Your full 2026 tax picture as a Iowa employee: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and Iowa state income tax — computed live from the official 2026 tables, with every slice shown.
State: Iowa (locked — use the state links above for another state).
Figure A Where each $100 of gross pay goes
Only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate. Your highest slices are highlighted; the totals are exactly what the calculator above used.
| Slice of taxable income | Amount in slice | Rate | Tax on slice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | |||
| Slice 1 — $0 to $12,400 | $12,400 | 10% | $1,240 |
| Slice 2 — $12,400 to $50,400 | $38,000 | 12% | $4,560 |
| Slice 3 — $50,400 to $58,900 | $8,500 | 22% | $1,870 |
| Federal income tax | $7,670 | ||
| Iowa | |||
| Slice 1 — $0 to $58,900 | $58,900 | 3.8% | $2,238 |
| Less: state exemption credit | -$40 | ||
| Iowa income tax | $2,198 | ||
The solid line is what you keep in Iowa; the dashed line is the median of all 51 jurisdictions at the same salary (single filer). Where the lines cross is where Iowa stops being the better deal.
Figure B Take-home pay as salary rises
If every dollar you earned from January 1 went to tax, this is the day you'd stop paying and start keeping.
Figure C The tax year, day by day
You work until Mar 17 — day 76 of 365 — to pay your total 2026 tax bill of $15,606. Everything you earn after that is yours.
On $75,000, a single filer here keeps $59,394. The median state keeps $59,018 — you are $377 ahead. See all 51 states ranked by take-home pay.
| Salary | Federal tax | State tax | Social + Medicare | Total tax | Take-home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $868 | $3,060 | $6,548 | $33,452 | 16.4% |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $1,248 | $3,825 | $8,893 | $41,107 | 17.8% |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $2,198 | $5,738 | $15,606 | $59,394 | 20.8% |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $3,148 | $7,650 | $23,968 | $76,032 | 24.0% |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $5,048 | $11,475 | $41,257 | $108,743 | 27.5% |
| $200,000 | $36,734 | $6,948 | $14,339 | $58,021 | $141,979 | 29.0% |
Single filer, no pre-tax deductions. The $75,000 row is the calculator's default above.
The state-specific rules behind the numbers above — the things a generic calculator gets wrong about Iowa.
Iowa completed one of the fastest tax transformations in the country: a top graduated rate of 8.53% in 2022 became a single flat 3.80% from 1 January 2025, after 2024 legislation accelerated the flat rate a year ahead of the original schedule. The 3.80% rate carries unchanged into 2026.
Source: Iowa Code § 422.5; Iowa Department of Revenue, 2026 individual income tax rates announcement
Since tax year 2023, Iowa excludes all retirement income for taxpayers who are 55 or older, disabled, or a surviving spouse of someone who qualified: pensions including IPERS, 401(k), 403(b) and 457 distributions, IRA withdrawals, annuities and Roth conversions, with no dollar cap. Social Security is exempt for everyone regardless of age, as is military retirement pay. Wages, rent and investment income remain taxable at 3.80%.
Source: House File 2317 (2022); Iowa Department of Revenue, Retirement Income Tax Guidance; Iowa Code § 422.7
Iowa's personal exemption is not a deduction at all: it is a $40 credit per exemption subtracted directly from the tax owed. Combined with a standard deduction that mirrors the federal amount ($16,100 single for 2026), the exemption's effect is small but it applies per person and per dependent.
Source: Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets 2026
Where you live inside Iowa changes your bill: many school districts impose an income surtax expressed as a percentage of your state tax liability, up to 20% in the highest districts, and some counties add an EMS surtax. See the local tax notes below.
Source: Iowa Department of Revenue, IA 1040 line 19 guidance
Many Iowa school districts levy an income surtax calculated as a percentage of your state income tax liability (not of income), with rates varying widely by district and reaching 20% of state liability in the highest districts; some districts levy none. Some counties also levy an Emergency Medical Services income surtax. Both are reported on the IA 1040 (line 19) and depend on the district you live in, so two Iowans with identical incomes can owe different surtaxes.
