Side-by-side state comparison
New Jersey vs Pennsylvania Paycheck Comparison (2026)
Enter a salary below to see the take-home pay difference between New Jersey and Pennsylvania for 2026, broken down line by line.
Popular Comparisons
Pennsylvania takes home more
more per year vs. New Jersey · $143/mo · $66/paycheck
5-Year Difference
$8,602
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.
Data pending verification
The Philadelphia Wage Tax is not included in the Pennsylvania side of these state-only headline numbers; use the dedicated Philadelphia city page or pick Philadelphia in the calculator below to apply it.
The NJ-PA reciprocal income tax agreement is handled qualitatively only; the engine applies resident-state withholding at the comparison anchor.
New Jersey does not allow traditional 401(k) contributions as a deduction from state taxable income; the engine does not separately model the NJ-side state-line impact of pre-tax deferrals.
Quick answer
Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state rate against New Jersey's progressive ladder produces a take-home gap of roughly $1,720 per year at $100,000 single (about $143 per month) in favor of Pennsylvania residents. The NJ-PA reciprocal income tax agreement means cross-border commuters pay only their resident state's tax.
Cross-Delaware-River commute defines the New Jersey vs Pennsylvania paycheck conversation, more than tier comparisons or rate calibrations do. New Jersey runs a progressive bracket schedule topping at 10.75%, with separate per-paycheck lines for New Jersey TDI, New Jersey FLI, New Jersey UI/WF/SWF. Pennsylvania levies a 3.07% flat state income tax, no payroll-funded state programs, and the Philadelphia Wage Tax adds a separate city layer for Philadelphia workers (not modeled in the state-only headline numbers). NJ-PA is one of the few interstate pairs with a formal reciprocal income tax agreement: a New Jersey resident working in Pennsylvania pays NJ tax, not PA, and vice versa for PA residents working in NJ. Withholding follows residency. Camden, Cherry Hill, and the Trenton metro span the river, putting a substantial commuter population in play. New Jersey's tech and pharma corridors (Audible, Merck, J&J) sit east of the river; Philadelphia's hospital cluster (Penn Medicine, Jefferson, CHOP) and financial-services base (Comcast, Lincoln Financial subsidiary work) anchor the Pennsylvania side along with the King of Prussia retail and corporate node. At $100,000 single, a New Jersey resident takes home $74,390 versus a Pennsylvania resident's $76,110, a gap of $1,720 per year.
At $100,000 single filer, take-home difference
Moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania saves approximately $1,720 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 | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| State structure | Progressive 1.4 to 10.75 percent | 3.07 percent flat tax |
| Taxes wages? | Yes | Yes |
Take-home at four common salary points
Single filer, 2026 brackets, standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions. Delta is Pennsylvania take-home minus New Jersey take-home.
| Salary | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $40,740 | $40,820 | +$80 |
| $100,000 | $74,390 | $76,110 | +$1,720 |
| $150,000 | $105,606 | $109,186 | +$3,580 |
| $250,000 | $168,538 | $175,507 | +$6,969 |
What this comparison includes
This comparison computes 2026 take-home pay in New Jersey and Pennsylvania 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.
New Jersey vs Pennsylvania FAQ
How much more is take-home in Pennsylvania than New Jersey at $100,000?
Does the NJ vs PA gap grow with salary?
Does the NJ-PA reciprocity agreement affect my paycheck?
How does the New Jersey 401(k) state-deductibility quirk play out here?
What about cost-of-living differences between New Jersey and Pennsylvania?
How does NJ vs PA compare to other Northeast commuter pairings?
How does married filing jointly, head of household, or filing separately change the NJ vs PA gap?
See also
Reviewed
How This Page Is Reviewed
The New Jersey vs Pennsylvania 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
2026-07-14