Minnesota Paycheck Calculator 2026

How this calculator works

Minnesota does not withhold a flat percentage, and it does not use the federal standard deduction. Each employee fills out Form W-4MN, the state’s own withholding certificate, which turns your situation into a number of allowances. The Department of Revenue’s withholding formula then tells the employer to take your wages for the year, subtract $5,300 for every allowance, and run what is left through a chart of four rates: 5.35%, 6.80%, 7.85% and 9.85%. Nothing is withheld on the first $4,700 that remains for a single employee, or the first $14,700 for a married one. The booklet says that every employee who completes a federal Form W-4 must also complete a W-4MN, because the federal form does not compute Minnesota’s allowances.

The calculator applies five 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.
• Minnesota income tax withholding: your wages after any 401(k) contribution, minus $10,600 for a single filer (two allowances) or $15,900 for a married couple or head of household (three), run through the single chart or, for married filers, the married chart.
• Minnesota Paid Leave at 0.44% of the first $184,500 of wages.

Rates come from the agencies that set them: the IRS for the federal brackets, the standard deduction and FICA, cross-checked against the Social Security Administration for the wage base; and, for Minnesota, the Department of Revenue’s 2026 withholding booklet and Form W-4MN, the state’s Paid Leave program, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and the withholding statute. Minnesota Paid Leave’s own site refuses automated requests, so we read it from a dated snapshot in the Internet Archive; the snapshot and its date are linked in the sources below. Our full sourcing is on the methodology page.

We checked the formula against the department’s own tables. The booklet also prints withholding tables, with a column for every number of allowances from 0 to 10. On October 6, 2026 we rebuilt the single and married tables for weekly, every-two-weeks, twice-a-month and monthly pay with the formula described above. Of the 6,666 values we could read cleanly out of the document, every one matched the printed whole-dollar figure; none was off by as much as half a dollar. A few rows whose layout our PDF reader scrambled were left out.

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

What the calculator deliberately does not do: it does not let you enter a number of allowances other than the one it assumes, it does not count dependents or itemized deductions, it does not add an extra amount per paycheck, it does not offer the form’s option to have tax withheld at the higher single rate while married, and it does not model multiple jobs, bonuses and other supplemental wages, the Michigan and North Dakota reciprocity exemption, or health insurance premiums and other employer benefit deductions.

The Minnesota withholding charts and allowances

The department’s formula has two charts, one for single employees and one for married employees. Take annual wages, subtract $5,300 for each allowance, then find the result in the chart. The base amount below is what the chart adds before the rate is applied to the part above the bracket’s starting point. For a single filer on $75,000, that is $75,000 − $10,600 = $64,400, which falls in the 6.80% bracket: $1,782.09 plus 6.80% of $26,390, or $3,576.61.

Minnesota 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.

What is $20 an hour after taxes in Minnesota?

At 40 hours a week, $20 an hour is $41,600 a year gross. After federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, Minnesota withholding and the paid leave premium, that leaves about $34,016 a year, or $2,834.63 a month. Your real hourly rate — what an hour of work actually puts in your bank account — is $16.35. Minnesota’s share is $1,407.05 of income tax withholding plus $183.04 of paid leave premium for the year.

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

$25 an hour is $52,000 gross and about $41,721 after tax, a real rate of $20.06. $30 an hour is $62,400 gross and about $49,324 after tax, a real rate of $23.71. Minnesota income tax withholding is $2,012.61 a year at $25 an hour, and $2,719.81 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 department’s booklet says supplemental payments made separately from regular wages, including overtime, commissions and bonuses, are withheld at a flat 6.25% regardless of allowances, so a bonus can be withheld at a different rate than your regular pay. If you work variable hours, enter the average you expect for the year.

