What is different in Tennessee:
- No state income tax on wages — and the old tax on interest and dividends is gone too.
- No local wage tax anywhere in the state.
- Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare work exactly as in every other state.
- Tennessee leans on sales tax instead: 7% at the state level, among the highest in the country.
What a Tennessee paycheck looks like at six salaries
Single filer, paid every two weeks, no 401(k) or other deductions, 2026 figures. Every number below comes from the same tested formulas the calculator above uses.
| Salary | Federal income tax | Social Security + Medicare | Tennessee tax | Take-home / year | Take-home / paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,000 | $3,100 | $3,366 | $0 | $37,534 | $1,443.62 |
| $63,000 | $5,380 | $4,820 | $0 | $52,801 | $2,030.79 |
| $83,000 | $9,430 | $6,350 | $0 | $67,221 | $2,585.40 |
| $107,000 | $14,710 | $8,186 | $0 | $84,105 | $3,234.79 |
| $137,000 | $21,614 | $10,481 | $0 | $104,906 | $4,034.83 |
| $177,000 | $31,214 | $13,541 | $0 | $132,246 | $5,086.37 |
Worked example: $79,000, single, paid biweekly
Single filer, paid every two weeks, 6% of salary to a traditional 401(k) — $182.31 per paycheck, $4,740 a year — in Tennessee.
- Taxable income: $79,000 − $4,740 401(k) − $16,100 standard deduction (single) = $58,160.00.
- Federal income tax on that amount: $7,507.20 a year.
- Social Security: $4,898.00; Medicare: $1,145.50. The 401(k) does not reduce these.
- Tennessee state income tax: $0.
- Take-home: $79,000 − $4,740 − $7,507.20 − $4,898.00 − $1,145.50 = $60,709.30 a year, or $2,334.97 per biweekly paycheck.
Worked example: $19 an hour in Tennessee
A single worker earns $19.00 an hour for 40 hours a week: $19.00 × 40 × 52 = $39,520 a year before tax. After federal income tax ($2,562), Social Security ($2,450) and Medicare ($573), take-home is $33,934 a year — about $1,305.17 per biweekly paycheck.
Tennessee vs Georgia: $83,000
The same single worker earning $83,000, paid biweekly with no 401(k). Tennessee takes $0; Georgia's 5.19% takes $4,308 a year.
| Tennessee | Georgia (5.19% flat) | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $9,430 | $9,430 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,350 | $6,350 |
| State income tax | $0 | $4,308 |
| Take-home per year | $67,221 | $62,913 |
The Georgia worker keeps $4,308 less per year than the Tennessee worker — about $165.68 per paycheck. To compare every no-tax and flat-tax state side by side, see take-home pay by state. Also see our Georgia paycheck calculator.
What Tennessee does not tax — and what it does
Tennessee finished the job most no-tax states never started: it repealed its Hall tax on interest and dividends, so now no income of any kind is taxed. The trade is a 7% state sales tax — among the highest in America — plus local add-ons that push many areas past 9.5%. Your paycheck, though, is just federal tax plus FICA.
What this page leaves out
Child and dependent credits, itemized deductions, health premiums, 401(k) contributions beyond the examples above, bonuses and overtime are not in the simplified calculator — the full paycheck calculator covers all of them, with Tennessee as the "no state income tax" option. For exact figures use your employer's payroll system or the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Sources and review
Brackets and standard deductions come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. The Social Security wage base comes from the Social Security Administration, and the Tennessee tax facts are confirmed by the Tax Foundation's 2026 state rates. Last reviewed September 2026. See our methodology for how every figure is checked.