State paycheck calculator

Georgia Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Enter your annual salary below to see your Georgia take-home pay after federal, state, FICA, and any local taxes for 2026.

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Georgia's flat rate is scheduled to drop further under enacted law. The engine currently applies the most recently published operative rate; verify against the Georgia Department of Revenue's 2026 figure before relying on this for tax planning.

Quick answer

Georgia applies a flat 4.99% state income tax to wage income, the result of a recent transition from a progressive schedule. At $85,000 single, the after-tax estimate is $65,135 per year. Georgia cities run no separate income tax, and the state operates no employee-funded disability insurance program.

Georgia's flat 4.99% state income tax replaced a multi-rate progressive schedule under recent legislative reforms, and additional reductions remain on the schedule contingent on state revenue benchmarks. The single-rate structure flattens the math for filers and removes bracket-creep planning from the picture. Georgia also indexes its standard deduction and personal exemption against single and joint filers, so the federal-to-state AGI chain stays predictable. Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, and other Georgia cities do not levy a separate local income tax, so the visible state and local income tax line on a Georgia pay stub is the flat state rate alone. The state operates no traditional disability insurance program funded by employee payroll deductions. Sales tax and property tax handle a substantial share of the local-government revenue load instead. At $85,000 for a single filer, federal income tax lands at $9,870, state income tax at $3,493, combined FICA at $6,503, and take-home for the year at $65,135. The effective total rate is 23.37%. Use the calculator below to model 401(k) or HSA contributions, or compare Georgia against neighboring Florida, North Carolina, or South Carolina for relocation math.

Georgia state tax breakdown

Single-filer state income tax brackets used by the calculator for 2026.

Taxable IncomeRate
$0+4.99%

Major Georgia metros

These metros do not levy a separate city income tax; paycheck math runs the Georgia state schedule above. Each metro page adds city-specific context (cost of living, major employers, commute patterns) on top of the state calculator.

vs. baseline ($85,000 single filer)

A $85,000 salary in Georgia takes home approximately $3,500 less than the same salary in a no-income-tax state like Texas or Florida.

What this estimate includes

This calculator computes Georgia take-home pay using 2026 federal brackets after the standard deduction, FICA contributions (Social Security at the federal rate up to the annual wage base, Medicare on all wages, plus the Additional Medicare Tax above the filing-status threshold), Georgia's state income tax schedule above, and any local income tax or state-administered payroll program (SDI, PFML, FAMLI) when you select a city or county. For states with no broad-based personal income tax, the state line is zero. 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.

Georgia paycheck FAQ

What is the federal tax bill on $85,000 single in Georgia for 2026?
A $85,000 single filer in Georgia owes approximately $9,870 in federal income tax, with the top slice of taxable income falling in the 22% federal bracket after the standard deduction. Federal mechanics apply uniformly nationwide, so a Georgia resident sees the same federal line as a Florida or Texas counterpart at this gross.
How much Georgia state tax does someone owe on $85,000?
Georgia state income tax at $85,000 for a single filer is roughly $3,493, an effective state rate of 4.11%. Because the schedule is flat at 4.99%, the marginal and effective rates collapse to the same headline figure. No SDI or PFML deduction applies to Georgia wages, and no local income tax stacks on top.
Do Atlanta, Savannah, or any other Georgia city tax wages?
Cities and counties in Georgia do not levy a separate income tax on employee wages. Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, Macon, and Athens residents all see the same state line on the pay stub: $3,493 for a $85,000 single filer at the 4.99% flat rate, with no city or county layer above it.
How much does a 401(k) contribution save at $85,000 in Georgia?
At $85,000 single in Georgia, the combined marginal rate is 26.99% (federal 22% plus state 4.99%). Each dollar of traditional 401(k) or HSA contribution reduces both federal and Georgia taxable income at that combined rate. The flat state structure keeps the per-dollar saving stable, which makes the math simpler than in a progressive state.
What changes for married filing jointly, head of household, or filing separately at $85,000 in Georgia?
A joint return at $85,000 in Georgia produces take-home of about $69,913, roughly $4,779 more than the single estimate. Wider federal MFJ brackets and the doubled federal standard deduction drive most of the gap; Georgia's 4.99% flat rate is filing-status-neutral, though the state standard deduction scales for MFJ, slightly trimming the state line. Head of Household status lifts take-home to about $68,057, around $2,922 more than Single, driven entirely by the wider federal HoH brackets. Combined Married Filing Separately take-home lands roughly $4,779 less than MFJ.
How does Georgia compare to North Carolina at $85,000?
North Carolina runs a slightly lower flat state rate than Georgia, so a same-salary worker keeps a small amount more across the Georgia/NC border. The take-home difference between Georgia and North Carolina at $85,000 single is roughly $610 per year. Federal tax and FICA are identical across both states.

Take-home at common salaries for Georgia

Dedicated salary-anchor pages with a federal-state-FICA breakdown, vs-baseline callouts, and a calculator pre-set to that salary and Georgia.

Reviewed

How This Page Is Reviewed

The Georgia paycheck page 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

2026-07-10