Minnesota take-home pay by hourly rate

Single filer with two allowances, 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 taxes — city income tax, county tax, or a school-district tax. Where a state levies one, our methodology page says so by name; this calculator does not add that line, with two exceptions: the Indiana and Maryland calculators add the local income tax for the county you choose.
• 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 Minnesota

Allowances, not a standard deduction

Minnesota subtracts $5,300 for each allowance on your Form W-4MN, and it does not look at the federal standard deduction of $16,100. A single filer with one job has two allowances, which come to $10,600. On $75,000 that leaves $64,400 to run through the chart. If no Form W-4MN is on file, the booklet says the number of allowances is zero and the employer withholds at the single rate, so the full $75,000 goes into the chart.

The top rate starts higher than you might think

The 9.85% bracket begins above $207,850 of wages after allowances for a single employee, which is $218,450 of gross pay with two allowances. For a married employee it begins above $352,630, or $368,530 of gross pay with three. On $250,000 a single filer has $239,400 left after allowances, and only the $31,550 above $207,850 is taxed at 9.85%; the withholding is $17,422.94, about 7.0% of pay.

The married chart is not the single chart doubled

A married employee’s first bracket starts at $14,700, not $9,400, and the 5.35% bracket ends at $63,400, not $76,020. Combined with three allowances instead of two, a married filer on $75,000 has $2,375.40 withheld, against $3,576.61 for a single filer. The single chart is used for a head of household, who gets a third allowance on step E, so the withholding is $3,216.21.

Minnesota Paid Leave comes out of your pay, up to 0.44%

The state’s 2026 premium rate is 0.88% of wages: 0.61% for medical leave and 0.27% for family leave. Employers can collect up to 0.44% of wages from employees to cover their portion, and can choose to cover more, so what you actually pay can be lower. Employers that qualify as small pay a reduced premium rate of 0.66%, and the state says the maximum contribution from employees in that case is the same as at a large employer. Minnesota law sets the maximum wages subject to premium at the maximum earnings subject to the Social Security tax, which is $184,500 in 2026. (The program’s own web page rounds that to $185,000; we follow the statute.) On $75,000 the premium is $330.00; at $250,000 the cap holds it to $811.80.

Unemployment insurance is an employer cost

The Department of Employment and Economic Development says employers pay the state unemployment insurance tax, and that it “may not be withheld from employee wages.” The calculator takes no unemployment deduction.

Your 401(k) lowers your Minnesota wages

Minnesota’s withholding statute defines “wages” as the same term used in section 3401 of the Internal Revenue Code, and the federal tax on this page already treats a traditional 401(k) contribution as reducing taxable pay. The withholding booklet does not discuss employee 401(k) contributions, so we apply the same treatment to Minnesota; it is a modeling choice, not a rule the booklet spells out. On $75,000 with 6% going in, Minnesota withholding falls by $306.00 a year. Enter 0 if your contribution is a Roth.

Changes in federal law did not affect this formula

The booklet says the definitions used in Minnesota withholding are based on the Internal Revenue Code as amended through May 1, 2023, and that Minnesota has not adopted the withholding changes in the 2025 federal tax law (H.R. 1). The formula above never looks at your federal standard deduction anyway. Federal income tax on this page is calculated separately, with the 2026 federal figures.

Living in Michigan or North Dakota changes the answer

The Department of Revenue says Minnesota has income tax reciprocity agreements with Michigan and North Dakota. An employer is not required to withhold Minnesota income tax from an employee who lives in one of those states, works in Minnesota and hands over a properly completed Form MWR every year. This calculator assumes a Minnesota employee and does not model the exemption.

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 all.

Common mistakes

Leaving Form W-4MN blank

Without a Form W-4MN, the employer withholds as if you were single with no allowances. On $75,000 that is $4,297.41 instead of $3,576.61, which is $720.80 more than a single filer with two allowances would have withheld.

Assuming your federal W-4 covers Minnesota

It does not. The booklet says federal Form W-4 does not compute the allowances Minnesota uses and that every employee who completes a W-4 must complete a W-4MN as well.

