Calculate your take-home pay in Tennessee with accurate zero state income tax, federal withholding, and FICA deductions.
0%
State Income Tax
$7.25
Minimum Wage
7.1M
Population
💰 Free Payroll Calculator — 2026 Tax Year
Calculate your take-home pay with federal & state taxes
🏛️ Tennessee Payroll Tax Overview for 2026
Tennessee is one of nine states with no state income tax. This means employees in Tennessee only pay federal income tax and FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), resulting in higher take-home pay compared to most other states.
💰 Tax Advantage: Working in Tennessee means you keep more of your paycheck. A worker earning $75,000/year takes home approximately $61,302.50 annually — about $3,627.85 more than the same salary in California.
Additional Tennessee Payroll Information
Minimum Wage (2026): $7.25 per hour
State Unemployment Insurance (SUI): 0.01-10% (employer-paid)
Capital: Nashville
Population: 7.1M
Note: No state income tax. Hall Tax fully repealed 2021.
📊 Tennessee Take-Home Pay Examples
See how much you'd take home at different salary levels in Tennessee (single filer, 2026 tax year):
Annual Salary
Federal Tax
State Tax
FICA
Take-Home
Eff. Rate
$50,000.00
$3,877.50
$0.00
$3,825.00
$42,297.50
15.41%
$75,000.00
$7,960.00
$0.00
$5,737.50
$61,302.50
18.26%
$100,000.00
$13,460.00
$0.00
$7,650.00
$78,890.00
21.11%
🏢 Employer Payroll Tax Cost in Tennessee
Employers in Tennessee must pay additional payroll taxes on top of each employee's salary. Here's the employer cost breakdown for a $75,000 salary:
Employer SS (6.2%)
$4,650.00
Employer Medicare (1.45%)
$1,087.50
FUTA (0.6%)
$42.00
Total Employer Cost
$80,779.50
+7.71% above salary
❓ Tennessee Payroll FAQ
To calculate payroll taxes in Tennessee, since there is no state income tax, simply calculate federal income tax (10-37% based on brackets), Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500), and Medicare (1.45%). Use our calculator above for instant, accurate results.
The minimum wage in Tennessee for 2026 is $7.25 per hour. Tennessee follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour. At this rate, a full-time employee (40 hours/week) earns approximately $15,080/year before taxes.
No. Tennessee does not have a state income tax. Employees only pay federal income tax and FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), which means higher take-home pay compared to states with income tax.
Disclaimer: This Tennessee payroll calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Actual tax withholdings may vary based on local taxes, additional deductions, and individual circumstances. Tennessee tax rates are based on 2026 figures from the IRS and Tennessee Department of Revenue. Consult a qualified tax professional for accurate payroll advice.
Disclaimer: NOT tax advice. Mustafa Bilgic is not a CPA, EA, or tax preparer. Consult a qualified tax professional before relying on these estimates.
Tennessee Payroll Tax Reference: Statutory Citations and 2026 Specifics
Tennessee Tax Law Citations (2026)
Tennessee imposes no individual income tax on wages, salaries, or any earned personal income. The former Hall Income Tax on interest and dividends — codified at Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) §§ 67-2-101 to 67-2-128 — was phased out by 1 percentage point per year between 2016 and 2020 (House Bill 534, Public Chapter 181 of 2016) and fully repealed effective tax year 2021. Tennessee's no-income-tax status is constitutionally protected under Article II, Section 28 of the Tennessee Constitution, as amended by Amendment 3 (approved by voters in November 2014), which prohibits any state or local payroll/income tax. Any reinstatement would require a constitutional amendment passed by two consecutive General Assemblies and ratified by majority vote.
2026 income tax brackets. None for individuals on wage income. The Tennessee Department of Revenue does administer the Hall Income Tax historically, the Excise Tax (6.5% on net business earnings, T.C.A. § 67-4-2007), the Franchise Tax (0.25% of greater of net worth or real/tangible property, T.C.A. § 67-4-2106 — substantially modified by HB 1893/SB 2103 of 2024 to remove the property-based alternative), and the Business Tax (T.C.A. § 67-4-704 et seq.). None of these are paycheck deductions. Official portal: tn.gov/revenue.html.
