Ohio · True take-home pay for where you actually live
Columbus, Ohio paycheck calculator
Columbus withholds a flat 2.5% municipal income tax on qualifying wages earned in the city. That line sits next to Ohio’s state tax of 2.75% on nonbusiness income above $26,050, after the personal exemption. The city rate is the same for residents and for nonresidents who work in Columbus; the live-here switch does not cut the municipal percent in half the way Detroit does. If you live in a suburb and work downtown, you still see 2.5% here unless your employer withholds a different city.
Unlike Philadelphia, a traditional 401(k) generally comes out of the Columbus municipal base in this model. Raising your deferral can shrink both the Ohio state line and the city line while FICA stays put. Federal brackets are unchanged by the city. Hundreds of other Ohio municipalities are not named; do not leave Columbus selected for a Dayton or Toledo stub.
Credits between a resident city and a work city are common in Ohio and are not computed here. Selecting Columbus alone can overstate total local tax if you already pay another municipality. Use the compare tool when an offer moves you from a no-city suburb into Columbus proper, same salary, so the 2.5% gap is visible by itself.
Example take-home
| Salary | Federal | FICA | State | Payroll | Local | Net / year | Net / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000.00 | $2,620.00 | $3,060.00 | $317.63 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 | $33,002.37 | $1,269.32 |
| $60,000.00 | $5,020.00 | $4,590.00 | $874.50 | $0.00 | $1,500.00 | $48,015.50 | $1,846.75 |
| $80,000.00 | $8,770.00 | $6,120.00 | $1,424.50 | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | $61,685.50 | $2,372.51 |
| $100,000.00 | $13,170.00 | $7,650.00 | $1,981.38 | $0.00 | $2,500.00 | $74,698.62 | $2,873.02 |
| $150,000.00 | $24,734.00 | $11,475.00 | $3,356.38 | $0.00 | $3,750.00 | $106,684.62 | $4,103.26 |
Loading the 2026 calculator…
What this page includes
- Federal income tax using the 2026 standard deduction and Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets
- Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus Additional Medicare when wages clear the filing-status threshold)
- Ohio: flat state income tax at 2.75%
- No employee state disability / paid-leave premium modeled for this state yet
- Local: Columbus, Ohio (Columbus municipal income tax · 2.5%)
Local tax
Columbus, Ohio is modeled as a flat local tax: 2.5% for residents and 2.5% for nonresidents (when the rates differ). Use the live-here switch for resident versus nonresident treatment. Columbus withholds 2.5% municipal income tax on qualifying wages earned in the city. Traditional 401(k) deferrals are generally excluded from Ohio municipal qualifying wages, and this model excludes them along with Section 125 amounts. If you live in one Ohio city and work in another, a credit usually prevents full double taxation. This estimate applies only the city you select.
What is not included
Credits, itemized deductions, multi-state credits, property tax, sales tax, and unsourced local rates are not included. Employer payroll tables can differ from this annualized estimate. This Columbus, Ohio page does not invent taxes that are missing from the 2026 data files.
Questions
What is the Columbus city income tax rate?
2.5% of qualifying wages in this model, for residents and nonresidents who work in the city.
Does Columbus tax stack on Ohio state tax?
Yes. Ohio’s 2.75% above $26,050 is separate from the municipal 2.5%.
Does a 401(k) reduce Columbus tax?
Yes in this estimate. Qualifying wages are reduced by traditional retirement deferrals, unlike Philadelphia’s wage tax.
Nearby
Compare · Bonus · Hourly · Ohio (state) · Ohio (state) · Cleveland · All states · Local taxes
Sources
- IRS newsroom, tax year 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (PDF)
- Tax Foundation, 2026 federal income tax brackets
- IRS Publication 15-T, Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- SSA, Contribution and benefit base
- IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide
- IRS, Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
- Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
- IRS, state government websites index
- City of Columbus income tax division
See a rate that looks wrong? The sources and the gaps are public.