Tennessee Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your Tennessee take-home pay — federal tax, Tennessee's lack of state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare all included.
Tennessee payroll tax overview
Tennessee is one of nine states with no state income tax on wages. That means your paycheck deductions are limited to federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) — there's no additional state withholding line to account for.
Tennessee previously taxed interest and dividend income under the Hall Tax, but that tax was fully phased out, meaning Tennessee residents today pay no state-level tax on any form of income, wage or investment.
Worked example
A single filer earning $75,000/year in Tennessee, paid biweekly:
| Item | Per paycheck | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | ≈ $313.00 | ≈ $8,140.00 |
| Social Security | $178.85 | $4,650.00 |
| Medicare | $41.83 | $1,087.50 |
| Tennessee state tax | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Net pay | ≈ $2,350.94 | ≈ $61,122.50 |
Local income context: how Tennessee compares
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, Tennessee's median household income is $71,997 — below the 2024 national median of $81,604. Tennessee's gross income lags the national average, but the state's complete lack of income tax substantially closes the effective take-home gap with higher-earning, higher-tax states. Nashville's rapid growth in healthcare management, music/entertainment, and corporate relocations has meaningfully lifted incomes in Middle Tennessee specifically.
Median household income reflects a full household (often two earners), while the calculator above estimates take-home pay for a single individual's salary — so it's a useful benchmark for context rather than a direct comparison, but it helps illustrate how a given salary stacks up against typical earnings in Tennessee.
Frequently asked questions
How Tennessee compares to other states
With no state income tax, Tennessee residents keep a larger share of their gross pay than residents of most other states. Tennessee makes up this revenue gap primarily through a relatively high state sales tax rather than payroll withholding, meaning the tax savings show up directly in take-home pay rather than being offset by another payroll deduction.
Tennessee cost-of-living context
Tennessee's cost of living is generally below the national average, with Nashville carrying somewhat higher housing costs than the rest of the state. The combination of no income tax and moderate housing costs outside Nashville makes take-home pay stretch further than in many other states.
More frequently asked questions
Tennessee minimum wage context
Tennessee follows the federal minimum wage with no state-level minimum wage law of its own, and no Tennessee city sets its own local minimum wage. If you're entering an hourly rate into this calculator, the federal minimum applies uniformly across the state.