You may figure out your take-home pay or net pay by entering your weekly, monthly, or yearly wages together with the necessary federal, state, and local W4 information into our free Texas paycheck calculator. Because Texas has no state income tax, your pay is only liable to federal income taxes if you reside and work there.
Texas, also known as The Lone Star State, is one of the most popular, second-biggest State by area and population in the United States. The State is located in the South Central region, and share its borders with Louisiana to the east, New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and the four Mexican states to the southwest, and Gulf of Mexico's coastline to the southeast.
Austin is the State's capital, besides Houston is the largest city and the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metro of the Texas State.
So if you find yourself considering to make a move to Texas, for an appealing job offer, business idea, or to start your new life, this Texas guide will help you explore key elements of the state by covering the following topics:
We hope all of the topics, as mentioned earlier, will help you to complete your move in the most efficient way possible. So let's get started!
Whether you are mulling over to move to Texas or already made up your mind, you must be aware of some essential factors about the state before packing up your stuff:
You'll be pleased by your reduced costs in Texas as the cost of the living index here is 93.9 points, which is significantly lower than the national average of 100 points. Lower housing cost contributes the most to overall low living costs. In contrast, other cost factors like grocery, health, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses are somewhat similar to the rest of the states.
According to the research, buying a house is more cost-effective than renting in Texas. The median home value in the state is $195,000, which is significantly lower than the national median home value of $231,200. Whereas, the Median rent in the state is $987, which is comparatively lower than the US median rent of $1012. So, whether its buying or renting, you are going to save considerably.
Some of the cheapest cities to live in terms of housing cost include Progreso, Breckenridge, Sweetwater, Pecos, Vernon, and La Feria.
Due to the large area, Texas has multiple climate zones. So you can experience a different type of weather in different parts of the state. Some areas experience cold winters with shocking cold fronts while other parts remain below freezing all winter.
On the other hand, most areas of Texas see consistent summer with high temperatures in the 90 °F (32 °C) range, while mountains of West Texas have 80s °F (26 °C). Moreover, the mountainous western regions of Texas are much drier, whereas the southeast region is more humid and wet.
Besides, you must also be prepared for natural disasters like droughts, thunderstorms, triple-digit heat, tornadoes, hurricanes as well as flash flooding possibilities.
Texas is home to over 200 renowned colleges and universities and ranked in 36th position among 50 states for its quality of public education. Some of the best school districts, colleges, and universities in Texas include Eanes Independent School District (Austin), South Texas Independent School District (Mercedes), Texas Tech, and Texas A&M.
Texas has a trillion-dollar booming economy and a flourishing job market. More than 50+ companies in this state are also part of the 2017 Fortune 500 list. The unemployment rate in the Lone Star State is 3.4%. The minimum wage rate is $7.25. Moreover, the state levy NO state income tax. All of these perks are definitely appealing enough for the job seekers to settle in Texas and start their new job career.
The fastest-growing jobs in Texas (according to Zippia.com) include Wind Turbine Technician, Statistician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, and Nurse Practitioner. Moreover, the top highest paying jobs in the state include Anesthesiologists, Chief Executives, Obstetricians, and Gynecologists.
Oil and gas industries, the primary contributor to this Texas's economy, besides other industries like agriculture, IT, energy, aeronautics, and tourism, are also booming here, giving endless opportunities for entrepreneurs and job seekers.
Texas is abundant in outdoor attractions and is known as home to an uncountable of historical, urban entertainment, natural outdoor leisure, and nightlife opportunities. Millions of tourists come in Texas to explore the incredible cave system, mountainous areas, desert regions, canyons, coastal beaches, and other diverse landscapes. Besides, you can also enjoy several recreational activities like hiking, boating, camping, fishing, and swimming.
The fun doesn't end here! You can also make your weekend and vacations memorable, exploring numerous state and national parks, visit River Walk, the historic site Alamo in San Antonio, the Space Center Houston, Big Bend National Park, and Padre Island National Seashore.
As we are done with essential factors, here is the quick round-up of all the lovely and hateful things about the Texas State:
As we are done with relocation to Texas and its payroll facts, now it's time to calculate paycheck.
The very first step to calculating the paycheck amount is to determine Gross Pay. It is a wage that an employee earned in the last pay period.
Gross Pay is calculated differently for both hourly and salary-based employees, which is discussed in detail as follow:
Hourly Employees are paid at a mutually agreed pay rate for each hour they work in a pay period. Usually, Pay periods for Hourly employees are Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Bi-Weekly. However, the Federal, State, and Local Wage law requires the employers to set the pay rate equals to or more than the defined Minimum Wage Law for the non-exempted employees.
Hourly employees are also entitled to receive overtime, for each excess hour worked after regular hours in a workday or a workweek. Remember, like Minimum wage, the employers are also required to follow Overtime wage law provided by the federal, state, and local authorities.
To calculate gross wage for an hourly employee:
Salaried Employees are paid at the flat amount rather than on an hourly basis. The amount is usually mutually agreed as an Annual Salary, which is then paid in Semi-monthly or Monthly Pay periods.
Salaried employees are mostly exempted from overtime law. However, their salaries must be according to Federal and State Minimum Wage law.
