Arizona Paycheck Calculator

How Arizona Taxes Your Paycheck in 2026

Arizona taxes all taxable income at a flat 2.5% — no brackets. That single sentence is the biggest reason Arizona paychecks are easier to estimate than paychecks in most other states. There are no graduated state brackets to climb, no bracket thresholds to watch, and no filing-status rate tables at the state level. Once you know your Arizona taxable income, you multiply it by 0.025 and you have your state tax.

The flat tax story starts with the 2021 reform package. Before the reform, Arizona used a graduated income tax with multiple brackets, like most states still do. The 2021 legislation collapsed the system into a flat rate that phased in over several years and was triggered a year early, so the 2.5% flat tax has applied since tax year 2023. State leaders described it at the time as the lowest flat tax in the nation, and it remains one of the simplest state income tax systems in the country. Your federal taxes still use progressive brackets, and FICA still applies at 7.65% on wages, but the Arizona slice of every paycheck follows one constant rate.

To get Arizona taxable income, you start with gross wages and subtract the Arizona standard deduction (or itemized deductions if you itemize on your Arizona return). The latest published AZDOR figures, for tax year 2025, are $15,750 for a single taxpayer or a married taxpayer filing a separate return, $31,500 for a married couple filing a joint return, and $23,625 for head of household filers. An important labeling note: AZDOR had not yet published tax year 2026 standard deduction amounts as of October 4, 2026, so every Arizona figure on this page and in the calculator above uses the 2025 latest published amounts and is clearly marked pending the AZDOR 2026 update. Federal figures are different — the IRS has published 2026 amounts, so the federal side of this calculator uses the 2026 federal standard deduction of $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, and $24,150 head of household, with 2026 federal brackets starting at 10% on income up to $12,400, 12% from $12,400 to $50,400, and 22% from $50,400 to $105,700 for single filers.

Arizona also offers a $100 credit per dependent under 17 ($25 if 17+) plus a $25-per-person excise credit capped at $100 per household. Traditional pre-tax contributions such as a 401(k) reduce both your federal and Arizona taxable income, because they come out before taxes are calculated. Put together, a typical Arizona paycheck loses three layers — federal income tax, the 2.5% Arizona flat tax, and FICA — and this calculator estimates all three for 2026 in one pass.

Arizona Paycheck Example: $100,000 Salary (Single Filer, 2026)

The clearest way to see the flat tax at work is a full walk-through. Take a single filer in Phoenix earning a $100,000 salary in 2026, using the standard deduction and no extra credits or pre-tax contributions. The federal side uses the 2026 standard deduction of $16,100 and the 2026 single brackets: 10% to $12,400, 12% from $12,400 to $50,400, and 22% from $50,400 to $105,700. The Arizona side uses the latest published AZDOR standard deduction of $15,750 and the flat 2.5% rate. FICA is 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare on the full $100,000 of wages.

Notice how small the Arizona slice is: $2,106.25 out of $22,926.25 in total tax, or barely over 2% of gross pay. That is the flat-tax effect. The same $100,000 salary in a high-bracket state would lose several times more to state tax. Monthly take-home is about $6,422.81, biweekly about $2,964.38, and the overall effective rate is 22.93%. If you earn a different salary, enter it in the calculator above — the same three layers apply, with federal tax following the progressive brackets while Arizona stays at exactly 2.5% of Arizona taxable income.

Hourly, Salary, and Phoenix Pay Examples

To convert hourly pay to take-home in Arizona, multiply your hourly rate by hours worked to get gross pay, then subtract federal tax, the 2.5% Arizona flat tax, and 7.65% FICA. A $30 hourly full-time worker earns $62,400 yearly before deductions. At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, that is $30 × 2,080 hours = $62,400 gross. Run $62,400 through the three layers as a single filer and you keep roughly three-quarters of it, with Arizona taking only about $1,166.25 — that is ($62,400 − $15,750) × 2.5%. A $25 hourly worker earns $52,000 gross, with Arizona tax of about $906.25 on the same single-filer math.

Salaried Phoenix workers can use the same approach with pay frequency. A $75,000 Phoenix salary breaks down to about $2,885 gross biweekly (÷26), $3,125 semi-monthly (÷24), or $6,250 monthly (÷12), and net pay follows proportionally after the three tax layers. A $80,000 salary in Tempe or Mesa works identically — Arizona has one statewide rate, so Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Flagstaff all use the same 2.5% flat tax with no city-level income tax to add. Use the calculator above with your exact pay frequency for per-paycheck figures, and remember that months with three biweekly paychecks give you a budgeting bonus you can aim at savings or debt.

How to Use This Calculator

Step 1: Enter your gross pay amount. This is your total pay before any deductions. For salaried employees, enter your per-paycheck salary amount. For hourly workers, multiply your hourly rate by hours worked per pay period — for example, $30 × 80 hours = $2,400 biweekly — and enter that figure.

Step 2: Select your pay frequency. Choose weekly (52 pay periods), bi-weekly (26), semi-monthly (24), monthly (12), or annual (1). The pay periods field updates automatically, and Arizona biweekly paychecks are the most common choice for Phoenix-area employers.

Step 3: Choose your filing status. Your status sets both the federal standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household for 2026) and the Arizona standard deduction ($15,750 single, $31,500 joint, $23,625 head of household, latest published AZDOR figures with the 2026 update pending).

Step 4: Enter allowances and dependents. Allowances affect federal withholding. The two dependent fields drive the Arizona dependent credit: $100 for each dependent under 17 and $25 for each dependent 17 and older, subtracted directly from your Arizona tax.

Step 5: Add extra withholding and pre-tax deductions (optional). Extra withholding raises federal withholding dollar-for-dollar. Pre-tax deductions such as traditional 401(k), HSA, or FSA contributions lower the wages that federal tax, Arizona tax, and FICA apply to.

Step 6: Click "Calculate Arizona Take-Home Pay." Results show gross pay, federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, Arizona state tax, the Arizona dependent credit, total deductions, and net take-home pay — per paycheck and annually, plus your effective rate. All calculations run entirely in your browser.

Form A-4: Setting Your Arizona Withholding

Tell your employer how much AZ tax to withhold via Form A-4 — pick a percentage of gross wages (default 2.0% if you file nothing). The 2026 Form A-4, titled "Employee's Arizona Withholding Election," is published by AZDOR with instructions dated 2026, so the current-year form is available whenever you start a new job or adjust withholding. Unlike the federal Form W-4 with its allowances and worksheets, the Arizona form is refreshingly simple: you elect a withholding percentage of your gross taxable wages in Box 1 and can add optional extra dollars on top.

The default matters more than most workers realize. If you do not give Form A-4 to your employer, state rules require the employer to withhold 2.0% of your gross taxable wages — which is below the actual 2.5% flat tax rate and, because it applies to gross wages rather than taxable income after deductions, may over- or under-withhold depending on your situation. Review the percentage whenever your pay, filing status, or dependents change. If you expect no Arizona liability, you may elect zero withholding, but that election must be renewed every year. Use the estimates from the calculator above to pick a percentage that lands your withholding close to the $2,106.25-style liability from the $100,000 example rather than drifting into a refund or a balance due. For federal withholding questions, see our paycheck calculator and tax refund calculator.

Dependents, 401(k), and Arizona Credits

Traditional 401(k) contributions lower both federal and Arizona taxable income because they come out before taxes are calculated. If you earn $100,000 and contribute $10,000, state and federal tax apply to roughly $90,000. On the Arizona side that single move saves about $250.00 — $10,000 × 2.5% — and the federal saving is larger because your marginal federal rate is higher. Run the numbers in the calculator by entering your per-paycheck 401(k) amount in the pre-tax field. Roth 401(k) contributions do not reduce current take-home tax withholding since they are after-tax: you pay full federal and Arizona tax now in exchange for tax-free qualified withdrawals later.

Dependents work through credits rather than deductions. Arizona offers a $100 credit per dependent under 17 ($25 if 17+) plus a $25-per-person excise credit capped at $100 per household. A credit beats a deduction dollar-for-dollar because it subtracts directly from the tax you owe — two young children erase $200.00 from the $2,106.25 liability in our $100,000 example, leaving about $1,906.25. Note that the dependent credit phases down as income rises above the threshold, so very high earners should confirm the reduced amount in AZDOR guidance. Enter your dependents in the calculator fields to see the credit applied automatically.

Military Pay, Veterans, and Retirees

Arizona exempts military pensions from state income tax — a plus for veteran retirees. The 2021 reform package that created the flat tax also eliminated income taxes on veterans' military pensions, making Arizona one of the more welcoming states for military retirees settling near bases like Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Davis-Monthan in Tucson, or Yuma Proving Ground. If your household income is largely a military pension, your Arizona state slice can be zero even while federal tax and FICA rules still apply to any civilian wages you earn.

For non-military retirees, Arizona is still competitive but less of a standout. Civilian pension income, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, and part-time wages are generally subject to the same 2.5% flat tax on Arizona taxable income after deductions — there is no separate retiree bracket or exemption beyond the standard deduction and credits described above. The low single rate means a retiree with $50,000 of taxable Arizona income owes about $1,250.00 in state tax, far less than in graduated-rate states. Check current AZDOR publications for how specific income types are classified before you plan a move, and use the calculator with your expected retirement income to compare take-home across scenarios.

Arizona vs Neighboring States

State lines change paychecks. Nevada and Texas have no income tax at all, joining Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming on the no-tax list — workers there keep the entire state slice. California sits at the opposite end with a top rate of 13.3% on high earners, so a $100,000 earner crossing from Phoenix to Los Angeles can lose thousands more per year to state tax. New Mexico and Utah fall in between with their own income tax systems, and Colorado applies its flat rate. For the full 50-state picture, see our state tax rates hub.

If you are comparing offers, try these pages side by side: California paycheck calculator, Nevada paycheck calculator, Utah paycheck calculator, and New Mexico paycheck calculator. Because Arizona's rate is flat, its advantage is most visible for middle earners: the $2,106.25 on $100,000 rarely beats zero in Nevada, but it comfortably beats graduated states once income climbs past the lower brackets. Remote workers should confirm which state has withholding rights before assuming the Arizona rate applies.

Tips to Increase Your Arizona Take-Home Pay

Start with Form A-4. If last year's Arizona refund was large, your withholding percentage was higher than the 2.5% liability required, and trimming it puts money back in each paycheck instead of lending it to the state interest-free. Next, maximize pre-tax deductions: every $1,000 in a traditional 401(k) saves $25.00 in Arizona tax plus your federal marginal rate and 7.65% FICA, while HSA and FSA dollars work the same way for health costs. Claim every dependent credit — $100 per child under 17 adds up fast across a family.

Finally, compare both numbers on every pay stub to catch withholding errors early. Gross pay is the headline salary before anything is removed; net pay is your take-home after federal tax, Arizona tax, FICA, and benefits. If net drifts from the calculator's estimate, check whether your employer applied the 2.0% default instead of your A-4 election, whether a pre-tax deduction changed, or whether overtime pushed a paycheck into a higher federal bracket. Small reviews each quarter beat one painful surprise every April. To check your full-year position, run your numbers through our tax refund calculator alongside this Arizona tool.