Tax Comparison Tool 2026
Compare different states, incomes, and filing statuses side by side
How to Compare Two Offers — or Two States — Fairly
A take-home comparison is only as good as the inputs. Change the filing status, the pre-tax contribution or the city you live in and the ranking can flip, which is why every scenario in this tool is calculated on the same 2026 schedule set. Add a scenario per offer or per state, then read the gaps as ranges rather than precise promises.
What has to match before the comparison means anything
| Input | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | Progressive rates apply only to the income inside each band, so a 10% raise never produces a 10% tax increase |
| Filing status | New York and the IRS both widen their brackets for joint filers — comparing a single-filer result against a joint-filer result is the most common mistake |
| City of residence | New York City residents pay a city income tax on top of the state bill and Yonkers residents pay a surcharge instead, so two offers inside the same state can still differ by thousands |
| State of work versus state of residence | Working in New York while living in another state generally means owing New York tax on those wages and claiming a credit on the home-state return — see remote work and NY taxes |
| Pre-tax contributions | A traditional 401(k) or HSA contribution reduces federal and New York taxable income before any bracket is applied |
| Local wage taxes | Cities outside New York may levy their own wage or occupational tax that payroll withholds separately from state income tax |
9 states levy no tax on wage income
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming — none of them taxes wage income, so a comparison against one of them isolates the state-tax effect almost completely. New Hampshire and Tennessee reached that position recently by phasing out taxes that applied only to interest and dividends rather than wages, so older articles may describe them differently. Each state page shows the bracket schedule, standard deduction and official tax authority for that state.
What a take-home number cannot tell you
- Cost of living — a higher gross salary in a higher-cost metro can still leave less in real terms.
- Property and sales taxes, which do much of the work in states with no wage tax.
- Benefits: employer retirement match, the employer share of health premiums and paid leave are not part of the calculation.
- Growth and equity: a lower starting salary on a steeper path can outweigh a first-year difference.
- Filing complexity — two states means two returns and a credit calculation. Moving into or out of New York City mid-year is covered in the NYC movers guide, and city-versus-suburb arithmetic in NYC versus the suburbs.
Comparing offers that both sit inside New York? Start with the paycheck calculator to see the per-paycheck effect, then use the salary comparison tool to see where a raise crosses a bracket boundary.
Sources: NY State Department of Taxation and Finance tax rates and tables and New York City, Yonkers and MCTMT; IRS tax year 2026 inflation adjustments and standard deduction.