Recent legislation (2024–2026). The major 2024 development was HB 1893/SB 2103, which substantially overhauled Tennessee's Franchise Tax structure (no longer based on property value alternative) and authorized roughly $1.5 billion in business-tax refunds — a corporate-side change with no payroll-tax impact. Tennessee remains the only state to have fully repealed a limited income tax (the Hall Tax) after voters constitutionally prohibited general income taxation.
Tennessee 2026 Payroll-Specific Numbers
State Unemployment Insurance (SUI): Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development administers UI under T.C.A. Title 50, Chapter 7. For 2026, experience-rated employer rates range 0.01% to 10.00% on the first $7,000 of wages per employee (the Tennessee UI taxable wage base aligns with the federal FUTA base — one of the lowest state bases in the country). New non-construction employers pay 2.7%; new construction employers also pay 2.7%. The standard "Premium Rate Table 6" is in effect for 2026 reflecting healthy UI Trust Fund balance.
Workers' Compensation: Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation administers under T.C.A. Title 50, Chapter 6. Rates filed by NCCI; 2026 voluntary loss-cost approximately $0.31 per $100 for clerical (Class 8810) — one of the lowest in the nation.
Disability Insurance: Tennessee does not impose a state-mandated short-term disability program.
Other Payroll Items: No state income tax means employees see only federal income tax (FIT), Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45% + 0.9% Additional Medicare on wages above $200,000 single/$250,000 joint), and any voluntary pre-tax deductions on their pay stubs. Tennessee employers still file Form W-2 with the SSA federally but skip state withholding entirely.
Tennessee BLS Wage Data (May 2024 OEWS)
Per the BLS OEWS program, Tennessee's statewide median annual wage was approximately $44,580 in May 2024, below the U.S. median of $49,500 — though Tennessee's no-income-tax status materially raises take-home pay relative to gross. Source: bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tn.htm. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA median wages run approximately $50,800 (the highest in the state) and Memphis MSA approximately $44,200. Top occupations include registered nurses (~$78,800), heavy/tractor-trailer drivers (~$54,800), and laborers and freight movers (~$36,200), reflecting Tennessee's strong logistics, healthcare, and music-industry sectors.
Practitioner Insight: What Sets Tennessee Apart
What sets Tennessee apart for payroll calculations is the complete absence of state income tax combined with constitutional protection against future income taxation. Unlike Texas, Florida, or Washington (which have constitutional or political barriers but face periodic legislative pushes for income tax), Tennessee's Amendment 3 (2014) creates a near-impassable hurdle requiring two-General-Assembly approval plus voter ratification. The practical implication: payroll for Tennessee employees is the simplest in the United States — only federal taxes, FICA, FUTA, SUI on the $7,000 wage base, and workers' compensation. There is no state-mandated PFML, no disability insurance, and no local income tax (Tennessee constitution prohibits local-level income/payroll taxes too). Employers relocating from California, New York, or Massachusetts often see 5%–13% payroll-cost reductions per FTE on the state-tax line alone — a significant factor in Tennessee's recent corporate-relocation boom (Nissan, FedEx, Bridgestone, Amazon HQ Nashville, Oracle Nashville).
Editor's Note
Last reviewed by Mustafa Bilgic on 2026-05-05. Tennessee state tax law verified against the Tennessee Department of Revenue (tn.gov/revenue.html), the official Hall Income Tax archive page (tn.gov/revenue/taxes/hall-income-tax.html), Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (tn.gov/workforce.html), and IRS Publication 15-T (2026 edition). Mustafa Bilgic is the sole proprietor of PayrollCalculator.us, registered at Malazgirt No: 225, 02000 Adıyaman, Türkiye.
Sources: IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), state Departments of Revenue, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) wage data, and Social Security Administration current FICA rates.
NOT TAX ADVICE: This is an estimate tool. Consult a qualified CPA, EA, or tax professional for your specific situation. We are not a tax preparer or financial advisor.