Washington is one of nine U.S. states with no state income tax on wages in 2026. That means the only mandatory withholdings from your paycheck are federal income tax and FICA (Social Security and Medicare) — there is no state line item at all. On a $75,000 salary, a single filer takes home roughly $61,593 a year, or about 82.1% of gross pay, one of the higher keep-rates in the country.

No income tax does not mean no taxes. States like Washington typically recover revenue through higher sales or property taxes, so your total tax burden depends on how much you spend and whether you own a home. Still, for high earners and remote workers, the absence of a state wage tax is a meaningful, guaranteed boost to every paycheck compared with the 4.8% average rate levied by states that do tax income.

Remember that FICA is separate from income tax and is not affected by your state. Every worker pays 6.2% for Social Security on the first $184,500 of wages (the 2026 wage base) plus 1.45% for Medicare on all wages. Pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions lower your federal and state income tax but do not reduce FICA — a detail that trips up a lot of first-time budgeters.

Washington doesn't tax wages, but it's no longer entirely income-tax-free: a 7% capital gains excise tax applies to large gains (above an inflation-indexed threshold around a quarter-million dollars), upheld by the state supreme court. Pay stubs also carry two payroll programs most states lack — WA Cares (long-term-care insurance, 0.58% of wages) and Paid Family & Medical Leave premiums. Seattle-area salaries paired with no wage tax still produce some of the strongest take-home numbers in the country.