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Reading, Pennsylvania Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Enter your annual salary below to see your Reading, Pennsylvania take-home pay after federal, state, FICA, and city/local taxes for 2026.

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Pennsylvania Local Services Tax (small fixed annual amount withheld per pay period in Reading and most PA cities) is not modeled in {localRate} or {localTax}.

Quick answer

Yes. Reading levies a 3.6% Earned Income Tax on resident wages, one of Pennsylvania's higher municipal rates under Act 47 distressed-city authority. At $85,000 single, a Reading resident takes home $62,958 after federal tax, FICA, Pennsylvania's 3.07% flat state tax, and the Reading local line.

Reading sits in Berks County at the foot of Mount Penn and levies a 3.6% local Earned Income Tax on resident wages, one of the higher EIT rates in Pennsylvania. The rate splits between a city share and the Reading School District share, both withheld at the source. As in Scranton, the above-cap rate reflects Reading's history under Pennsylvania's Act 47 distressed-municipality framework, which permits an EIT above the typical 1% statutory cap when a city demonstrates revenue need. The Reading Railroad gave the city a permanent place on the Monopoly board. Penske Truck Leasing is headquartered in adjacent Wyomissing, anchoring a corporate base that also includes East Penn Manufacturing (Deka batteries). The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts occupies a former optical-goods factory downtown, part of an effort to reuse 19th-century industrial buildings for a creative economy. Pennsylvania imposes no SDI on wages. At $85,000 for a single Reading resident, federal tax is $9,870, Pennsylvania state tax is $2,610, FICA is $6,503, and the Reading local line is $3,060, leaving take-home of $62,958. The calculator handles local rate, federal bracket, and FICA together; adjust 401(k) deferrals to see the combined effect.

$85,000 single filer take-home comparison

Reading, Pennsylvania

$63,000

Pennsylvania (no city tax)

$66,000

Texas (no income tax)

$68,600

Reading, Pennsylvania take-home is -$3,100 vs the state-only figure and -$5,700 vs the no-income-tax baseline.

Reading, Pennsylvania local tax breakdown

Local bracket schedule applied by the calculator for 2026.

Taxable IncomeRate
$0+3.60%

What this estimate includes

This calculator computes Reading, Pennsylvania take-home pay 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), Pennsylvania's state income tax schedule, the Reading, Pennsylvania local income tax. 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. Per-city resident and non-resident rules are described in the prose above where they differ.

Reading, Pennsylvania paycheck FAQ

What is the federal income tax bill at $85,000 single in Reading?
At a $85,000 single salary, federal income tax is the largest line at $9,870, falling in the 22% bracket after the standard deduction. Federal mechanics apply uniformly to every US wage earner, so the federal line is the same for a Reading single filer and a counterpart in any other Pennsylvania city or another state at this gross.
How is Reading's combined Earned Income Tax structured?
Reading's 3.6% combined EIT is built from a city share and a Reading School District share, both withheld at the source on resident wages. The above-baseline rate reflects Reading's Act 47 status, which gives distressed Pennsylvania municipalities authority to exceed the 1% statutory EIT cap. At $85,000 the Reading line resolves to $3,060 on the year.
What if I commute into Reading from outside Berks County?
Berks County workers commuting into Reading from outside the city see different math than residents. Pennsylvania's reciprocity rules apply the lower of the worker's home-municipality EIT or the Reading rate to non-resident wages. The 3.6% Reading rate, well above most surrounding municipalities, often becomes the binding rate for non-resident commuters from lower-EIT towns nearby.
How does Pennsylvania's flat state tax stack with Reading's local rate?
Pennsylvania charges a flat 3.07% state tax on wage income, with no graduated brackets and no SDI line on the pay stub. Reading residents pay the state rate plus the Reading EIT, with both withheld at the source. State-and-local tax at $85,000 totals $2,610 state plus $3,060 city, on top of $9,870 federal and $6,503 in FICA.
What changes for married filing jointly, head of household, or filing separately at $85,000 in Reading?
Married filing jointly produces $66,988 in take-home, $4,030 more than the single-filer line above. Wider federal MFJ brackets and the doubled federal standard deduction drive most of the gap. Pennsylvania's flat rate is filing-status-neutral and the Reading EIT applies per worker at the same 3.6% across all four filing statuses. Head of Household reaches about $65,880, around $2,922 more than Single, and combined MFS take-home runs about $4,030 less than MFJ.
How does Reading's EIT compare to Allentown's?
Allentown levies a meaningfully lower combined EIT than Reading's 3.6%, despite both being mid-size eastern Pennsylvania industrial-legacy cities. At $85,000, an Allentown resident keeps measurably more after the local line than a Reading resident on the same gross. Federal tax and FICA are identical between the two; the gap turns entirely on the EIT spread.

See also

Run the full Pennsylvania paycheck calculatorCompare to Philadelphia paycheck calculatorCompare to Pittsburgh paycheck calculatorCompare to Scranton paycheck calculatorCompare to Erie, Pennsylvania paycheck calculatorCompare to Allentown paycheck calculatorCompare to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania paycheck calculatorCompare to Harrisburg paycheck calculatorCompare to Wilkes-Barre paycheck calculatorBrowse all city paycheck calculatorsBrowse paycheck calculators by statePaycheck and tax glossaryHow we calculate paycheck taxes

Reviewed

How This Page Is Reviewed

The Reading, Pennsylvania paycheck page is reviewed against primary federal, state, and city 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

2026-06-25