Connecticut Paycheck Calculator 2026: Estimate Your Take-Home Pay
Enter your pay and the choices on your W-4 and CT-W4 to estimate each paycheck in 2026. It follows the IRS and CT DRS withholding formulas, but your employer’s payroll system will differ by a few dollars.
Estimates for education only, not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
What comes out of a Connecticut paycheck
Your gross pay is what you earn before anything comes out. Your take-home pay is what lands in your bank account. In Connecticut, five things usually come between them, plus any benefits you choose.
1. Federal income tax withholding
Your employer works this out from your Form W-4 using the IRS Publication 15-T formulas. For 2026 these build in the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household) and the 10% to 37% brackets. Checking the Step 2 box makes withholding higher, which is right when you have two jobs or both spouses work.
2. Social Security (6.2%)
6.2% of your wages up to $184,500 in 2026. Above that, it stops for the rest of the year.
3. Medicare (1.45%)
1.45% of all wages, plus an extra 0.9% that your employer must withhold once your wages pass $200,000 for the year.
4. Connecticut income tax withholding
Connecticut’s rates run from 2% to 6.99%. Withholding depends on the code on your Form CT-W4. The personal exemption and credits shrink as pay rises, so CT withholding climbs faster than your pay at higher incomes. Married couples who both work and earn over $100,500 combined use Code D, which skips the exemption and credit. If you never turn in a CT-W4, your employer must withhold a flat 6.99% with no exemption, which is usually far too much.
5. CT Paid Leave (0.5%)
Connecticut’s paid family and medical leave program is funded by a 0.5% employee contribution on wages up to the Social Security wage base. It pays for up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement for your own serious illness, a new child or caring for a family member.
Pre-tax deductions
Traditional 401(k) or 403(b) contributions lower federal and Connecticut income tax but not Social Security or Medicare. Health premiums, HSA and FSA contributions through a cafeteria plan generally lower all of them.
Getting withholding right
Withholding is only an estimate of the tax you’ll owe at filing. A big refund means you lent the government money interest-free. A balance due can come with a penalty. After a raise, marriage, a new baby or a second job, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator and CT DRS’s “Is My Connecticut Withholding Correct?” guide, or ask us to check it for you.
Frequently asked questions
How much is taken out of a paycheck in Connecticut?
It depends on your pay and your W-4 and CT-W4 choices. For a single person earning $60,000 and paid every two weeks, about 20% of gross pay goes to federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, CT income tax and CT Paid Leave. Use the calculator for your own numbers.
What is the CT Paid Leave deduction on my paycheck?
It’s Connecticut’s employee-paid contribution for paid family and medical leave: 0.5% of wages, up to the Social Security wage base ($184,500 in 2026). Employers withhold it and send it to the CT Paid Leave Authority.
Which CT-W4 code should I use?
Use the chart on Form CT-W4. In short: F for single filers earning over $15,000; B for head of household over $19,000; C for married filing jointly when your spouse doesn’t work; A when both spouses work and combined income is $24,000 to $100,500 (and for married filing separately); D when both work and combined income is over $100,500, or you want extra withholding; E if no withholding is needed. With no CT-W4 on file, your employer must withhold a flat 6.99%.
Why is my real paycheck a little different?
Payroll systems round differently, may use the IRS wage-bracket tables instead of the formula, and apply year-to-date limits (Social Security stops at the wage base). Bonuses and overtime may be withheld at flat supplemental rates.
Does Connecticut have local income taxes?
No. Connecticut cities and towns don’t levy a local income tax, so there’s nothing extra to withhold for Danbury or any other town.
Sources and assumptions (updated Oct 2026)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026): Worksheet 1A and the 2026 Annual Percentage Method tables (standard and Step 2 checkbox schedules); line 1g amount $12,900 (married filing jointly) or $8,600 (all others) when the Step 2 box isn’t checked.
- SSA 2026 fact sheet: Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500; Medicare 1.45%. IRS Topic 560: 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld on wages over $200,000.
- CT DRS Form TPG-211, Withholding Calculation Rules effective January 1, 2026 (unchanged from 2025): Tables A–E by CT-W4 code (A, B, C, D, F). CT DRS withholding forms.
- Form CT-W4 (2026): withholding code chart; employers must withhold at 6.99% with no exemption for an employee who doesn’t complete a CT-W4.
- CT Paid Leave Authority: 0.5% employee contribution for 2026, up to the Social Security contribution limit.
- Simplifications: pay is assumed equal every period, with no overtime, bonuses or tips; Social Security, Medicare and CT Paid Leave are spread evenly over the year rather than stopping or starting mid-year; CT Paid Leave is figured on the same wages as FICA; federal withholding isn’t rounded to whole dollars; CT-W4 line 3 (reduced withholding) and the 2019-and-earlier W-4 aren’t modeled.
Estimates for education only, not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Questions about your numbers? Talk them through with a Danbury tax preparer, free for 15 minutes.