Compare job offers after tax
Each offer carries its own salary, bonus, state and city. Two offers in the same state is an ordinary comparison here, and so is one offer paying more in a state that taxes more.
Worked examples
Computed by the same engine as the calculator above, on 2026 rules reviewed through 2026-08-09. Use the tool for your own figures.
$95,000 in California against $88,000 in Texas
A larger number is not always a larger paycheck. Here the lower offer sits in a state with no wage income tax, and that alone closes a $7,000 gap in gross pay.
| California — $95,000 gross | $69,838 |
| Texas — $88,000 gross | $70,738 |
| Texas takes home more by | $900 |
Single filers, no dependents, state income tax only. This deliberately excludes cost of living, which frequently moves further than tax does and in the opposite direction.
What a benefits package does to the comparison
Tax is rarely the largest difference between two offers. A retirement match, or the absence of one, moves the comparison further than most state tax gaps — here the same California offer with a 10% pre-tax contribution.
| California, no contribution | $69,838 |
| California, $9,500 deferred | $63,311 |
| Moved into retirement savings | $9,500 |
| Take-home actually given up | $6,527 |
An employer match on that contribution is additional compensation this estimate does not model at all — it is frequently worth more than the entire state tax difference above.
Common questions
Should I just take the offer with the highest take-home?
Not on this figure alone. It covers income tax and FICA only, and excludes cost of living, employer retirement matching, health premiums, equity, and paid leave — several of which routinely move further than the tax difference does. Treat take-home as one input rather than the answer.
How much is a no-income-tax state actually worth?
At the salaries above, roughly the difference shown in the first example — but it is not free money. States without a wage income tax raise revenue elsewhere, commonly through higher property and sales taxes, which fall outside a paycheck calculation entirely.
Does relocating mid-year complicate this?
Yes. Working in one state and living in another, or moving partway through the year, can mean part-year returns in both, and some state pairs have reciprocity agreements that change which one withholds. This estimate models a full year in a single state.
Related calculators
1099 side income
Self-employment tax and quarterly estimates on side income.
1099 vs W-2
The same headline rate as a contractor and as an employee.
S-corp salary
What the wage saves in payroll tax, and whether it is one you could defend.
Remote work by state
Which state taxes days you never spent there, and which six actually do.
Employer payroll cost
What a wage costs the employer — FICA, FUTA and SUTA, not take-home.
All calculators — every tool on the site, grouped by what it answers.