Pennsylvania Income Tax
Estimate onlyPennsylvania taxes income at a single flat rate. Here's how the state's system works and where to find its current rates — plus the federal tax that applies wherever you live.
Reviewed by the ClearTally editorial team · Last updated July 4, 2026 · Methodology & sources
These state figures are being re-verified
We found our state bracket data lagging behind the current tax year, so the state figures on this page may be out of date — where they're wrong, they tend to overstate the tax owed. We're re-sourcing all 51 schedules against each state's published rates. Federal figures were re-verified and corrected and are current. Until this notice goes, treat the state number as indicative and check your state's department of revenue before relying on it.
Tax structure
flat
Local income tax
Yes
Current Pennsylvania rates and brackets
We publish precise brackets only for the states we actively verify, because a stale tax figure is worse than no figure. Pennsylvaniaisn't one of them, so for the rates in force right now go to the Pennsylvaniadepartment of revenue — it's the authority, and it's current by definition. What's on this page is the part that doesn't change from year to year.
Federal income tax and FICA are current on this site — estimate those with the income tax calculator or the take-home pay calculator.
About Pennsylvania income tax
Pennsylvania taxes income at a single flat rate. That structure is the part worth understanding, and it changes far less often than the numbers attached to it: a flat system taxes every dollar of taxable income at the same rate, so a raise never moves you into a worse bracket, and high and low earners face the same rate.
State income tax is charged on your taxableincome, not your salary — Pennsylvania's own standard deduction, exemptions and credits come off first, which is why a bill is usually smaller than a quick rate-times-salary calculation suggests. It's also separate from, and on top of, federal income tax and FICA, which apply wherever you live and are typically the larger share.
Local and city income tax in Pennsylvania
The state rate isn't the whole bill here. Some Pennsylvania municipalities levy their own income tax on residents. That sits on top of the state tax, which means two people with identical incomes can owe noticeably different amounts depending only on where they live or work.
Local rates are set municipality by municipality and change more often than state rates do, so this page deliberately doesn't quote a specific local figure — a stale one would be worse than none. Your city, county, or school district website is the authority, and your employer's payroll department will know which local tax is being withheld from your pay. The estimate on this page covers Pennsylvania state tax only.
States with a similar tax rate
States whose income tax works out at a broadly similar level to Pennsylvania's, if you're comparing.
Related tax tools
Pennsylvania income tax questions
Yes. Pennsylvania taxes personal income using a single flat rate applied to all taxable income, on top of the federal income tax and FICA that apply everywhere in the US. Rates and bracket thresholds are set by the state legislature and can change from one tax year to the next, so for the current figures use the Pennsylvania department of revenue, linked on this page.
Because we would rather show you nothing than show you a number that's out of date. State income tax rules change often and sometimes mid-year — South Carolina rewrote its entire rate structure in March 2026, after that year's reference tables had already been published. We publish precise brackets only for the states we actively verify against two published sources. For every other state, including Pennsylvania, we point you to the authoritative source instead.
Yes. Federal income tax and FICA (Social Security and Medicare) apply in every state, and for most people the federal bill is the larger of the two by some distance. Those figures are current on this site and you can estimate them with the income tax and take-home pay calculators.
Start with your taxable income rather than your salary — state tax is charged on income after deductions, so using gross pay overstates it. Then apply the current rate schedule from the Pennsylvania department of revenue. Bear in mind your state's own standard deduction, exemptions and credits reduce the total, and some states also have local or city income taxes charged on top.
Sources & further reading
Pennsylvania figures use the 2026 tax year (PayrollTax API). Estimates for planning only, not tax advice. See https://trycleartally.com/disclaimer.