Side-by-side state comparison

Florida vs Illinois Paycheck Comparison (2026)

Enter a salary below to see the take-home pay difference between Florida and Illinois for 2026, broken down line by line.

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Your Details

Annual Salary

$

Filing Status

Location A

State

No state income tax

Location B

State

Florida takes home more

+$4,805

more per year vs. Illinois · $400/mo · $185/paycheck

5-Year Difference

$24,026

Tax Component

Floridawinner

Illinois

Gross Salary$100,000$100,000

Federal Tax$13,170$13,170

Social Security$6,200$6,200

Medicare$1,450$1,450

State Tax$0$4,805

Local / City Tax$0$0

Annual Take-Home$79,180$74,375

Effective Tax Rate20.82%25.63%

This estimate is for planning purposes only and does not constitute tax or financial advice. Actual paycheck withholding depends on your employer's payroll system, custom W-4 elections, additional income, and personal tax situation. For specific tax-planning decisions, consult a licensed CPA or tax professional.

Quick answer

At $100,000 single, the Florida vs Illinois paycheck delta runs roughly $4,805 per year in Florida's favor, about $400 per month. Illinois levies a flat 4.95% state income tax that's constitutionally locked to a single-rate structure; Florida taxes no wage income. Federal income tax and FICA are identical at the same gross.

Florida and Illinois sit on opposite sides of the state-tax line, and the Chicago-to-Florida migration corridor has been one of the most-documented US relocation patterns of the past decade. Florida taxes no wage income; state revenue rests on sales tax, tourism-related levies, corporate franchise tax, and property tax. Illinois runs a 4.95% flat state income tax under a constitutional flat-rate provision that voters reaffirmed at the ballot in 2020, with no city or county wage tax anywhere in the state. Neither state runs an employee-funded disability or paid family leave program. Chicago anchors a financial-services and corporate cluster (Boeing, McDonald's, Caterpillar, United Airlines, Walgreens, Mondelez, the CME Group exchange) alongside its rail and logistics identity. Florida's economy spans tourism (Disney, Universal, beach destinations), aerospace (Cape Canaveral, Boeing satellite operations), agriculture, and a growing finance base around Miami plus the Tampa Bay tech-and-finance corridor. At $100,000 single, a Florida resident takes home $79,180 versus an Illinois resident's $74,375, a gap of $4,805 per year.

At $100,000 single filer, take-home difference

Moving from Illinois to Florida saves approximately $4,805 per year at $100,000 single.

Computed from the tax engine with 2026 federal brackets, FICA, and state tax. Standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions.

How the state tax structures compare

Feature	Florida	Illinois
State structure	No state income tax on wages	4.95 percent flat tax
Taxes wages?	No	Yes

Take-home at four common salary points

Single filer, 2026 brackets, standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions. Delta is Illinois take-home minus Florida take-home.

Salary	Florida	Illinois	Delta
$50,000	$42,355	$40,025	-$2,330
$100,000	$79,180	$74,375	-$4,805
$150,000	$113,791	$106,511	-$7,280
$250,000	$183,182	$170,952	-$12,230

What this comparison includes

This comparison computes 2026 take-home pay in Florida and Illinois side by side, using 2026 federal brackets after the standard deduction, FICA contributions (Social Security up to the annual wage base, Medicare on all wages, plus the Additional Medicare Tax above the filing-status threshold), and each state's income tax schedule along with any state-administered payroll programs and supported local layers. It excludes employer-side payroll taxes, custom W-4 elections, supplemental-wage handling for bonuses or equity vesting, and income from sources other than W-2 wages. City-level taxes are layered only on the dedicated metro pages; this comparison covers state-and-typical-local figures only, so a worker considering a specific metro should follow the relevant city link in the See also section.

Florida vs Illinois FAQ

How much more is take-home in Florida than Illinois at $100,000?

At $100,000 single, a Florida resident keeps approximately $4,805 more per year than an Illinois resident, roughly $400 per month. The full gap is Illinois's flat 4.95% state income tax of $4,805; Florida has no comparable line. Federal income tax and FICA are identical at the same gross salary.

Does the Florida vs Illinois gap grow with salary?

The gap scales linearly with salary under Illinois's flat-rate structure. At $50k single the spread is $2,330; at $100k $4,805; at $250k $12,230. Both sides hold federal tax and FICA constant at the same gross, so the spread tracks Illinois's flat 4.95% rate-times-salary across every tier shown.

Does this comparison include local taxes?

Neither state layers a city wage tax. Chicago, despite its size, has no personal income tax on wages, and no other Illinois city does either. Florida's cities and counties levy no wage tax. The state-only numbers above capture the full state-and-local picture on the paycheck for residents of both states; property tax sits outside payroll math.

How does married filing jointly, head of household, or filing separately change the FL vs IL gap?

Married filing jointly widens federal brackets and doubles the federal standard deduction, dropping the federal load on both sides. Illinois's constitutional flat rate is filing-status-neutral across MFJ, HoH, and MFS, so the state-side dollar gap stays close to the rate-times-income shape at this salary. Florida's $0 state line doesn't move with filing status either. The directional advantage to Florida holds across all four statuses at every tier.

What about cost-of-living differences between Florida and Illinois?

Chicago metro housing and property tax can dwarf the paycheck gap. Cook County property tax sits among the highest in the country; downstate Illinois (Springfield, Peoria, Champaign) discounts sharply. Florida coastal markets carry hurricane-insurance premiums that have risen steeply, while inland Florida (Orlando suburbs, North Central) remains moderate. Match metro to metro before treating the paycheck delta as conclusive.

How does FL vs IL compare to other no-tax-vs-flat-state pairs?

Illinois vs Texas runs the same playbook (flat-tax state vs no-tax state). Florida vs Massachusetts (this batch) substitutes MA's slightly higher flat rate plus PFML, widening the gap by a few hundred to a few thousand. California vs Texas puts a progressive high-tax state next to a no-tax state, with a much wider absolute spread at every salary tier.

How This Page Is Reviewed

The Florida vs Illinois comparison is reviewed against primary federal and state sources before each major tax-year update. Source links below are the references used to validate brackets, wage bases, and supported local taxes.

Reviewed by

PaycheckCalc Research Desk

Last reviewed

2026-07-12

Primary sources