$15 an hour after taxes in Washington
$15.00 an hour is about $27,249 a year after federal taxes and Washington state tax — roughly $2,271 a month take-home. That's an estimated 12.7% of gross pay going to income tax, Social Security, and Medicare.
Take-home from $15/hour
$27,249 / year
$2,271 a month · $1,048.05 per bi-weekly paycheck
| Gross pay | $31,200.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | −$1,564.00 |
| Washington income tax | −$0.00 |
| Social Security | −$1,934.40 |
| Medicare | −$452.40 |
| Net (take-home) | $27,249.20 |
Effective tax + FICA rate: 12.7% · Assumes 40 hrs/week, single filer, Washington.
Estimate only. Excludes local/city taxes, W-4 adjustments, and other withholdings. This is not tax advice.
$15.00 an hour is close to what a typical U.S. full-time worker earns. Over a year of 40-hour weeks that is $31,200 before taxes.
At this level most of your income falls in the 10% and 12% federal brackets after the standard deduction. Contributing to a 401(k) or HSA lowers the income that's taxed (though not the Social Security and Medicare portion), so pre-tax deductions are one of the few levers that noticeably change take-home pay here.
Washington note: No individual income tax on wages. Washington levies a separate capital-gains excise tax that does not apply to wage or salary income.