Calculadora de cheque Washington 2026

Withholding on a Washington paycheck is federal-only on income, but two state-level payroll layers do show up on the stub. WA Cares deducts 0.58% from every paycheck to fund the state's Long-Term Services and Supports Trust (LTSS); the opt-out window for private long-term-care policies closed in 2022 for most current workers. Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) adds another 0.74% premium split between employer and employee, with the employee share roughly 0.43%. Combined, that's about 1% of gross wages flowing to state-level payroll funds, separate from any income tax — small in absolute terms, but it puts Washington's paycheck above Texas/Florida by about $1,000/year at $100K.

Take-home math for a Washington single filer earning 2026 wages: $60,000 → $4,400 federal + $4,590 FICA + ~$606 WA payroll layers = $9,596 total deductions, take-home $50,404 (84%). $100,000 → $11,800 federal + $7,650 FICA + ~$1,010 state payroll = $20,460, take-home $79,540 (80%). $150,000 → $24,000 federal + $9,275 FICA + ~$1,515 state payroll = $34,790, take-home $115,210 (77%). Effective burden runs about 0.5–1 percentage point higher than Texas/Florida for typical W-2 workers because of WA Cares + PFML. RSU sellers triggering more than $270,000 in long-term capital gains in a year add 7% on the excess via the Washington capital gains tax.

Washington's state-level structure is unusual: no income tax on wages, but a 7% long-term capital gains tax on LTCG above $270,000 (the threshold indexes annually). Standard wage earners never see it. Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and Costco employees with sizable vested RSU positions absolutely do — selling $1M of qualified appreciated stock above the $270K threshold creates a $51,100 Washington capital gains bill on top of the federal 20% LTCG + 3.8% NIIT. Washington B&O (Business and Occupation) tax also hits sole proprietors and S-corp pass-throughs at 0.471%–1.5% of gross receipts, an unusual replacement for income tax that catches self-employed Washingtonians off-guard.

The highest-leverage tactic for Washington tech workers is RSU sale-timing across calendar years to stay below the $270,000 capital gains threshold. Selling $250K of Amazon RSUs each December and another $250K each January spreads recognition across two tax years — both below the threshold, both pay $0 Washington capital gains. Selling $500K all at once triggers $16,100 of Washington tax (7% on $230K above the threshold). For Microsoft / Amazon employees with multi-year vest schedules, treating the $270K threshold as an annual budget noticeably changes the after-tax compounding math.