Wisconsin Paycheck Calculator

Four tax lines come out of a Wisconsin paycheck: federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500), Medicare (1.45%), and Wisconsin state withholding. Wisconsin has no city or county income taxes and no state disability, paid-leave, or long-term care premium. Any other deductions on your stub are your own elections: 401(k), health premiums, HSA, and similar benefits.

The W-166 formula annualizes your pay and subtracts a sliding standard deduction: $6,702 for single and head of household filers, reduced by 12 cents for every dollar of wages over $17,780 and gone at $73,630; or $9,461 for married filers, reduced by 20 cents per dollar over $25,727 and gone at $73,032. It then subtracts $400 for each exemption on your Form WT-4 and applies the schedule: 3.54% to $12,760, 4.65% to $25,520, 5.30% to $280,950, and 7.65% above. The same schedule applies to every filing status.

This withholding schedule is separate from Wisconsin's annual income tax brackets of 3.50%, 4.40%, 5.30%, and 7.65% for 2026. The Department of Revenue has not reset the withholding constants since January 1, 2022, so the two lower withholding rates sit above the rates you owe at filing, and the difference comes back as a refund. New hires must complete Wisconsin's own Form WT-4; without one on file, employers withhold at zero exemptions.

Bonuses paid separately can be withheld with regular wages or at a flat 3.54%, 4.65%, 5.30%, or 7.65% depending on your estimated annual salary band; this site's bonus calculator applies 4.65% for Wisconsin. Wisconsin has reciprocity with Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan: residents of those states who work in Wisconsin file Form W-220 with their employer to stop Wisconsin withholding and pay their home state instead. The 2026 W-166 made no change to the withholding formula.