$15 an Hour Biweekly Paycheck: How Much After Taxes? (2026)

At $15/hour working a standard 40-hour week, your biweekly paycheck calculation starts clean:

$15 × 80 hours = $1,200 gross

Then taxes arrive.

Use our Paycheck Calculator to get your exact take-home.

All Time Periods at $15/Hour

Period	Gross Amount
Per hour	$15.00
Per day (8 hrs)	$120.00
Per week (40 hrs)	$600.00
Per biweekly paycheck	$1,200.00
Per month	$2,600.00
Per year	$31,200.00

After-Tax Biweekly Pay by State (2026)

Single filer, standard deduction, no additional deductions.

State	Gross Biweekly	Federal Tax	FICA	State Tax	Net Biweekly
Texas	$1,200	−$72	−$92	$0	~$1,036
Florida	$1,200	−$72	−$92	$0	~$1,036
Washington	$1,200	−$72	−$92	$0	~$1,036
Georgia	$1,200	−$72	−$92	−$50	~$986
California	$1,200	−$72	−$92	−$110	~$926
New York	$1,200	−$72	−$92	−$58	~$978
Illinois	$1,200	−$72	−$92	−$56	~$980

Federal Tax Breakdown for $31,200

Taxable income: $31,200 − $15,000 standard deduction = $16,200

Bracket	Rate	Tax
First $11,925	10%	$1,192.50
$11,925 → $16,200	12%	$513.00
Annual federal tax		$1,706

Per biweekly paycheck: ~$66

Effective federal rate: 5.5%

FICA Deduction

Tax	Rate	Annual	Biweekly
Social Security	6.20%	$1,934	$74
Medicare	1.45%	$452	$17
Total FICA	7.65%	$2,387	$92

How Many Paychecks in a Year?

On a biweekly schedule you receive 26 paychecks per year — two months of the year you’ll get three paychecks instead of two. At $15/hour, that third paycheck month delivers an extra $1,036 (net, Texas) that can cover a month’s groceries or contribute to an emergency fund.

Impact of Pre-Tax Deductions

Adding a 5% 401(k) contribution ($60/paycheck) reduces your net — but less than $60 because it lowers taxable income:

	Without 401(k)	With 5% 401(k)
Gross biweekly	$1,200	$1,200
401(k) contribution	$0	−$60
Taxable income	$1,200	$1,140
Federal tax	−$66	−$59
FICA	−$92	−$92
Net biweekly (TX)	~$1,042	~$989
401(k) deposited	$0	$60
Total wealth built	$1,042	$1,049

$15/Hour vs. Nearby Wage Rates

Hourly Rate	Annual Gross	Net Biweekly (TX)
$13/hr	$27,040	~$907
$14/hr	$29,120	~$972
$15/hr	$31,200	~$1,036
$16/hr	$33,280	~$1,101
$17/hr	$35,360	~$1,165

Each additional $1/hour = ~$65 more per biweekly paycheck net (in a no-income-tax state).

Note on California State Tax

At $31,200/year, California’s state income tax runs an effective rate of roughly 4–5%. That translates to about $110/biweekly paycheck in CA state taxes, bringing your take-home down to ~$926 vs. ~$1,036 in Texas — a $110/paycheck difference that adds up to $2,860/year.

See your exact biweekly net with our Biweekly Pay Calculator.