Arizona Paycheck Calculator
Reviewed Jul 5, 2026 IRS Pub 15-T 2026, Arizona DOR How we verify
Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. General information; laws vary by state. Terms of use
Arizona paycheck calculator for tax year 2026: take-home pay and what the employer pays, per paycheck and per year. Arizona does not compute withholding from brackets or allowances: each employee picks a flat percentage of gross taxable wages on Form A-4, from 0.5% to 3.5%, and an employee with no form on file is withheld at 2% (Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election; Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026)). Figures checked on July 5, 2026; the result is an estimate, not tax advice.
Take-home pay and employer cost
Example: $2,000.00 gross pay per paycheck, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks a year), single, with the default A-4 entries below
Take-home pay
$1,650.85 per paycheck
$42,922.10 per year
| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,000.00 | $52,000.00 |
| Federal income tax withholding | $156.15 | $4,059.90 |
| Social Security | $124.00 | $3,224.00 |
| Medicare | $29.00 | $754.00 |
| Arizona income tax withholding | $40.00 | $1,040.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,650.85 | $42,922.10 |
What the employer pays
$2,205.00 per paycheck
$56,180.00 per year
| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,000.00 | $52,000.00 |
| Social Security (employer match) | $124.00 | $3,224.00 |
| Medicare (employer match) | $29.00 | $754.00 |
| Federal unemployment (FUTA) | $12.00 | $42.00 |
| State unemployment (new-employer rate) | $40.00 | $160.00 |
| Total employer cost | $2,205.00 | $56,180.00 |
Sources: IRS Pub 15-T 2026 and Arizona DOR, checked July 5, 2026. Estimate for tax year 2026. Not tax advice.
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How Arizona taxes a paycheck
The calculator applies the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method and, for Arizona, the Arizona Form A-4 withholding percentage election (a percentage of gross taxable wages chosen by the employee) of the Arizona Department of Revenue, in effect for wages paid from January 1, 2026. Social Security takes 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 a year and Medicare 1.45% of all wages (plus 0.9% on wages above $200,000 a year), and the employer pays Social Security and Medicare again at the same rates (Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide). The oldest Arizona document behind these figures was checked on July 5, 2026.
Arizona is one of the few states where the employee, not a formula, decides how much state income tax comes out of each paycheck. Form A-4 lists a short menu of percentages and the employee checks one. The employer multiplies gross taxable wages for the pay period by that percentage, adds any extra dollar amount the employee requested, and that is the Arizona line on the stub. Filing status, dependents and pay frequency play no part in the calculation.
The menu runs in small steps from 0.5% to 3.5%. A new hire is expected to turn in the form right after starting; until the employer has it, Arizona requires withholding at 2% of gross taxable wages. Because the state income tax itself is a single flat rate on taxable income after deductions, a percentage near the middle of the menu often lands close to the final bill, but the right choice depends on household income and credits (Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election; Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026)).
Gross taxable wages are the federal wages that end up in box one of the federal wage and tax statement. Pre-tax retirement plan deferrals and the employee share of pre-tax health insurance premiums come out before the percentage is applied, while overtime, bonuses and commissions are included. There are no Arizona exemptions to subtract, so a raise changes Arizona withholding in exact proportion.
An employee who expects to owe no Arizona tax for the year can elect zero on the form. That election lasts only for the calendar year: a new form is needed each year to keep it, and without one the employer returns to withholding at the default rate. Arizona has no state disability insurance, no paid family leave payroll deduction and no city or county income tax on wages, so the elected percentage is the only state line on an Arizona paycheck.
The employer's side in Arizona
Arizona employers must keep Form A-4 available to employees at all times, apply the elected percentage to every paycheck, and fall back to the default rate when no form is on file. The employer cost in Arizona is state unemployment insurance, paid to the Department of Economic Security on a short wage base per employee at the new employer rate until the account earns its own rate. There is no employer paid family leave or disability contribution in Arizona.
Every employer also owes federal unemployment tax (FUTA): 6% on the first $7,000 of each employee's wages a year. With the full 5.4% credit for state unemployment tax paid on time, the net rate is 0.6%, at most $42 per employee a year (IRS Topic no. 759, Form 940, Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return).
In Arizona, a new employer pays state unemployment tax at 2% on the first $8,000 of each employee's wages a year (U.S. DOL, Office of Unemployment Insurance: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026). Later the rate follows the employer's own record, so the line in the result is the starting cost, not a fixed one.
Payday and final pay rules in Arizona
- How often wages are paid: Employers must designate two or more fixed paydays in each month, not more than 16 days apart. U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements, footnote 3, checked September 27, 2026
- Final pay after a firing: A discharged employee must be paid wages due within seven working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-353(A), checked September 27, 2026
- Final pay after a resignation: An employee who quits must be paid all wages due no later than the regular payday for the pay period in which the termination occurred; by mail if the employee asks. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-353(B), checked September 27, 2026
The full Arizona rules, with each law quoted: Arizona employment rules. The date a final paycheck is due for a given last day: final paycheck calculator.
