Paycheck Calculator Arkansas.
Arkansas has a low top rate and a genuinely odd structure. Both matter to what lands in your account.
Start with $69,450 after your 401(k) and health premium. Subtract the $2,470 standard deduction. That leaves $66,980 taxed at graduated, 0% to 3.9%.
Effective Arkansas rate: 3.13% of gross pay. Using 2026 rates.
The rate, and what it actually costs you
Arkansas taxes wage income on a graduated schedule topping out at 3.9%, which is one of the lower top rates among states that tax income at all. The first band is taxed at zero, then rates step up through 2%, 3%, and 3.4% before reaching 3.9%.
The unusual part is that Arkansas runs two entirely separate rate schedules depending on how much you earn. Filers with net income at or below $92,300 use one table, with the graduated steps described above. Filers above that threshold use a different two-bracket table, along with a bracket adjustment for income between roughly $89,600 and $92,700 that smooths the transition. Most wage earners use the first table, which is what this page models.
Arkansas also structures its personal exemption as a flat credit rather than a deduction. Instead of reducing your taxable income, it takes $29 straight off the tax owed for a single filer. On a middle income that is a rounding error, but it is why Arkansas figures never quite match a simple bracket calculation.
What Arkansas takes instead
Arkansas's low top rate does not translate into the lowest bill among its neighbors. On a $75,000 salary with a 5% 401(k) and a $150 monthly health premium, the effective Arkansas state rate comes out near 2.9% of gross, above both Louisiana at about 2.3% and Mississippi at about 2.7%, despite Arkansas having a lower top rate than Mississippi. The reason is the deduction: Arkansas gives a single filer $2,470, against Louisiana's $12,875.
Arkansas indexes its bracket thresholds for inflation each year, so the steps move slightly. The figures used here are the most recently published inflation-adjusted amounts, and the state had not released updated thresholds for 2026 when this data was compiled, so treat the boundaries as close rather than exact.
There is no local income tax in Arkansas and no state disability withholding.
If your income is anywhere near $92,300, it is worth understanding which rate schedule applies to you, because the two tables are genuinely different rather than a continuation of each other. That is the one place where an Arkansas paycheck estimate can go meaningfully wrong.
Common questions
How much state income tax does Arkansas take?
Arkansas applies graduated, 0% to 3.9%. What you actually pay depends on the deductions that come first, which is why the effective rate is lower than the headline rate. Run your own salary through the calculator above to see the real figure.
Does my 401(k) contribution lower my Social Security and Medicare tax?
No, and this trips up most calculators. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce your income tax but you still pay Social Security and Medicare on that money. Pre-tax health premiums work the other way: they come out before FICA is figured. Both rules are applied above.
Which tax year does this use?
Federal figures use the 2026 brackets, standard deduction, and Social Security wage base. State figures use 2026 rates, verified on 2026-08-15. Source: Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 (published 2026-02-17, statutes as of 2026-02-11).
Is this exact enough to plan around?
It is an estimate, and a careful one, but it models a straightforward wage earner taking the standard deduction. It does not handle itemised deductions, dependents, multiple jobs, head of household, self-employment income, or local income taxes. For anything with moving parts, talk to a tax professional.