To calculate Gross Pay for Salaried Employees:
Don't forget that Supplemental Wages like Bonuses, commissions, tips, paid leaves, fringe benefits, or other taxable wages earned by the employee must be added into the Gross wages.
Once you are done with Gross Wages, it's time to subtract any Pre-Tax deductions from the gross wage to get taxable wages as Pre-tax deductions are not taxable for federal payroll taxes.
Pre-tax deductions are offered to the employees as benefits like fringe benefits, HSA plans, etc., to reduce their taxable income, hence, increasing their take-home pay amount. Remember, not all benefits are exempted from taxes, so choose the pre-tax deductions wisely.
Some of the common pre-tax deductible benefits are:
Many Taxpayers find it hard to itemize their deductions to calculate taxable wages, for which they go for standard deductions, that varies according to the filing status, as shown in the table below:
Filing Status | Standard Deduction Amount |
---|---|
Single Filers | $12,200 |
Married, Filing Jointly | $24,400 |
Married, Filing Separately | $12,200 |
Head of Household | $18,350 |
Once you have determined the taxable wages, it's time to deduct Federal Income taxes for the Taxable wages.
IRS requires the employers to withhold federal income tax from the employee's paycheck, according to the details provided by the employee on Form W-4. The employee fills this form at the start of the job. The form includes all the necessary information, including income, number of allowances to claim, number of dependents, amount of additional taxes to deduct, and much more.
The employees are required to keep their Form W-4 up to date with all their current information, especially marriage, divorce, or child's birth.
The federal income tax is charged according to the tax brackets in which the taxpayer's income falls. The latest income tax brackets and rates are as follow:
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $9,700 | 10% |
$9,700 - $39,475 | 12% |
$39,475 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,725 | 24% |
$160,725 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $510,300 | 35% |
$510,300+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $19,400 | 10% |
$19,400 - $78,950 | 12% |
$78,950 - $168,400 | 22% |
$168,400 - $321,450 | 24% |
$321,450 - $408,200 | 32% |
$408,200 - $612,350 | 35% |
$612,350+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $9,700 | 10% |
$9,700 - $39,475 | 12% |
$39,475 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,725 | 24% |
$160,725 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $306,175 | 35% |
$306,175+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $13,850 | 10% |
$13,850 - $52,850 | 12% |
$52,850 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,700 | 24% |
$160,700 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $510,300 | 35% |
$510,300+ | 37% |
Besides, Federal Income Tax, the IRS also requires the employer to withhold FICA tax (15.3%) for the employee's paycheck and also requires the employer to pay an equal amount for each employee.
Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Taxes comprises of two types of taxes which are as follow:
A total of 12.4% of social security tax is charged from which 6.2% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 6.2%. However, Social Security is only charged on the maximum taxable earnings of $137,700 for 2023.
A total of 2.9% of Medicare is charged, from which 1.45% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 1.45%. Unlike Social Security, there is no maximum table earning limit for this tax. However, an additional surtax of 0.9% is charged as Additional Medicare Surtax on the employees having income over the specified level along with filing status, which is as follow:
Income Over | Filing Status |
---|---|
$250,000 | Married Filing Jointly |
$125,000 | Married Filing Separately |
$200,000 | Single |
IRS requires the employer to pay another tax, known as The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) Tax. This tax is paid at the rate of 6% on the first $7000 earned by each employee in a year. However, the IRS doesn't require the employees to contribute to it.
The employers who pay State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax in full and on time are given relieving FUTA tax credit of up to 5.4%, which saves a whopping 90% from FUTA Tax.
Post-tax deductions (after-tax deductions) is an amount the employer takes out from the employee's paycheck after taxes. Therefore, it does not affect taxable wages and the amount of tax payable.
Here are some of the types of post-tax deductions that employee may voluntarily choose:
As you are done with Federal Payroll Taxes, now it's time to discuss State Payroll Taxes. Luckily, the Texas State doesn't charge State Income Tax on the employees. However, employers are required to pay State Unemployment Insurance Tax.
The State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax is an employer-funded program that provides temporary income to unemployed workers who have lost their job without fault of their own.
The state doesn't charge in Texas State Disability Insurance (SDI) tax on employers. However, it does require the employers to pay Texas State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax, at the rate ranging from 0.31% to 6.31% on a first $9,000 earned in wages by each employee in a year. However, new employers are given relief as they only have to pay a flat rate of 2.7% or greater of the average rate for all employers in the NAICS code.
No city or county in Texas levies Local Income Tax
Now that you are done with all payroll taxes and calculated the net take-home pay of an employee, it's time to cut the paycheck. Moreover, you, as an employer, must pay your portion of FICA tax along with FUTA and SUI tax in full and on time regularly.
Answer: Following taxes are taken out of employee's paycheck while working in Texas:
Answer: Luckily, Texas State doesn't levy State income tax on employee's paychecks. Moreover, no city or county of the state charges any Local income tax.
Answer: Following are the Payroll taxes paid by both employers and employees while working in Texas:
Answer: Texas Minimum Wage rate is similar to the Federal Minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour for all employees, unless or otherwise exempted. The Cash Minimum wage rate for Tipped Employees is $2.13, with a maximum tip credit of $5.12. Moreover, for Youth employees, it is $4.25.