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Chicago Paycheck Calculator

Your take-home pay in Chicago after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois income tax. The typical worker in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $26.31 an hour, about $54,720 a year, and takes home about $1,676.29 every two weeks. Chicago's minimum wage is $17.05 an hour.

Tax year 2026 ratesChecked Oct 24, 2026No sign-up · stays on your device
How are you paid?
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Illinois withholding (Form IL-W-4)
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Form W-4 details
Step 2(b) helper: two or three jobs (Multiple Jobs Worksheet)

For you and your spouse together if married filing jointly. Fill it in on the W-4 for the highest paying job only, and leave the Step 2(c) box unchecked.

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Tables: IRS Form W-4 (2026), pages 3 and 5. For more than three jobs, or more than one job over $120,000, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.

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Step 4(b) helper: tips, overtime, car loan interest, age 65+

This follows the IRS 2026 Form W-4 Deductions Worksheet line by line. Enter yearly estimates. The result can go straight into Step 4(b).

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Line 1: tips, overtime and car loan interest
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Line 3: age 65 or older
Lines 5 to 12: adjustments and itemized deductions (optional)
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The form enters each amount only if your total income is below its limit, even though on your tax return these deductions shrink gradually above the limit. Tips and overtime deductions apply for tax years 2025 through 2028 (IRS Publication 6133). Worksheet: IRS Form W-4 (2026), page 4.

Step 3 applies if your total income will be $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less if married filing jointly).

Get tips or overtime, pay car loan interest, or turning 65? Use the Step 4(b) helper below to work out the amount.

401(k), health insurance and other deductions
Before tax

Lowers federal income tax only, not Social Security or Medicare.

Pre-tax: lowers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

Pre-tax: lowers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

Pre-tax: lowers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

Pre-tax: lowers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

Pre-tax: lowers federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.

After tax

After tax: does not lower any tax.

After tax, e.g. child support: does not lower any tax.

E.g. union dues, life insurance: does not lower any tax.

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Your take-home pay every 2 weeks
$1,829.41
About $47,565 a year · 79% of gross

An estimate of what your employer withholds, using the IRS percentage method. Your actual paycheck can differ by a few cents because of rounding, or by more if your employer uses other settings.

Take-home every 2 weeks$1,829.41

How we got your number

Each step links to the official document it comes from.

    Guides: how to read your pay stub · filling out Form W-4 · biweekly vs semi-monthly pay · why pay rises after the Social Security cap · how much tax is taken out, by state · who gets overtime · 1099 vs W-2 pay

    Chicago minimum wage after taxes

    The minimum wage in Chicago is $17.05 an hour from July 1, 2026, for employers with 4 or more employees, and rises each July 1 by inflation (CPI) or 2.5%, whichever is lower. Tipped workers, such as restaurant servers, must be paid at least $12.96 an hour, and if wages plus tips fall short of $17.05 the employer makes up the difference.

    Full time, $17.05 an hour is $35,464 a year before taxes. A single filer takes home about $1,117.87 every two weeks, or $29,065 a year, after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois income tax. Work out an hourly Chicago paycheck.

    Source: City of Chicago, Office of Labor Standards: Minimum Wage, checked Oct 25, 2026.

    What workers earn in the Chicago area

    The median (typical) worker in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $26.31 an hour, about $54,720 a year full time, across 4,513,280 jobs (BLS, May 2025).Source

    Pay levelYearly payTake-home every two weeksTake-home a year
    10th percentile$34,260$1,082.94$28,156.44
    25th percentile$38,480$1,205.34$31,338.84
    Median (typical worker)$54,720$1,676.29$43,583.54
    75th percentile$86,670$2,525.26$65,656.76
    90th percentile$130,790$3,628.14$94,331.64

    Pay for common jobs in the Chicago area

    JobMedian yearly payTake-home every two weeksJobs in the area
    Home Health Aide$38,190$1,196.92108,520
    Registered Nurse$100,480$2,872.64100,240
    Cashier$35,010$1,104.7199,240
    Retail Salesperson$35,820$1,128.1896,950
    Customer Service Representative$47,110$1,455.6175,240
    Truck Driver$62,300$1,896.1262,210
    Nursing Assistant (CNA)$46,950$1,450.9645,850
    Elementary School Teacher$78,390$2,317.0045,840

    BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (the whole metro area, not just the city), surveyed before the latest minimum wage increases, so the lowest pay levels can be under today's minimum. Yearly pay is the hourly median times 2,080, rounded to $10. The jobs are those on our salary by job pages with the most workers in the area. Take-home: single filer paid every two weeks, 2026 withholding, no deductions, Illinois rules, worked out with the calculator's engine.

    Paid sick leave in Chicago

    Chicago's Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance covers anyone who works at least 80 hours for an employer in Chicago within any 120-day period. For every 35 hours worked, you earn one hour of paid leave (for any reason) and one hour of paid sick leave, starting the first day of employment.

    Source: City of Chicago, Office of Labor Standards: Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave, checked Oct 25, 2026.

    Chicago paycheck questions

    What is the average salary in Chicago?

    In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the median (typical) worker earns $26.31 an hour, about $54,720 a year full time, and the mean (average) is $35.28 an hour (BLS, May 2025, 4,513,280 jobs). At the median a single filer takes home about $1,676.29 every two weeks after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois income tax.

    What is the minimum wage in Chicago?

    $17.05 an hour for employers with 4 or more employees. Tipped workers must be paid at least $12.96 an hour, with the employer making up any shortfall.

    How much is the Chicago minimum wage after taxes?

    Full time at $17.05 an hour ($35,464 a year), a single filer takes home about $1,117.87 every two weeks, or $29,065 a year, after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois income tax.

    How does paid sick leave work in Chicago?

    Chicago's Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance covers anyone who works at least 80 hours for an employer in Chicago within any 120-day period. For every 35 hours worked, you earn one hour of paid leave (for any reason) and one hour of paid sick leave, starting the first day of employment.

    Related

    Illinois paycheck calculator · Illinois minimum wage · Salary by job