Kansas City Paycheck Calculator 2026
KC straddles Missouri and Kansas. MO side: 4.8% state + 1% city tax. KS side: 5.58% state, no city tax. Which side saves you more?
How to Use This Calculator
Tab "Take-Home Pay"
Enter your gross annual salary, pay frequency, and filing status. Then select which side of Kansas City you live or work on: KC Missouri (KCMO) or KC Kansas (Overland Park, Olathe, etc.). The calculator applies 2026 federal income tax brackets, the appropriate state income tax (MO or KS), FICA taxes (Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200K), and the 1% KC earnings tax if you selected the Missouri side. Expand "More options" to add pre-tax 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums.
Tab "Tax Breakdown"
This tab shows a visual pie chart of where every dollar of your salary goes. Toggle between the KC Missouri and KC Kansas views to see the difference in tax allocation. It calculates how many cents of each dollar you keep and your combined effective tax rate for each side.
Tab "KC Missouri vs KC Kansas"
The viral comparison tab. See your take-home pay calculated side-by-side for both sides of KC. The table shows federal tax, state tax, local/city tax, FICA, and net take-home for each side. The counterintuitive result: at most income levels, KC Missouri is cheaper than KC Kansas despite the 1% earnings tax, because Missouri's top rate (4.80%) is significantly lower than Kansas's (5.58%) and Missouri uses the much larger federal standard deduction.
The Formulas
Taxable income = Gross salary − Pre-tax deductions − Standard deduction
Single: $15,750 · MFJ: $31,500 · HoH: $23,500
Tax = Sum of (taxable income in each bracket × bracket rate)
Brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%
KC Missouri Side:
MO taxable income = Gross − Pre-tax deductions − Federal standard deduction
MO Tax = Sum of (MO taxable in each bracket × rate)
Brackets: 0% ($0–$1,207), 2% ($1,208–$2,414), 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 4.80% ($8,450+)
KC Earnings Tax = 1% × Gross salary (applies to gross wages, not taxable income)
Total MO state+local = MO state tax + 1% KC tax
KC Kansas Side (Overland Park / Olathe):
KS taxable income = