How to use the Arkansas paycheck calculator
- 1 Enter your pay and choose whether it is a yearly salary or an hourly wage (with hours a week).
- 2 Choose how often you are paid and your filing status.
- 3 Enter your children under 17 and your 401(k) contribution.
- 4 Read your take-home pay per paycheck and every deduction.
Worked example
A single Arkansas worker earning $50,000 a year, paid every two weeks, with 5% to a 401(k). Net taxable income is $47,500 − $2,470 = $45,030, taxed at 3.7% minus $367.16, less the $29 credit: $1,269.95 a year, $48.84 a paycheck. With $96.15 of 401(k), $135.38 of federal tax and $147.11 of Social Security and Medicare, take-home pay is $1,495.58.
Getting more from a Arkansas paycheck
- Check your pay stub against the calculator once a year.
- Raise your 401(k) to cut federal and state tax.
- Update your W-4 after marriage, a child or a raise.
- Claim your exemptions on Form AR4EC: each is a $29 credit.
Compare with the Texas Paycheck Calculator, convert hourly pay with the Hourly to Salary Calculator and work out overtime with the Overtime Calculator.
Features
2026 top rate 3.7%
The rate cut from 3.9% for 2026.
DFA formula
Standard deduction, brackets and $29 credits.
Salary or hourly
Enter a yearly salary or an hourly wage.
When to use it
Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas jobs
Compare offers by take-home pay. Convert hourly pay with the Hourly to Salary Calculator.
Moving from Texas
Compare with the Texas Paycheck Calculator.
Overtime
Work out time and a half with the Overtime Calculator.
Withholding check
Check your W-4 with the W-4 Withholding Calculator.
Related Pay and Salary tasks
Frequently asked questions
How much is taken out of an Arkansas paycheck?
On a $50,000 salary paid every two weeks with 5% to a 401(k), about $49 of Arkansas tax comes out of each check, plus $135 of federal tax and $147 of Social Security and Medicare.
What is the Arkansas income tax rate for 2026?
The top rate is 3.7% for 2026, down from 3.9%. In the withholding formula, the first $5,600 of net taxable income is taxed at 0%, then 2%, 3% and 3.4% up to $26,400, and 3.7% above.
What is the Arkansas standard deduction?
$2,470 in the 2026 withholding formula, subtracted once from yearly wages.
What is the $29 credit?
Each exemption claimed on Form AR4EC, for you, your spouse and each dependent, reduces yearly Arkansas tax by $29. It is a credit, not a deduction.
Why does the tax change near $95,000?
Arkansas takes back the benefit of the lower brackets for higher earners. In the formula, the amount subtracted from the tax shrinks between about $94,700 and $97,600 of net income, so those incomes are taxed close to 3.7% overall.
What is Form AR4EC?
The Arkansas Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate. It sets how many exemptions your employer uses for state withholding.
Are there local income taxes in Arkansas?
No. Arkansas cities and counties do not tax wages.
Do Texarkana residents pay Arkansas tax?
Residents of Texarkana, Arkansas, are exempt from Arkansas income tax on wages; there are special rules for Texarkana, Texas residents working in Arkansas.
Does Arkansas tax retirement income?
Arkansas does not tax Social Security and exempts the first $6,000 of retirement income.
Do 401(k) contributions lower Arkansas tax?
Yes. Traditional 401(k) contributions are excluded from Arkansas wages.
How do I lower my Arkansas tax?
Contribute more to a traditional 401(k) or 403(b), use pre-tax health benefits, and claim every exemption you are entitled to on Form AR4EC. Arkansas also offers a deduction for contributions to its 529 college savings plan.
Results are estimates based on the official rates linked above. Confirm important figures with the issuing authority or a qualified adviser before you act on them.
Built and reviewed by Hamza Farooq, founder and lead developer
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