Electrician Salary in Indiana (2026)

Electrician OT is structural to the comp model. Union scale at IBEW Local 481 (Indianapolis) journeyman runs $46-56/hr (2026) plus benefits package; Local 305 (Fort Wayne) journeyman $42-52/hr; Local 153 (South Bend) journeyman $42-52/hr. Time-and-a-half OT after 40 hr/week or after 8 hr/day depending on contract; double-time on Sundays + holidays in some agreements. Eli Lilly Lebanon $9B expansion + EV battery manufacturing buildouts routinely require 50-60 hr/week to meet schedule, generating 400-700 OT hours/year — the supplemental $20-40K that pushes journeyman total comp from $90K base to $115-145K all-in.

The 2025 OBBBA law (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) created a federal-only deduction on the premium portion of overtime pay for tax years 2025-2028 — up to $12,500 single / $25,000 MFJ. Premium portion equals the half of time-and-a-half. For an IN Local 481 journeyman with 500 OT hrs/year × $50/hr regular rate = $25,000 total OT compensation, the premium half roughly $8,300 — which fully qualifies for OBBBA federal deduction at single filer up to the cap. Federal savings 22% bracket × $8,300 = $1,830/year federal back.

Indiana has not formally conformed to OBBBA at the state level. The OT premium is fully IN 3% + county CIT taxable. For an IN journeyman in Hamilton County (1.10% CIT): full $25,000 OT × 4.10% combined = $1,025 state+local on the OT compensation. The OBBBA federal deduction applies only to federal — the IN state+local stays. Net OBBBA benefit at IN Local 481 journeyman comp tier: $1,830/year federal (offset by ongoing IN state+local tax of $1,025 = roughly $800/year true net benefit). IN's flat 3% + low Hamilton 1.10% CIT makes the IN-side cost of OT noticeably lower than MD's combined 8.95% — at 4.10% IN-Hamilton OT cost on $8,300 premium = $340 vs MD's $665 at the same OT volume.

OBBBA phaseout: $100/$1K MAGI over $150K single / $300K MFJ. Most IN Local 481 journeymen ($90-128K total comp) stay below the threshold. Senior foremen + master electricians + federal-clearance journeymen at $128-165K may hit phaseout — partial deduction. MFJ filers with high-earner spouse most exposed. The IN-specific calculation: total comp = base + OT + per-diem + clearance premium + holiday + Eli Lilly GMP-cleanroom premium.

Real numbers for a Local 481 journeyman at $50/hr × 2,080 base hrs = $104K base + $20K OT (400 hrs × $50/hr OT premium) + $12K Eli Lilly GMP cleanroom premium + $4K per-diem = $140K total. IN combined Hamilton County 4.10% × $140K = $5,740/year. Same comp in MD: $11,200/year combined. IN saves $5,460/year vs MD. OBBBA federal OT deduction $8,300 × 22% = $1,830 federal back. IN on the OT premium portion: $8,300 × 4.10% = $340/year — modest state+local cost despite federal benefit. Compared to TN (0% state): TN equivalent saves $5,740/year IN combined — but the Eli Lilly Lebanon + EV battery + NSA Crane work density unavailable in TN.

IBEW NEBF (National Electrical Benefit Fund) pension is the dominant late-career lever. Defined-benefit pension accruing at hourly rate × years of service; multi-employer plan covering all participating IBEW locals. Plus IBEW Local 481 supplemental pension on top — Local 481 specifically funds an annuity contribution at $4-6/hr employer contribution. For a Local 481 journeyman with 30 years of IBEW service, combined NEBF + Local 481 pension typically reaches $4,500-6,800/month at age 65 ($54-82K/year). IN's flat 3% on retirement income + 0% estate + 0% inheritance + low 0.83% effective property tax makes IN one of the most favorable Midwest electrician retirement structures.

Most IN electricians retire in-state — IN's 0% estate + 0% inheritance (repealed 2013) + flat 3% on retirement income + low Hamilton 1.10% CIT (or even lower in non-Indianapolis-metro counties) makes the late-career math materially favorable. Pre-distribution relocation to FL / TN / NV is rare for IN electricians compared to MA / MD / NY peers — the IN structure doesn't push relocation. Common in-state retirement: stay in Hamilton County / Marion County, or migrate to southern IN (Brown County, Monroe County for Bloomington proximity) or Lake Michigan shoreline (LaPorte / Porter Counties) for retirement lifestyle.

