How Much Tax Is Deducted From Your Paycheck in WA?

If you work in Washington, expect roughly 22% to 27% of your gross pay to disappear into required deductions before it hits your bank account, assuming a middle income and no pre-tax benefit elections. How much tax is deducted from your paycheck in Washington depends on federal withholding, Social Security and Medicare, and three state-specific premiums: Paid Family and Medical Leave, the WA Cares Fund, and workers’ compensation. Washington has no state personal income tax,¹ which is why that total lands below what workers in most other states see.

Federal Income Tax

Federal income tax is the largest single deduction for most Washington workers. Your employer sizes the withholding using the filing status, dependents, and adjustments you entered on IRS Form W-4.² Rates are progressive, so each additional dollar can be taxed at a higher rate than the one before it. Withhold too little across the year and you owe at tax time; withhold too much and you get a refund.

For 2026, marginal rates run from 10% on the first $12,400 of taxable income for a single filer (or $24,800 for a couple filing jointly) up to 37% on income above $640,600 single or $768,700 joint. The standard deduction shields the first $16,100 (single), $32,200 (married filing jointly), or $24,150 (head of household) from tax entirely, and your employer bakes that into the withholding math.³

Social Security and Medicare

FICA taxes come out at flat rates that don’t care about your filing status or dependents:

Social Security: 6.2% of gross wages, up to $184,500 in 2026. Once your year-to-date pay hits that cap, the deduction stops for the rest of the year.⁴⁵
Medicare: 1.45% of all gross wages, with no cap.⁴
Additional Medicare tax: an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000, which your employer starts withholding automatically once you cross that mark in a calendar year regardless of your filing status. The actual thresholds when you file are $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, $125,000 married filing separately.⁶

Your employer matches the 6.2% and 1.45%, but that match is an employer cost. It never shows up as a deduction on your stub.

Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave

PFML funds temporary wage replacement when you take leave for a serious health condition, to bond with a new child, or for certain military-family reasons. As of January 1, 2026, the total premium is 1.13% of gross wages (tips excluded), up to the Social Security cap of $184,500. Employees pay 71.43% of that premium and employers pay the rest.⁷

The employee share works out to about 0.81% of gross wages on each paycheck. At $60,000 a year, that’s roughly $484 annually. Employers with fewer than 50 employees don’t owe the employer share but still collect yours.⁷ If you draw the benefit, the maximum weekly payout in 2026 is $1,647.⁸

WA Cares Fund

The WA Cares Fund is a state-run long-term care insurance program, and unlike PFML the entire premium comes out of your paycheck. The rate is 0.58% of total wages with no earnings cap, so every dollar you earn is assessed.⁹ Someone earning $75,000 a year pays $435, or about $36 a month.

A handful of workers qualify for an exemption, including out-of-state residents who work for Washington employers, active-duty service members and their spouses, veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher, and, as of January 1, 2026, workers on non-immigrant visas (automatic, no application needed).¹⁰

Workers’ Compensation

Washington requires contributions to its Industrial Insurance system, which covers medical costs and lost wages if you’re injured on the job. Your premium depends on the risk classification of your occupation, and Washington uses more than 300 classes; higher-hazard work carries a higher rate.¹¹ Workers on average pay about a quarter of the total premium; employers pay the rest. It usually shows up on your stub as a small per-hour amount rather than a percentage of wages.

How Pre-Tax Benefits Shrink the Bite

If you contribute to a retirement plan, pay health insurance premiums through work, or fund a health savings account, those elections generally come out of your pay before federal tax is calculated. That lowers the wages subject to federal income tax, and in most cases Social Security and Medicare too. Common examples:

Health, dental, and vision premiums through a Section 125 cafeteria plan.¹²
401(k) or 403(b) contributions, up to $24,500 in 2026, or $32,500 at age 50-plus. Workers aged 60 through 63 can contribute up to $35,750 under an enhanced catch-up.¹³
HSAs, up to $4,400 self-only or $8,750 family in 2026, provided you’re enrolled in a qualifying high-deductible plan.¹⁴
Dependent care flexible spending accounts and adoption assistance programs.¹²

One caveat: Washington’s PFML and WA Cares premiums are calculated on gross wages, so pre-tax elections don’t reduce those two lines.

Why Bonuses Look Extra-Taxed

Bonuses, commissions, and severance often appear more heavily taxed than regular wages. Your employer can withhold federal income tax on supplemental pay at a flat 22% rather than running it through the usual bracket tables. Supplemental wages above $1 million from one employer in a year are withheld at 37%.¹⁵ Social Security, Medicare, PFML, and WA Cares all still apply. The 22% is a withholding method, not a tax rate. Your real liability gets settled on your annual return, and over-withholding comes back as a refund.

If You Commute to Oregon or Idaho

Washington’s no-income-tax advantage only follows you as long as the work is performed here. If you live in Washington but physically work in Oregon or Idaho, that state can require its income tax to be withheld from your pay. Washington and Oregon have no reciprocal agreement, so a cross-border commuter will see Oregon tax withheld on top of federal and Washington-specific deductions.

Putting It Together

To estimate a specific paycheck, start from gross pay and subtract in order:

Pre-tax benefit elections (401(k), health premiums, HSA, FSA) to get taxable gross for federal purposes.
Federal income tax based on your W-4.
Social Security at 6.2% of gross, up to the $184,500 annual cap.⁵
Medicare at 1.45% of all gross, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000.⁶
Washington PFML at about 0.81% of gross (tips excluded), up to $184,500.⁷
WA Cares at 0.58% of all gross unless exempt.⁹
A small per-hour workers’ comp amount tied to your job’s risk class.

A single Washington worker earning $75,000 with no pre-tax elections generally sees combined federal tax and state premiums claim about 22% to 27% of gross pay, depending on W-4 details and the specific workers’ comp rate. That’s noticeably lighter than the equivalent picture in a state with an income tax, because Washington swaps a broad income tax for the narrower PFML, WA Cares, and industrial insurance premiums above.

1
Washington Department of Revenue. Income Tax
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 3402 – Income Tax Collected at Source
3
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026, Including Amendments From the One, Big, Beautiful Bill
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 3101 – Rate of Tax
5
Social Security Administration. 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet
6
Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 560, Additional Medicare Tax
7
Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Updates – Section: 2026 Paid Family and Medical Leave Premiums
8
Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
9
Washington State Legislature. RCW 50B.04.080 – Premium Assessment, Rate, Collection
10
WA Cares Fund. Exemptions
11
L&I | WA.gov. Risk Classes for Workers’ Compensation
12
Internal Revenue Service. FAQs for Government Entities Regarding Cafeteria Plans
13
Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
14
IRS.gov. Notice 2026-5 – Expanded Availability of Health Savings Accounts
15
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide