Take-home pay compared · Tax year 2026
Idaho vs Washington taxes
On a low salary Washington's two payroll premiums cost about as much as Idaho's income tax. From there Idaho's tax grows faster, and Washington keeps more.
Idaho
$2,258.69
take-home a paycheck · $58,726 a year
Effective tax rate 21.7%
Washington
$2,328.94
take-home a paycheck · $60,552 a year
Effective tax rate 19.3%
On $75,000, you keep $1,826 more a year in Washington than in Idaho. That is $70.25 a paycheck, paid every two weeks.
| Deduction | Idaho | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | −$295.00 | −$295.00 |
| Social Security & Medicare | −$220.67 | −$220.67 |
| State income tax | −$110.26 | None |
| State payroll deductionsWA: PFML, WA Cares long-term care | None | −$40.01 |
| Total tax | −$625.93 | −$555.68 |
| Take-home | $2,258.69 | $2,328.94 |
Income and payroll taxes only, for wage income with no pre-tax deductions or dependents. Full working for each side: Idaho paycheck calculator · Washington paycheck calculator.
Idaho and Washington side by side, 2026
| Idaho | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 5.3% flat | None |
| Standard deduction (single) | $16,100 | — |
| Payroll deductions | None | PFML 0.807% · WA Cares long-term care 0.58% |
Take-home at every salary
| Salary | Idaho | Washington | Difference | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $25,803 | $25,869 | $66 | Washington |
| $40,000 | $33,308 | $33,765 | $457 | Washington |
| $50,000 | $40,813 | $41,661 | $848 | Washington |
| $60,000 | $48,318 | $49,558 | $1,239 | Washington |
| $75,000 | $58,726 | $60,552 | $1,826 | Washington |
| $100,000 | $74,988 | $77,793 | $2,805 | Washington |
| $125,000 | $91,187 | $94,970 | $3,783 | Washington |
| $150,000 | $106,949 | $111,710 | $4,761 | Washington |
| $200,000 | $139,435 | $146,278 | $6,843 | Washington |
| $250,000 | $171,040 | $180,243 | $9,203 | Washington |
| $500,000 | $315,085 | $336,088 | $21,003 | Washington |
| Salary | Idaho | Washington | Difference | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $51,607 | $51,738 | $131 | Washington |
| $80,000 | $66,617 | $67,530 | $914 | Washington |
| $100,000 | $81,627 | $83,323 | $1,696 | Washington |
| $150,000 | $117,452 | $121,104 | $3,653 | Washington |
| $200,000 | $150,938 | $156,672 | $5,734 | Washington |
| $250,000 | $186,435 | $194,529 | $8,094 | Washington |
| $300,000 | $220,610 | $231,064 | $10,454 | Washington |
| $400,000 | $288,960 | $304,134 | $15,174 | Washington |
| $500,000 | $352,170 | $372,064 | $19,894 | Washington |
Where the difference comes from
Idaho takes income tax and nothing else. Washington takes no income tax but two payroll premiums. Which costs more depends on the salary.
Idaho charges a flat 5.3% on federal taxable income, so the federal standard deduction of $16,100 comes off first, and the next $4,811 is taxed at nothing. On $75,000 that comes to $2,867.
Washington withholds paid family and medical leave at 0.807% of wages up to $184,500, and WA Cares at 0.58% of every dollar with no cap. On $75,000 the two come to $1,040.
So a single filer keeps $1,826 more in Washington on $75,000.
Level at the bottom, apart at the top
On a low salary the federal deduction and Idaho’s zero band shelter most of the income, while Washington’s premiums apply from the first dollar. The two come out close: Idaho keeps more below about $29,000 for a single filer, and below about $57,000 for a couple filing jointly.
Above that, Idaho’s 5.3% grows faster than Washington’s 1.39% of combined premiums, and the paid leave premium stops at its wage cap. Washington keeps $4,761 more on $150,000 and $9,203 on $250,000.
Across the state line
Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Pullman and Moscow, and Clarkston and Lewiston all sit close to the line, and the figures above assume you live and work on the same side of it. Washington’s premiums follow the job, not the home. The Employment Security Department says the paid leave premium is withheld from someone who lives out of state but works in Washington, and not from a Washington resident who works entirely out of state. WA Cares offers an exemption to people who live outside Washington, but it has to be applied for.
How Idaho taxes wages earned across the line is set by Idaho’s own rules for residents and nonresidents, and a two-state return is not modeled here.
What the take-home figure does not count
Idaho charges full sales tax on groceries and gives back a refundable grocery credit on the income tax return, which is not in these figures. Washington relies on some of the highest sales taxes in the country, and taxes large long-term capital gains, which does not touch wages. Property tax and housing costs are not included either. This page compares only what is taken from wages.
Questions people ask
- Do you take home more in Idaho or Washington on $75,000?
- Washington, by $1,826 a year, or $152 a month, for a single filer in 2026. That counts federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax and every state payroll deduction.
- Is the difference the same at every salary?
- No, but the same side stays ahead. The gap is $66 a year at $30,000 and $9,203 at $250,000, for a single filer.
- I live in Idaho and work in Spokane. Do Washington's premiums come out of my pay?
- The paid family and medical leave premium does. It follows where the work is done, so someone who lives out of state but works in Washington pays it. WA Cares is withheld too, but people who live outside Washington can apply for an exemption, which takes effect on the first day of the quarter after it is approved.
- What is WA Cares?
- Washington's long-term care program. It takes 0.58% of every dollar of wages, paid entirely by the employee, with no wage cap. Besides the exemption for people who live out of state, there are exemptions for some military families and veterans, and a narrow one for people who held qualifying private long-term care cover before the 2022 deadline.
- Does Idaho have local income taxes or payroll deductions?
- No. No Idaho city or county levies an income tax, Idaho's unemployment insurance is paid by employers, and the state runs no paid leave or disability program. The only state deduction from an Idaho paycheck is income tax.
What this comparison covers
Income tax and payroll deductions on wages: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax, every state payroll deduction. It does not compare sales tax, property tax, housing or the cost of living, which can outweigh the difference in take-home pay. Figures assume the standard deduction, no dependents and no pre-tax retirement contributions. See how we calculate.
Where the Idaho figures come from
Every Idaho number on this page was read from the documents below — the state's own, not a summary of them. Nothing here is estimated. If a figure looks wrong, the source is one click away, and we would rather you checked.
- Individual Income Taxtax.idaho.gov
The flat rate, the zero-rated first band, and Idaho's use of the federal standard deduction.
- Idaho Unemployment Insurance Tax Information: Handbook for Businesseslabor.idaho.gov
That state unemployment tax is an employer-paid tax.
Where the Washington figures come from
Every Washington number on this page was read from the documents below — the state's own, not a summary of them. Nothing here is estimated. If a figure looks wrong, the source is one click away, and we would rather you checked.
- Paid Family and Medical Leave: employerspaidleave.wa.gov
The 2026 PFML premium, the employee's share of it, and the Social Security wage cap.
- WA Cares Fundwacaresfund.wa.gov
The WA Cares long-term care contribution, paid entirely by the employee and with no wage cap at all.