Georgia take-home pay
Georgia taxes wages, and on $85,000 that costs you $3,493 a year on top of federal tax and FICA. What matters more is what the total leaves you where you actually live.
That is $65,134 a year, after federal tax, FICA, state tax and any local tax or premium.
- Federal
- $9,870
- FICA
- $6,502
- State
- $3,493
- Effective rate
- 23.4%
| Year | Month | Paycheck | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $85,000.00 | $7,083.33 | $3,269.23 |
| Federal income tax | $-9,870.00 | $-822.50 | $-379.62 |
| Social Security | $-5,270.00 | $-439.17 | $-202.69 |
| Medicare | $-1,232.50 | $-102.71 | $-47.40 |
| State income tax | $-3,493.00 | $-291.08 | $-134.35 |
| Take-home pay | $65,134.50 | $5,427.88 | $2,505.17 |
How Georgia taxes wages
A flat 4.99% of taxable wages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard deduction, single | $15,000 |
| Standard deduction, married | $30,000 |
| Exemption | None |
| Withholding certificate | G-4 |
MID-YEAR CHANGE: Georgia's rate fell from 5.19% to 4.99%. The cut is retroactive to 1 January 2026 for the tax year, but employers were told to keep withholding at 5.19% through 10 May 2026 and to switch to 4.99% from 11 May. 4.99% is the rate in force now and is what is encoded here.
The June 2026 revision of the Employer's Tax Guide also raised the standard deduction from $12,000 / $24,000 to $15,000 / $30,000 and the dependent allowance from $4,000 to $5,000. Anyone working from the December 2025 edition has the old numbers.
The $30,000 deduction applies to married filing jointly with one spouse working. Married couples where both spouses work each use $15,000, as do single, head of household and married-filing-separately employees.
Georgia has no personal exemption - it was folded into the standard deduction by the 2024 flat-tax reform.
New for 2026: qualified overtime compensation and qualified cash tips must be reported in designated W-2/1099 boxes.
What Georgia leaves you
| Salary | Federal | FICA | State | Take-home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $1,746 | $40,608 | 18.8% |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $2,994 | $58,598 | 21.9% |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $4,242 | $74,938 | 25.1% |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $6,736 | $107,054 | 28.6% |
| $250,000 | $51,304 | $15,514 | $11,726 | $171,456 | 31.4% |
Against the states people move to and from
| State | State tax | Premiums | Take-home | Against this state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $0 | $0 | $79,180 | $2,551 |
| Florida | $0 | $0 | $79,180 | $2,551 |
| California | $5,560 | $1,300 | $72,320 | $-4,309 |
| New York | $4,836 | $443 | $73,901 | $-2,728 |
| Washington | $0 | $1,387 | $77,793 | $1,164 |
| Georgia | $4,242 | $0 | $74,938 | $-1,690 |
Moving state changes the tax and, almost always by more, the rent. The relocation guide puts both in one number. Common moves involving Georgia: GA to FL. City pages where a local tax matters: Atlanta.
For the wider arithmetic, the two-state offer guide compares two offers on what is left after tax and rent, this guide explains why your bracket is not your tax rate, and this one covers the choice between a 401(k) and an HSA.
Questions people actually ask
Does Georgia have a state income tax?
Yes. A flat 4.99%.
What else comes out of my paycheck in Georgia?
Federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%.
Does Georgia follow federal rules on 401(k) and HSA?
401(k) deferrals: yes, excluded. HSA contributions: yes, excluded.
Figures on this page are for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027) and were last checked on 29 August 2026. Every rate we use is listed on the sources page.