Missouri Paycheck Calculator
Using 2026 federal and Missouri tax figures · last checked
Short answer
A $60,000 salary in Missouri takes home about $47,510 a year — roughly $3,959 a month — after $5,020 federal income tax and $4,590 in Social Security and Medicare, plus $2,880 in Missouri state income tax. That is an effective rate of 20.8%. The figure excludes Missouri local income tax, which is charged separately by municipality.
The question most people arrive with is simple: gross pay says one number, the deposit says another, where did the difference go? In Missouri the answer is federal income tax, FICA, and Missouri state tax on top. Put your gross in and the breakdown is itemised line by line.
Before any deductions.
Estimated take-home pay
$1,594.85
- Gross pay
- $2,000.00
- Federal income tax
- −$156.15
- Social Security
- −$124.00
- Medicare
- −$29.00
- Missouri state tax
- −$96.00
- Total withheld
- −$405.15
This estimate excludes local tax. Missouri levies a 1% earnings tax in Kansas City and St. Louis, on residents and on non-residents working in the city. Those are withheld on top of everything shown above, so your actual take-home will be lower than this figure. Check your municipality's rate with its income tax department or your employer's payroll office.
Figures on this page are estimates produced from the inputs you provide. A pay stub you generate documents what you enter; it is not a verified employment record issued by an employer. If you need official proof of income, request it from your employer or download your wage transcript free from the IRS.
Missouri income tax brackets
| Rate | Taxable income |
|---|---|
| 2% | $0 – $1,121 |
| 2.5% | $1,122 – $2,242 |
| 3% | $2,243 – $3,363 |
| 3.5% | $3,364 – $4,484 |
| 4% | $4,485 – $5,605 |
| 4.5% | $5,606 – $6,726 |
| 4.95% | $6,727+ |
Minimum wage in Missouri: $12.30/hr
What comes out of every paycheck
Look for two lines that read the same on a stub from any state. One is Social Security at 6.2%, which applies only to the first $184,500 of annual wages. The other is Medicare at 1.45%, which applies to every dollar, and to which a surtax of 0.9% is added above $200,000.
Missouri has seven brackets but narrow ranges — the top 4.95% kicks in at just $6,727. The Kansas City metro straddles the Missouri-Kansas border, creating cross-state tax complexity for many commuters.
Missouri's Compressed Tax Brackets
Missouri technically has seven brackets, but they are so compressed that most workers hit the top rate of 4.95% almost immediately. Anyone earning over $6,727 — which is basically everyone with a full-time job — pays 4.95% on the bulk of their income. The effective rate on a $55,000 salary is about 4.7%. Missouri's standard deduction is $14,600, matching the federal amount for 2026. Kansas City has a 1% earnings tax for anyone who works or lives within city limits. St. Louis charges the same 1%. These are witheld from every paycheck.
Kansas City and St. Louis Earnings Taxes
Both Kansas City and St. Louis impose a 1% earnings tax on gross wages. If you work in KC or STL, your employer withholds it regardless of where you live. Suburban workers in Independence, Lee's Summit, or St. Charles are exempt unless they also live in the taxing city. For Kansas City metro workers who live in Kansas, there is a reciprocal credit arrangement. The $12.30 minimum wage is adjusted by CPI each year. Major Missouri employers include Cerner (now Oracle Health), Hallmark, Burns & McDonnell, and the many defense contractors around St. Louis (Boeing). Anheuser-Busch's massive brewery in St. Louis is one of the largest private employers in the metro.
Take-home pay at common salaries in Missouri
Here is the whole curve for Missouri rather than a single point. Effective tax moves from 18.2% to 27.1% as gross rises, because only the income above each threshold is charged at the higher rate.
Hourly rates in Missouri
Hourly rates and salaries meet at 2,080 hours. On that basis $18 an hour in Missouri produces about $30,466 in annual take-home, before overtime.
| Hourly | Annual gross | Annual take-home | Net per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| $14/hr | $29,120 | $24,180 | $11.63 |
| $16/hr | $33,280 | $27,323 | $13.14 |
| $18/hr | $37,440 | $30,466 | $14.65 |
| $22/hr | $45,760 | $36,752 | $17.67 |
| $35/hr | $72,800 | $56,550 | $27.19 |
| $45/hr | $93,600 | $70,185 | $33.74 |
Based on 2,080 hours a year — 40 hours a week, 52 weeks. Excludes overtime and unpaid leave.
How filing status changes it
Two people earning $60,000 can take home amounts that differ by $2,180, purely on filing status. Each status has its own deduction and its own bracket widths, so the same gross is taxed on a different schedule. Married filing jointly comes out ahead in this case.
| Filing status | Federal tax | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $5,020 | $47,510 |
| Married filing jointly | $2,840 | $49,690 |
| Married filing separately | $5,020 | $47,510 |
| Head of household | $3,948 | $48,582 |
On a $60,000 salary in Missouri.
How accurate is this estimate?
The number this produces is the tax arithmetic and nothing else. Real stubs carry more: employer benefit deductions, retirement contributions, and any adjustment your W-4 requests. Each of those moves the total, so use this to sanity-check the shape of a stub rather than to match it to the cent.
Missouri paycheck questions
What is Kansas City's earnings tax?
Kansas City charges a 1% earnings tax on gross wages for anyone who works or lives within city limits. St. Louis charges the same rate.
Does Missouri have reciprocity with Kansas?
Missouri does not have a formal reciprocity agreement with Kansas. You may need to file in both states, but you get credit for taxes paid to the other state to avoid double taxation.
How pay frequency changes your cheque
People often ask whether switching to fortnightly pay costs them more tax. It does not. Across a full year in Missouri the total is the same; the difference is cash-flow, not liability. These are the per-cheque figures on $60,000, filing single.
| Paid | Cheques/yr | Gross each | Take-home each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,154 | $914 |
| Every two weeks | 26 | $2,308 | $1,827 |
| Twice a month | 24 | $2,500 | $1,980 |
| Monthly | 12 | $5,000 | $3,959 |
Turn this into a pay stub
The next step for most people is turning this into something printable. That option exists, with one honest caveat: a stub you generate reflects your own inputs. Where a third party needs verified income, the free and official routes are your employer's payroll department or an IRS wage transcript.
Open the pay stub generatorIf you need official proof of income
Two options cost nothing. Your employer holds the payroll records by law and can reissue your stubs; the IRS will supply a wage and income transcript on request. Where a landlord or lender needs verification rather than documentation, those are the routes that satisfy them. Get an IRS transcript.