married filing separate, 2 for married filing jointly, head of household or qualifying surviving spouse.
• Louisiana Legislature — R.S. 47:294, Standard deduction — the standard deduction for single filers and its yearly CPI adjustment from January 1, 2026.
• Louisiana Constitution of 1974 — Article VII, Revenue and Finance (Louisiana Senate) — Section 4(C), which says a political subdivision of the state shall not levy an income tax.
• Louisiana Legislature — R.S. 23:1531, Basis of employer contributions (unemployment) — the statement that unemployment contributions are paid by each employer and shall not be deducted from the wages of the people it employs.
• IRS — 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) — the federal brackets and the $16,100 standard deduction.
• IRS — Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates — the 6.2% and 1.45% rates and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.
• SSA — Contribution and benefit base — the $184,500 Social Security wage base.

The agencies that set them

These are the offices that set the figures. We link them so you can start from the source yourself, but an agency’s own summary page is not always current, and we do not claim that these pages carry the 2026 number — several of them do not. Where a rate was read somewhere else, in a statute, a withholding guide or an estimated-tax form, the exact document and the date we read it are on our methodology page.

• Louisiana Department of Revenue — Business tax forms, withholding (lists R-1306 and R-1300).

All links checked October 6, 2026.

Related reading

• Paycheck calculators by state — the full index, including which states have no income tax at all.
• Texas paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the west; that page documents why it levies no state tax on wages.
• Arkansas paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the north.
• Mississippi paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the east.
• $75,000 take-home pay in every state we publish — where Louisiana ranks on one salary.
• Methodology — the exact formula, every 2026 figure with its official source, and what these calculators deliberately do not model.
• Why your pay stub will differ — pre-tax deductions, credits and W-4 settings, and how much difference is normal.