IN electrician work clusters along the I-65 / I-69 / I-70 / I-465 corridors. Local 481 (Indianapolis + central IN) covers Indianapolis International Airport, Eli Lilly Indianapolis + Lebanon mfg, Elevance Health corporate, Cummins (Columbus IN), IU Health hospital network, downtown commercial, plus Hamilton County buildout. Local 305 (Fort Wayne) covers Parkview Health, Fort Wayne commercial, plus EV battery manufacturer (Samsung SDI Indiana plant). Local 153 (South Bend) covers Notre Dame + commercial + Stellantis Kokomo (60-min south). Local 668 (Anderson) covers east-central + Honda Greensburg + Stellantis Kokomo. Federal-clearance work at NSA Crane (southwest IN) typically commutes from Bloomington / Bedford / Linton areas; Grissom AFB from Peru / Logansport.

Housing on a journeyman base + OT income tier ($90-145K total comp): Hamilton County affordable suburbs (Noblesville, Cicero) $400-625K · Marion County (Indianapolis proper) $250-525K · Hendricks County (Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg) $400-625K · Boone County (Lebanon, Whitestown) $375-575K · Allen County (Fort Wayne, Roanoke) $250-475K · St. Joseph County (South Bend, Granger, Mishawaka) $250-475K · Tippecanoe County (Lafayette, West Lafayette) $300-550K. Local 481 Eli Lilly cleanroom + clearance journeyman comp ($140K total) can stretch into Hamilton premium tier ($550K-$850K Carmel, Fishers) with spouse income.

Most IN electricians retire in-state on IBEW NEBF + Local 481 / 305 / 153 / 668 supplemental annuity + 401(k) accumulation. IN's 0% estate + 0% inheritance + flat 3% retirement tax structure is materially favorable — pre-distribution relocation to FL / TN / NV / TX is rare for IN electricians vs MA / MD peers. Common in-state retirement: stay in Hamilton / Marion County for grandkid proximity, or migrate to southern IN (Brown County, Monroe County) or Lake Michigan shoreline (LaPorte, Porter) for retirement. Some senior IN electricians retire to FL / NC / TN for warmer climate, but the IN structure doesn't financially push relocation.

Years 0-5 (apprentice): $36-62K. IBEW Local 481 (Indianapolis) or Local 305 (Fort Wayne) or Local 153 (South Bend) or Local 668 (Anderson) JATC 5-year apprenticeship — combination of OJT (8,000 hrs total) + classroom (~900 hrs total). Pay scale steps through 5 years from 40% of journeyman to 100%. Decision point at year 3-4: federal-clearance track (NSA Crane / Grissom AFB security clearance application, ~12-18 months for TS) vs Eli Lilly GMP-cleanroom specialty vs EV battery / auto manufacturing specialty vs commercial / industrial / specialty track. NEBF pension accruing from day 1.

Years 5-15 (journeyman / foreman / specialty): $68-148K total comp. Journeyman scale $46-56/hr at Local 481 + 400-700 OT hrs/year drives total comp $90-130K. Federal-clearance journeyman + TS/SCI premium reaches $130-165K total. Eli Lilly GMP-cleanroom journeyman reaches $115-148K total. Foreman promotion at year 8-12 typical (~$5-10/hr foreman premium + crew lead bonus). Maxing IBEW 401(k) + supplemental annuity is the active-duty stack. OBBBA federal OT deduction on premium portion.

Years 15-30+ (master electrician / contractor-owner / retirement): $108-345K depending on track. Master electrician at $108-155K running multi-crew operations or service-manager role. Contractor-owner with IN electrical contractor license + 5-15 employees reaches $215-345K. Year 30 NEBF retirement decision: full DB pension (typically $54-82K/year at 30 years) + Local supplemental annuity rollover. Most IN electricians retire in-state — 0% estate + 0% inheritance + flat 3% retirement tax structure favorable vs MA / MD peers.