Multiplying your pay by 6.8%

The chart’s rate on a $75,000 salary is 6.80%, but it applies only to the part above $38,010 after allowances, with a base of $1,782.09 below that. The withholding is $3,576.61, not $5,100.00.

Assuming the 9.85% rate reaches an ordinary salary

For a single filer it starts above $218,450 of gross pay with two allowances. A $75,000 salary is nowhere near it.

Forgetting the paid leave premium

On $75,000, Minnesota Paid Leave can take up to $330.00 a year from your pay, on top of income tax. A calculator that shows only income tax, Social Security and Medicare will show a figure that is too high.

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, your employer may cover part of the paid leave premium, and the allowances on your Form W-4MN may differ from the ones 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 Minnesota in 2026, claiming two allowances, with 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
• Minnesota allowances: 2 × $5,300 = $10,600
• Wages after allowances: $75,000 − $10,600 = $64,400
• Minnesota withholding: $1,782.09 + 6.80% × ($64,400 − $38,010) = $3,576.61 a year, which is $298.05 on a monthly paycheck or $137.56 on a biweekly one
• Minnesota Paid Leave: $75,000 × 0.44% = $330.00
• Total withheld: $17,314.11
• Take-home pay: $57,685.90 a year, or $4,807.16 a month
• Effective tax rate: 23.1%

Frequently asked questions

Compare with other states

The same $75,000 salary, single filer, 2026 rates. Minnesota borders Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota, and we publish all four; the table compares Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota, and South Dakota has its own page. Michigan is included because it has an income tax reciprocity agreement with Minnesota. Minnesota is shown with two allowances.

A Wisconsin worker keeps $963.09 more than a Minnesota worker on the same salary, an Iowa worker keeps $1,590.60 more, a North Dakota worker keeps $3,567.79 more, and a Michigan worker keeps $969.85 more.

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 Minnesota 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

• Minnesota Department of Revenue — 2026 Minnesota Income Tax Withholding Instruction Booklet and Tax Tables (PDF) — the computer formula on page 34: multiply the allowances on Form W-4MN by $5,300, subtract the result from annual wages, and apply the chart of 5.35%, 6.80%, 7.85% and 9.85% rates for a single or married employee; also the rule that an employee with no Form W-4MN is withheld at the single rate with zero allowances.
• Minnesota Department of Revenue — 2026 Form W-4MN, Minnesota Employee Withholding Certificate (PDF) — the worksheet that turns your situation into allowances, with one for yourself, one if you are single or have a non-working spouse and one job, one more if you are married, and one more for head of household.
• Minnesota Paid Leave — Premium rate and contributions (Internet Archive snapshot of July 31, 2026) — the 2026 premium rate of 0.88% and the rule that employers can collect up to 0.44% of wages from employees; archived copy, because the live page refuses automated requests.
• Minnesota Statutes, section 268B.14 — Premiums — the rule that employers pay at least half of the premium, that employees pay the rest through a wage deduction, and that the maximum wages subject to premium equal the maximum earnings subject to the Social Security tax.
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development — Unemployment Insurance, for employers — the statement that the state unemployment insurance tax is paid by employers and “may not be withheld from employee wages”.
• Minnesota Statutes, section 290.92 — Tax withheld at source upon wages — the definition of “wages” for state withholding as the same term used in section 3401 of the Internal Revenue Code, the federal definition this page applies to a 401(k) contribution.
• 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.

All links checked October 6, 2026.

Related reading

• Paycheck calculators by state — the full index, including which states have no income tax at all.
• Wisconsin paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the east, with a standard deduction that slides down as you earn more.
• Iowa paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the south, with a flat 3.8% withheld after a deduction and a $40 allowance credit.
• North Dakota paycheck calculator — the neighbor to the west, with one of the lowest state income tax bills on this site and a reciprocity agreement with Minnesota.
• Michigan paycheck calculator — the other state with a reciprocity agreement with Minnesota.
• 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.