Source: Tax Foundation — State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
3.80% flat on all taxable income for 2026 — no brackets. On a $75,000 salary for a single filer, this page's calculator puts Iowa state tax at $2,198, with net pay of $59,394 after federal tax of $7,670 and FICA of $5,738 (total tax $15,606).
Iowa mirrors the federal standard deduction — $16,100 for a single filer in 2026 — and gives a small $40 personal exemption credit per person against the tax itself, rather than a deduction.
No. Social Security is fully exempt for everyone, and since 2023 all other retirement income — pensions, IPERS, 401(k), 403(b), 457 and IRA distributions — is exempt too if you are 55 or older, disabled, or a qualifying surviving spouse. Under-55 distributions that are not disability-related can still be taxed.
By school district. Many Iowa districts add an income surtax calculated as a percentage of your state tax liability — up to 20% of that liability in the highest districts — and some counties add an emergency medical services surtax. Both appear on the IA 1040.
Iowa replaced its graduated brackets (top rate 8.53% in 2022) with a single 3.80% rate from 1 January 2025, under a 2024 law that brought the flat rate in a year ahead of the original schedule. It stays 3.80% for 2026.
Only on income that is still taxable — wages, interest, dividends, capital gains and rent are taxed at 3.80%. Qualifying retirement income itself is excluded before the rate applies, so it generates no Iowa tax for the surtax to be calculated on in the usual case.
Calculate Iowa income tax for 2026: federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Iowa state tax on any salary — take-home pay, effective and marginal rates, bracket breakdown and Tax Freedom Day.
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Work out your 2026 take-home pay in Iowa: federal income tax on the official 2026 brackets, Social Security and Medicare, and Iowa state income tax on its own published schedule — with net pay, monthly net, your average and marginal rates, a bracket-by-bracket build and your Tax Freedom Day. Rates checked 31 October 2026; all figures are for the 2026 tax year.
Single filer on $75,000 in Iowa, 2026. Federal income tax is $7,670.00. Iowa income tax is $2,198.20, on taxable income after the $16,100 standard deduction. Social Security and Medicare together are $5,737.50. Total tax is $15,605.70, so take-home pay is $59,394.30 a year — $4,950 a month — at an average rate of 20.8% and a marginal rate of 33.5%.
Federal tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 ($16,100 single, $32,200 joint), Social Security is 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base and Medicare 1.45% with the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax over $200,000 (single). Iowa taxes taxable income at a flat 3.8%. The standard deduction is $16,100.00 for a single filer (the federal amount — this state conforms to it). Each layer is computed slice by slice on taxable income — gross minus the standard deduction and any pre-tax amounts you enter — and state credits in the dataset are subtracted from the tax itself. Sources for every state figure are printed on the calculator page.
3.80% flat on all taxable income for 2026 — no brackets. On a $75,000 salary for a single filer, this page's calculator puts Iowa state tax at $2,198, with net pay of $59,394 after federal tax of $7,670 and FICA of $5,738 (total tax $15,606).
Iowa mirrors the federal standard deduction — $16,100 for a single filer in 2026 — and gives a small $40 personal exemption credit per person against the tax itself, rather than a deduction.
No. Social Security is fully exempt for everyone, and since 2023 all other retirement income — pensions, IPERS, 401(k), 403(b), 457 and IRA distributions — is exempt too if you are 55 or older, disabled, or a qualifying surviving spouse. Under-55 distributions that are not disability-related can still be taxed.
By school district. Many Iowa districts add an income surtax calculated as a percentage of your state tax liability — up to 20% of that liability in the highest districts — and some counties add an emergency medical services surtax. Both appear on the IA 1040.
Iowa replaced its graduated brackets (top rate 8.53% in 2022) with a single 3.80% rate from 1 January 2025, under a 2024 law that brought the flat rate in a year ahead of the original schedule. It stays 3.80% for 2026.
Only on income that is still taxable — wages, interest, dividends, capital gains and rent are taxed at 3.80%. Qualifying retirement income itself is excluded before the rate applies, so it generates no Iowa tax for the surtax to be calculated on in the usual case.
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