Kansas paycheck guide
How Kansas calculates income tax in 2026
Kansas has two brackets. A single filer pays 5.2% on the first $23,000 of Kansas taxable income and 5.58% on everything above it; married couples filing jointly get double the width, with 5.2% up to $46,000. These rates came from a 2024 overhaul that replaced three brackets with two.
Before the rates apply, Kansas subtracts a $3,605 standard deduction and a $9,160 personal exemption for a single filer, or $8,240 and $18,320 for a married couple. Dependents add their own exemption. Together they shelter the first slice of a single worker's pay, which is why the effective rate is only 2.99% at $30,000 but 5.26% at $250,000.
A 2025 law lets Kansas trim its rates automatically when revenue beats certain targets. The Kansas Department of Revenue announced that the conditions were not met for 2026, so the 5.2% and 5.58% rates are unchanged this year.
Worked example: $75,000 in Kansas
Start a single filer at $75,000 in wages. Subtract the $3,605 standard deduction and the $9,160 exemption and $62,235 is taxable. The first $23,000 is taxed at 5.2%, or $1,196. The remaining $39,235 is taxed at 5.58%, or $2,189. Kansas income tax totals $3,385, an effective rate of 4.51%.
Federal tax uses a much larger $16,100 standard deduction, leaving $58,900 taxable: $12,400 at 10%, $38,000 at 12%, and $8,500 at 22%, for $7,670. Add $4,650 for Social Security and $1,088 for Medicare, and take-home pay is $58,207, or $4,851 a month. The Kansas $75,000 salary page breaks it down per paycheck.
Notice that Kansas tax is close to half the federal bill at this salary. At $150,000 the gap widens in the other direction: Kansas takes $7,570, 5.05% of pay, against a federal bill in the 24% bracket, and take-home pay is $106,221.
No local income tax, but Kansas City is different
No Kansas city or county taxes wages, so Overland Park, Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City, Kansas, all have the same paycheck math. Kansas does not have a state disability or paid family leave payroll deduction either, so the lines on a Kansas pay stub are federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Kansas tax.
The exception is the commute across State Line Road. Kansas City, Missouri, levies an earnings tax on people who work inside its limits, including Johnson County residents, and Missouri also taxes the wages you earn there. You then claim a credit on your Kansas return for income tax paid to Missouri. Our Kansas figures do not include the Kansas City, Missouri, earnings tax, so treat it as a separate cost if your office is in Missouri.
Form K-4 and working across state lines
Kansas employers withhold state tax from Form K-4, the Kansas Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate. It is separate from the federal W-4 and uses allowances, so update it when you marry, have a child, or pick up a second job. If you have two jobs, claiming allowances on both K-4s will underwithhold, since each employer assumes it pays your only wages.
Kansas has no reciprocity agreements. A Missouri resident who works in Overland Park has Kansas tax withheld and claims a credit at home, and a Kansan working in Kansas City, Missouri, does the reverse. Remote workers who live in Kansas and work for an out-of-state company owe Kansas tax on all their wages, so ask the employer to register for Kansas withholding or make estimated payments.
How Kansas compares with its neighbors
Kansas is a high-tax state for its region. At $75,000, its $58,207 take-home ranks 40th among the 50 states and DC. Every neighbor leaves more: Oklahoma $555 more, Colorado $793 more, Missouri $851 more, and Nebraska $852 more. Run the numbers for your salary on Kansas vs Missouri.
The Missouri comparison is closer than it looks for metro Kansas City workers, because Kansas City, Missouri, adds its earnings tax for anyone who works there. A Johnson County resident with a Johnson County job pays only Kansas tax. Against a no-income-tax state, Kansas costs a $75,000 earner $3,385 a year; see Kansas vs Texas.
What to expect at your income
Earning under $50,000
Below $50,000, the $3,605 standard deduction and $9,160 exemption do the most work, but the 5.58% rate arrives quickly. A single filer earning $30,000 owes $896 to Kansas, an effective 2.99%, and at $50,000 the bill is $1,990, leaving $40,365. Full-time hourly pay totaling $41,600 a year leaves $34,084 after taxes, including $1,522 for Kansas. Kansas offers a state earned income credit tied to the federal one, so claim it if you qualify.
Earning $50,000 to $150,000
In this range every extra dollar costs 5.58% in Kansas tax on top of a 22% or 24% federal rate. A single filer earning $100,000 pays $4,780 to Kansas and takes home $74,400, or $6,200 a month. A married couple at $100,000 pays $3,923, thanks to the wider 5.2% bracket and doubled exemption. Traditional 401(k) and HSA contributions save the full 5.58% in Kansas, which makes them worth more here than in most neighboring states.
Earning over $150,000
Above $150,000, Kansas tax keeps rising at 5.58% with no higher bracket. A single filer earning $250,000 pays $13,150 to Kansas, an effective 5.26%, and takes home $170,032. High earners who work in Kansas City, Missouri, should add the city's earnings tax and confirm how much of their Missouri tax Kansas credits. Kansas no longer taxes Social Security benefits, which matters when planning a Kansas retirement.
Kansas paycheck tips
Fill out the K-4 for each job
Kansas allowances on Form K-4 are per employer. With two jobs, claim allowances on only one K-4 so Kansas withholding is not too low.
Missouri commuters: claim the credit
If you live in Kansas and work in Missouri, Missouri withholds its tax. Claim the Kansas credit for tax paid to another state so the same wages are not fully taxed twice.
Max out pre-tax savings
With a 5.58% marginal rate for nearly all full-time workers, each dollar put into a traditional 401(k) or HSA cuts Kansas tax by more than in Missouri, Oklahoma, or Colorado.
Deduct 529 contributions
Kansas lets you deduct 529 plan contributions up to an annual limit per beneficiary. The deduction lowers your Kansas tax when you file.
Remote workers: confirm Kansas withholding
An out-of-state employer may not withhold Kansas tax by default. Ask it to register in Kansas, or make quarterly estimated payments to avoid a large bill.
Common mistakes
Thinking the lower 5.2% rate applies to you
The 5.2% rate covers only the first $23,000 of taxable income for a single filer. Once wages clear that band plus the deduction and exemption, every extra dollar is taxed at 5.58%.
Forgetting the Kansas City, Missouri, earnings tax
A job across State Line Road brings a city earnings tax and Missouri income tax. Kansas's paycheck math alone will overstate what you keep.
Moving to or from Kansas
Moving to Kansas
Moving to Kansas from Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, or Colorado raises your state income tax at most salaries. At $75,000 a single filer pays $3,385 to Kansas, an effective 4.51%. In the Kansas City metro, living on the Kansas side while working in Kansas City, Missouri, still brings that city's earnings tax, so weigh where the job is as well as where you live.
Leaving Kansas
Leaving Kansas for any neighbor lowers the state bill at $75,000, by $851 if you move to Missouri and $555 if you move to Oklahoma. Moving to Texas saves the full $3,385. You file a Kansas part-year resident return for the year you move, reporting the income earned while you lived in Kansas.