MISSOURI PAYCHECK CALCULATOR
Missouri is one of only a couple of states where a city can tack its own income tax onto your paycheck. Kansas City and St. Louis both charge a 1% earnings tax on top of the regular state tax, and both cities just went back to voters to keep it: St. Louis renewed its version for another five years in April 2026, and Kansas City residents backed theirs by more than 77% back in 2021. On the state level, Missouri’s own income tax was actually on the ballot this year too. Voters rejected Amendment 5 on August 4, 2026 by a landslide, about 83% to 16%, killing a Republican-backed plan to phase out the state income tax and lean harder on sales tax instead.
So the state tax structure holds steady for now: eight narrow brackets from 0% to 4.7%, layered under federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. There’s no state disability insurance or paid family leave premium in Missouri, and the earnings tax only applies if you live or work inside Kansas City or St. Louis proper. Curious how Missouri stacks up against its neighbors? Check the calculators for Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, and Arkansas.
Calculate Your Take-Home Pay
Estimate only. Does not include the 1% Kansas City or St. Louis earnings tax, which only applies to residents and workers inside those two cities, or pre-tax deductions like 401(k) or health insurance. Consult a tax professional for exact figures.
Every Deduction on a Missouri Paycheck
- Federal income tax: Withheld based on your W-4 and the 2026 IRS brackets, which run from 10% to 37% depending on taxable income and filing status.
- Social Security tax: A flat 6.2% on wages up to $184,500 for 2026, capping out at $11,439 for the year.
- Medicare tax: 1.45% on all wages with no cap, plus an extra 0.9% once you cross $200,000 as a single or head of household filer, or $250,000 filing jointly.
- Missouri state income tax: Eight brackets from 0% to 4.7%, applied identically regardless of filing status, after subtracting the standard deduction. The top rate starts at just $9,191 in taxable income, so most working adults pay close to 4.7% on the majority of their earnings.
- Kansas City or St. Louis earnings tax: A 1% local tax that applies only if you live in either city or work inside city limits, even as a nonresident commuter. It’s collected separately from the state return.
- Pre-tax deductions: 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, and employer health insurance premiums reduce your taxable wages before any of the above taxes are calculated.
Kansas City and St. Louis: A Rare Local Income Tax
Most states don’t let any city or county add its own income tax on top of the state’s. Missouri is an exception, and only two of its cities use that power: Kansas City and St. Louis. Both charge a 1% earnings tax, and both apply it the same way, to residents on all their income and to nonresidents on whatever they earn working inside city limits.
| City | Earnings Tax Rate | Who Pays It | Most Recent Voter Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | 1% | Residents on all income; nonresidents on income earned working in the city | 2021, approved by more than 77% of voters |
| St. Louis | 1% | Residents on all income; nonresidents on income earned working in the city | April 2026, renewed for another 5 years |
The tax has to go back to voters periodically to stay in effect, which is why both cities have run renewal elections in recent years. State lawmakers in Jefferson City have floated proposals to cap or phase out the earnings tax in both cities, but as of 2026 neither city’s tax has been repealed or reduced, and both remain active at the full 1% rate.
Missouri’s 2026 Bracket Table
Unlike most progressive-tax states, Missouri applies the exact same eight brackets no matter your filing status, single filers, joint filers, and heads of household all use this same schedule on their Missouri taxable income.
| Rate | Missouri Taxable Income |
|---|---|
| 0% | $0 to $1,313 |
| 2% | $1,313 to $2,626 |
| 2.5% | $2,626 to $3,939 |
| 3% | $3,939 to $5,252 |
| 3.5% | $5,252 to $6,565 |
| 4% | $6,565 to $7,878 |
| 4.5% | $7,878 to $9,191 |
| 4.7% | Over $9,191 |
Because the top bracket starts so low, the marginal rate barely matters for most Missourians, nearly all of their taxable income above roughly $9,200 gets taxed at 4.7% either way. Missouri also lets taxpayers deduct a portion of federal income tax paid from their Missouri taxable income, an adjustment this calculator doesn’t model, so your actual Missouri bill may run a bit lower than the estimate above.
Missouri vs Nearby States at $70,000 (Single)
| State | State Income Tax Owed | Estimated Net Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | $2,357 | $55,718 |
| Iowa | $2,048 | $56,027 |
| Arkansas | $2,212 | $55,863 |
| Kansas | $3,106 | $54,969 |
| Illinois | $3,320 | $54,755 |
At this income level, Missouri lands in the middle of its own region, a bit behind Iowa’s flat 3.8% and Arkansas’s low-bracket structure, but ahead of both Kansas and Illinois. Add a Kansas City or St. Louis address to the mix, and the local 1% earnings tax would push a Missouri resident in one of those cities close to the Kansas figure.
