$42,000 a Year After Taxes (2026)
A $42,000 salary leaves a single filer roughly $32,826 to $35,927 in take-home pay for 2026, depending on your state - after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax.
No-income-tax state
$35,927
e.g. Texas, Florida - $2,994/mo
California
$35,111
$816 state tax - $2,926/mo
New York
$34,256
$1,671 state tax - $2,855/mo
Estimate only - not tax advice. Single filer, standard deduction, no 401(k)/HSA, no local city taxes. Use the interactive calculator for your exact numbers.
What $42,000 a year looks like per paycheck
Your gross pay is the same everywhere; take-home below is shown for a no-income-tax state (the best case) - states with an income tax keep less.
| Pay period | Gross (before tax) | Take-home (no-tax state) |
|---|---|---|
| Per year | $42,000 | $35,927 |
| Per month | $3,500 | $2,994 |
| Every 2 weeks | $1,615.38 | $1,381.81 |
| Per week | $807.69 | $690.90 |
| Per hour (2,080 h/yr) | $20.19 | $17.27 |
Hourly assumes a 40-hour week (2,080 paid hours a year). Overtime, unpaid leave, and pre-tax benefits will change it.
$42,000 after taxes in every state (2026)
Estimated single-filer take-home for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., sorted from highest take-home to lowest. The nine no-income-tax states share the top spot ($35,927); Oregon is lowest at $32,826. Tap a state for its full paycheck calculator.
| State | Take-home / yr | Take-home / mo | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaskano state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Floridano state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Nevadano state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| New Hampshireno state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| North Dakota | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| South Dakotano state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Tennesseeno state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Texasno state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Washingtonno state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Wyomingno state tax | $35,927 | $2,994 | 14.5% |
| Ohio | $35,488 | $2,957 | 15.5% |
| South Carolina | $35,390 | $2,949 | 15.7% |
| Arizona | $35,280 | $2,940 | 16.0% |
| New Jersey | $35,154 | $2,930 | 16.3% |
| California | $35,111 | $2,926 | 16.4% |
| New Mexico | $35,088 | $2,924 | 16.5% |
| Louisiana | $35,053 | $2,921 | 16.5% |
| Mississippi | $34,979 | $2,915 | 16.7% |
| Rhode Island | $34,969 | $2,914 | 16.7% |
| Vermont | $34,954 | $2,913 | 16.8% |
| Iowa | $34,943 | $2,912 | 16.8% |
| Missouri | $34,890 | $2,908 | 16.9% |
| West Virginia | $34,821 | $2,902 | 17.1% |
| Idaho | $34,809 | $2,901 | 17.1% |
| Colorado | $34,787 | $2,899 | 17.2% |
| North Carolina | $34,760 | $2,897 | 17.2% |
| Wisconsin | $34,744 | $2,895 | 17.3% |
| Nebraska | $34,720 | $2,893 | 17.3% |
| Indiana | $34,718 | $2,893 | 17.3% |
| Montana | $34,710 | $2,892 | 17.4% |
| Pennsylvania | $34,638 | $2,886 | 17.5% |
| Oklahoma | $34,583 | $2,882 | 17.7% |
| Kentucky | $34,575 | $2,881 | 17.7% |
| Washington, D.C. | $34,573 | $2,881 | 17.7% |
| Arkansas | $34,543 | $2,879 | 17.8% |
| Minnesota | $34,499 | $2,875 | 17.9% |
| Hawaii | $34,466 | $2,872 | 17.9% |
| Georgia | $34,430 | $2,869 | 18.0% |
| Michigan | $34,393 | $2,866 | 18.1% |
| Kansas | $34,383 | $2,865 | 18.1% |
| Virginia | $34,326 | $2,861 | 18.3% |
| Maryland | $34,296 | $2,858 | 18.3% |
| Connecticut | $34,287 | $2,857 | 18.4% |
| Maine | $34,274 | $2,856 | 18.4% |
| New York | $34,256 | $2,855 | 18.4% |
| Delaware | $34,163 | $2,847 | 18.7% |
| Alabama | $34,092 | $2,841 | 18.8% |
| Massachusetts | $34,047 | $2,837 | 18.9% |
| Utah | $34,037 | $2,836 | 19.0% |
| Illinois | $33,993 | $2,833 | 19.1% |
| Oregon | $32,826 | $2,735 | 21.8% |
State figure is state income tax only; some cities and counties add a local income tax. See each state page for the details.
Single vs married filing jointly
On a single $42,000 income, married filing jointly keeps about $37,807 in a no-income-tax state - roughly $1,880 more than filing single, because the joint federal brackets and standard deduction are wider. If both spouses earn, add the incomes together and check the joint brackets - two similar salaries can push more income into higher brackets.
Is $42,000 a good salary?
$42,000 a year is a solid entry-to-mid income - around the median for an individual full-time worker, though still under the roughly $80,000 US median household income. It is comfortable for a single person across much of the country and modest in high-cost metros.
Want the mechanics? See how brackets actually work in ourmarginal vs effective rate guide.
See $42,000 after taxes in your state
Jump straight into a state's full paycheck calculator (single or married), or open the main calculator to try any salary.
$42,000 after taxes - FAQ
How much is $42,000 a year after taxes?
A $42,000 salary is about $32,826 to $35,927 after taxes for a single filer in 2026, depending on your state. In a no-income-tax state like Texas or Florida you keep about $35,927; California leaves about $35,111 and New York about $34,256. That is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax.
How much is $42,000 a year per month after taxes?
About $2,994 a month in a no-income-tax state, down to roughly $2,926 in a high-tax state like California. Before any tax, $42,000 a year works out to $3,500 a month.
How much is $42,000 a year per hour?
On a standard 2,080-hour work year (40 hours a week), $42,000 is about $20.19 an hour before tax. After federal tax and FICA, that is roughly $17.27 an hour in a no-income-tax state.
Is $42,000 a good salary?
$42,000 a year is a solid entry-to-mid income - around the median for an individual full-time worker, though still under the roughly $80,000 US median household income. It is comfortable for a single person across much of the country and modest in high-cost metros.
Sources & last reviewed
- Federal brackets + standard deduction: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (tax year 2026).
- FICA: IRS Topic No. 751 & 560 (Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500; Medicare 1.45%; +0.9% over $200k single / $250k joint).
- State rates + brackets: Tax Foundation, "2026 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets" (Feb 2026), cross-checked per state.
- Mid-2026 law changes verified against primary sources: Arkansas HB 1001 (May 2026), West Virginia Tax Division (June 2026 rate cut), South Carolina DOR H.4216, Georgia HB 463, Hawaii DoTax (Act 46).
- Last full review: 2026-07-02. Rates change - we update when they do.
- Take-home figures computed with GrowMoneyy's 2026 tax engine (federal + FICA + state). Reviewed 2026-07-02. Estimate only - not tax advice.