City paycheck calculator

State College Paycheck Calculator (2026)

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

Income

Annual Gross Salary

$

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Tax Profile

Filing Status

State

City / Local Tax26 options

This city publishes a cap on its resident credit but not the credit percentage itself, so we do not estimate a work-elsewhere scenario for its residents. The figure below assumes you also work here.

Pre-Tax Deductions

401(k) Contribution

0%

IRS limit: $24,500−$0

Age 50+ catch-up contribution (+$8,000)

HSA ContributionMax $4,400

$

Family coverage ($8,750 limit)

Federal DeductionItemize

Standard: $16,100

Post-Tax Deductions

Other DeductionsRoth IRA, health ins., etc.

$

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Quick answer

Yes. State College borough levies a 2.25% Earned Income Tax on resident wages, the highest EIT of any non-distressed Pennsylvania municipality modeled here. At $85,000 single, a State College resident takes home $64,106 after federal tax, FICA, Pennsylvania's flat state tax, and the EIT.

State College is the borough wrapped around Penn State's University Park campus in Centre County, and it levies a 2.25% Earned Income Tax under Pennsylvania's Act 32 framework. That is the highest EIT of any Pennsylvania municipality in this calculator outside the Act 47 distressed cities, and it is notably above what the surrounding Centre County townships charge, which matters because the borough boundary runs through what is functionally one town. A Penn State employee living in State College borough pays a materially higher local rate than a colleague living a mile away in College Township or Ferguson Township doing the same job. Pennsylvania's EIT follows residence, so the borough line, not the campus, is what determines the rate. The university dominates the local economy, and the borough's population swings by tens of thousands between term and vacation. Pennsylvania has no employee-funded disability programme. At $85,000 single, federal tax is $9,870, Pennsylvania state tax $2,610, FICA $6,503, and the State College EIT $1,913, leaving $64,106.

$85,000 single filer take-home comparison

State College

$64,100

Pennsylvania (no city tax)

$66,000

Texas (no income tax)

$68,600

State College take-home is -$1,900 vs the state-only figure and -$4,500 vs the no-income-tax baseline.

State College local tax breakdown

Local bracket schedule applied by the calculator for 2026.

Taxable Income	Rate
$0+	2.25%

What this estimate includes

This calculator computes State College 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 State College 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.

State College paycheck FAQ

Why is State College's EIT higher than the surrounding townships?

Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts each set their own EIT under Act 32, and the borough of State College levies 2.25% while the adjacent Centre County townships levy less. Because the tax follows residence rather than workplace, two Penn State colleagues can pay different local rates depending on which side of the borough line they live.

I work at Penn State but live outside the borough. Which rate applies?

Your home municipality's rate, not State College's. Pennsylvania's EIT is a residence-based tax, so a Penn State employee living in College Township or Ferguson Township pays that township's combined municipal and school-district rate, even though the campus itself sits in the borough.

What is the federal tax bill on $85,000 single in State College?

Federal income tax at $85,000 single is $9,870, in the 22% bracket after the standard deduction. Pennsylvania adds a flat 3.07% on gross compensation with no standard deduction, which is why the Pennsylvania state line stays proportionally large at every income.

Does a 401(k) contribution reduce the State College EIT?

No. Pennsylvania taxes gross compensation and does not recognise traditional 401(k) deferrals, and the local EIT uses the same base. A deferral reduces only your federal bill, at the 22% marginal rate. Pennsylvania is one of the few states where a 401(k) gives no state-level saving.

What changes for married filing jointly or head of household at $85,000?

Joint filers take home about $68,136, roughly $4,030 more than single. The entire gap is federal, since Pennsylvania's flat rate and the borough EIT are status-neutral. Head of household clears about $67,028.

How does State College compare to Pittsburgh or Erie?

State College's 2.25% sits below Pittsburgh's combined city-and-school stack but well above Erie's, which is nearer the typical Pennsylvania municipal rate. Among the boroughs and townships modeled here, State College is at the top of the non-distressed range.

How This Page Is Reviewed

The State College 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

2026-07-14

Primary sources