Missouri’s Tax Trade-Offs
| Category | Missouri | National Average |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 0% to 4.7%, 8 brackets (plus 1% in KC/STL) | ~5.5% |
| Sales tax | 4.225% state, 8.39% average combined | ~7.5% combined |
| Effective property tax rate | 0.89% | ~1.0% |
| Estate tax | None (repealed 2005) | Most states have none |
| Tax Foundation 2026 ranking | 12th overall | N/A |
Missouri’s overall Tax Foundation ranking of 12th is a genuinely strong showing, built on a low, broad-based income tax and competitive corporate and unemployment insurance taxes. The weak spot is sales tax: a modest 4.225% state rate gets pushed up to an average combined 8.39% once local governments layer on their own additions, and Missouri’s constitution actually restricts how much lawmakers can broaden that sales tax base going forward, a detail that mattered directly to why Amendment 5 struggled to convince voters this year.
Retirees and Investors in Missouri
Missouri made two moves in recent years that matter a lot for people living off savings and investments rather than a paycheck. Residents age 62 and older can deduct all of their Social Security benefits from Missouri taxable income with no dollar cap, while younger retirees can still claim a partial deduction up to a set maximum. And starting with the 2025 tax year, Missouri began allowing a full 100% subtraction of capital gains reported on the federal return, making it the first state in the country to eliminate its capital gains tax entirely.
Combined with no estate or inheritance tax and a below-average property tax rate, Missouri has quietly become one of the more attractive states for retirees and investors to settle in, even though its wage income tax still runs a bit higher than flat-tax neighbors like Iowa.
Federal Tax Bracket Example: $70,000 Single Filer
Start with $70,000 in gross wages. Subtract the 2026 federal standard deduction of $16,100, leaving $53,900 in taxable income. Here’s how the brackets apply:
- 10% on the first $12,400 = $1,240
- 12% on the next $38,000 (from $12,400 to $50,400) = $4,560
- 22% on the remaining $3,500 (from $50,400 to $53,900) = $770
Total federal tax: $6,570, an effective rate of about 9.4% on gross pay. Layer Missouri’s own tax on top of that same $53,900 in taxable income, working through all eight brackets, and the state adds $2,357, bringing the combined federal-plus-state bill to $8,927 before Social Security and Medicare.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Missouri’s state income tax rate in 2026?
Missouri uses eight narrow brackets running from 0% to 4.7%, and the same brackets apply no matter your filing status. The top 4.7% rate kicks in once Missouri taxable income clears $9,191, so most working adults pay close to the top rate on the bulk of their income.
Do Kansas City and St. Louis really have their own income tax?
Yes. Both cities levy a 1% earnings tax on wages earned by residents and on income earned by anyone working inside city limits, resident or not. St. Louis voters renewed their earnings tax for another five years in April 2026, and Kansas City voters last renewed theirs with over 77% approval in 2021. It’s separate from the state income tax and only applies inside those two cities.
Did Missouri vote to eliminate its income tax in 2026?
No. Missouri voters rejected Amendment 5 on August 4, 2026 by a wide margin, roughly 83% to 16%. The measure would have directed lawmakers to phase out the state income tax and replace the lost revenue with broader sales taxes. Governor Mike Kehoe had championed the proposal, but it drew one of the lowest approval rates of any statewide ballot measure in recent Missouri history.
Does Missouri tax capital gains?
No, not anymore. Starting with the 2025 tax year, Missouri allows taxpayers to subtract 100% of the capital gains reported on their federal return when calculating Missouri adjusted gross income, making Missouri the first state to fully eliminate its tax on capital gains.
What is Missouri’s standard deduction for 2026?
Missouri matches the federal standard deduction: $16,100 for single filers and those married filing separately, $32,200 for married filing jointly, and $24,150 for head of household. Missouri no longer allows a separate personal exemption on top of that.
Is Social Security taxed in Missouri?
Not for most retirees. Missourians age 62 and older can deduct all of their Social Security benefits from state taxable income with no cap. Residents younger than 62 can still deduct a portion, up to a maximum Social Security deduction of $47,633 for a recent tax year, though the exact cap adjusts periodically.
Missouri heads into the rest of 2026 with its income tax intact by a decisive voter mandate, a capital gains tax that no longer exists, and two cities still charging their own earnings tax after fresh renewal votes. That combination, a broad but shallow state income tax alongside pockets of local tax that only some residents ever see, makes Missouri one of the more location-dependent states in the country when it comes to figuring out an actual take-home number.