Worked examples
Three pay levels for a single filer paid every two weeks, with the default entries of the form, computed with the same code as the calculator.
| Gross pay per paycheck | Federal income tax per paycheck | Social Security and Medicare per paycheck | Arizona deductions per paycheck | Take-home pay per paycheck | Employer cost per paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,200.00 | $60.15 | $91.80 | $24.00 | $1,024.05 | $1,323.00 |
| $2,500.00 | $216.15 | $191.25 | $50.00 | $2,042.60 | $2,756.25 |
| $5,000.00 | $766.69 | $382.50 | $100.00 | $3,750.81 | $5,512.50 |
At $2,500.00 per paycheck the employee takes home $53,107.60 per year, and the employer spends $70,174.50 per year on that job before benefits.
Full time at the Arizona minimum wage of $15.15 per hour (Arizona minimum wage law (U.S. DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws table), checked September 25, 2026), 40 hours per week, is $1,212.00 per paycheck every two weeks: $1,033.46 per paycheck take-home, and $1,336.22 per paycheck for the employer.
Method and sources
- Withholding percentages an employee can elect on Form A-4 for 2026: 0.5%; 1%; 1.5%; 2%; 2.5%; 3%; 3.5%. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Withholding Tax - Individual (Arizona Department of Revenue). two official documents
- Lowest withholding percentage on Form A-4: 0.5%. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Withholding Tax - Individual (Arizona Department of Revenue). two official documents
- Highest withholding percentage on Form A-4: 3.5%. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Withholding Tax - Individual (Arizona Department of Revenue). two official documents
- Default withholding rate when the employee has not filed Form A-4: 2%. Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026), checked August 21, 2026. Second document: Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election. two official documents
- Gross taxable wages are the federal wages in box one of Form W-2, after pre-tax deductions. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026). two official documents
- Election of a zero percentage when no Arizona tax liability is expected. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026). two official documents
- Form A-4 edition for 2026, published January first. Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, checked July 7, 2026. Second document: Arizona Withholding Percentage Election (form page, Arizona Department of Revenue). two official documents
- Statute: each employee elects the amount withheld on a department form; no election means the department percentage. Arizona Revised Statutes 43-401, Withholding tax; rates; election by employee, checked September 29, 2026. single official source
Federal figures used on every Pay Desk page:
- Pub 15-T edition: for use in 2026 (wages paid from January 1, 2026). Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods, checked September 29, 2026. single official source
- Social Security tax rate withheld from the employee (the employer pays the same): 6.2%. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, checked September 29, 2026. Second document: Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. two official documents
- Social Security wage base for 2026: $184,500. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, checked September 29, 2026. Second document: Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. two official documents
- Medicare tax rate withheld from the employee (the employer pays the same): 1.45%. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, checked September 29, 2026. Second document: Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. two official documents
- Per paycheck and per year. Per paycheck is one paycheck early in the year, before any yearly wage base is reached; per year is the full year at this pay with every wage base applied (Social Security, unemployment tax and any capped state contribution).
- Forms W-4 from before 2020. Not covered: the federal line follows Worksheet 1A for the 2020 and later form.
- Tax year 2027. When this page was checked (September 29, 2026) the IRS had not published the 2027 withholding tables (IRS page of forms and publications posted before release), so the calculator stays on tax year 2026.
- What it leaves out. Local taxes the form does not ask for, workers' compensation insurance, benefits the employer pays, and supplemental pay such as bonuses.
Questions people ask
What percentage should be withheld for Arizona state tax?
The employee chooses it on Form A-4, from 0.5% to 3.5% of gross taxable wages. With no form on file the employer withholds 2% (Arizona Form A-4 (2026), Employee's Arizona Withholding Election; Employer's Instructions for the Employee's Arizona Withholding Election, Arizona Form A-4 (2026)).
Does my filing status or number of dependents change Arizona withholding?
No. Arizona withholding is only the elected percentage times gross taxable wages, plus any extra dollar amount; the form has no status or allowance lines.
Can I have nothing withheld for Arizona?
Yes, if you expect no Arizona tax liability for the year you can elect zero on Form A-4. The election has to be renewed every year.
Are pre-tax retirement plan contributions subject to Arizona withholding?
No. The percentage applies to gross taxable wages, the federal box one figure, which already excludes pre-tax retirement deferrals and pre-tax health premiums.
Do Phoenix or Tucson take a city income tax from paychecks?
No. Arizona cities and counties do not tax wages, so the Arizona percentage is the only state or local income tax on the paycheck.
General information, not legal advice. Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Report an error