Sources verified · May 18, 2026

What does the move do to your paycheck?

Enter your paycheck and the state you're moving to. We'll show take-home on each side, the monthly and annual difference, and confirm that state income tax + SDI is the only thing actually shifting — the rest is constant.

Your current state

As it appears on the pay stub, before any taxes or deductions.

401(k), HSA, health premiums (per paycheck).

Roth 401(k), garnishments, after-tax benefits.

If you've asked your employer to take out extra tax each paycheck. Most people leave this blank.

The state you're moving to

As it appears on the pay stub, before any taxes or deductions.

401(k), HSA, health premiums (per paycheck).

Roth 401(k), garnishments, after-tax benefits.

If you've asked your employer to take out extra tax each paycheck. Most people leave this blank.

Cost of living — optional

Take-home above is the paycheck math. Enter how the new state's day-to-day cost compares and the result adds a real take-home (purchasing-power) estimate — so a nominal raise that's a real-terms cut shows up.

Positive = more expensive, negative = cheaper. Try a cost-of-living calculator. Leave blank to skip.

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New here? See it work with example numbers:

What this tool does and doesn’t do

  • Does: run federal, FICA, and per-state withholding math on the same paycheck under two state regimes using the published 2026 tables. Federal + FICA are by construction identical across the two sides; the take-home delta is fully attributable to state income tax and state disability insurance (SDI / PFL) where applicable. If you enter a cost-of-living difference, it also shows a real (purchasing-power) take-home estimate.
  • Doesn’t yet: city/county / local income taxes, remote-work sourcing rules (which state taxes wages worked across state lines), sales-tax or property-tax line items, healthcare costs by state, or any non-paycheck implication of moving. The cost-of-living input is a single blended percentage, not a per-category breakdown.
  • This is a planning estimate. It is not relocation guidance, not tax advice, and is only one factor in a move decision. State-tax is rarely the deciding factor by itself — pair this with cost-of-living research before committing.