How to use the Louisiana 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 Louisiana worker earning $60,000 a year, paid every two weeks, with 5% to a 401(k). From each $2,307.69 check: $115.38 of 401(k), $179.23 of federal income tax and $176.54 of Social Security and Medicare, and $50.91 of Louisiana tax (3% of $57,000 less the $12,875 standard deduction). Take-home pay is $1,785.63.
Getting more from a Louisiana 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.
- File a new L-4 so the right standard deduction is used.
Compare with the Texas Paycheck Calculator, the Arkansas Paycheck Calculator and see the tips deduction with the No Tax on Tips Calculator.
Features
Flat 3%
Since the 2025 tax reform.
2026 standard deduction
$12,875 single, $25,750 joint.
Salary or hourly
Enter a yearly salary or an hourly wage.
When to use it
New Orleans and Baton Rouge jobs
Compare offers by take-home pay. Convert hourly pay with the Hourly to Salary Calculator.
Moving to Texas
Compare with the Texas Paycheck Calculator.
Tipped jobs
See the federal tips deduction with the No Tax on Tips 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 a Louisiana paycheck?
On a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks with 5% to a 401(k), about $51 of Louisiana tax comes out of each check, plus $179 of federal tax and $177 of Social Security and Medicare.
What is the Louisiana income tax rate for 2026?
A flat 3% on all taxable income, in place since January 1, 2025 under Act 11 of the 2024 Third Extraordinary Session.
What is the Louisiana standard deduction?
The law set it at $12,500 for single filers and $25,000 for joint filers, adjusted each year for inflation. The 2026 withholding tables use $12,875 and $25,750.
Why is Louisiana withholding 3.09%?
The state's withholding formula applies 3.09% to wages after the standard deduction. The tax on the annual return is 3%, so the difference usually comes back as a small refund.
Do dependents lower Louisiana withholding?
Not any more. Since 2025, Form L-4 only sets the standard deduction code; dependents no longer change withholding.
What is Form L-4?
Louisiana's employee withholding certificate. The federal W-4 cannot be used instead.
Do Louisiana parishes have income taxes?
No. Parishes and cities do not tax wages, although local sales taxes are high.
Does Louisiana tax retirement income?
Social Security is exempt, and taxpayers 65 or older can exclude up to $12,000 of other retirement income.
Do 401(k) contributions lower Louisiana tax?
Yes. Traditional 401(k) contributions are excluded from Louisiana taxable wages as well as federal. They do not reduce Social Security or Medicare.
How is federal tax worked out here?
Your yearly pay minus 401(k) contributions and the $16,100 federal standard deduction ($32,200 joint) is taxed at the 2026 brackets, then $2,200 is subtracted for each child under 17.
Is this my exact paycheck?
It is a close estimate. Employers use official withholding tables, and other deductions such as health insurance, HSA or union dues change your check.
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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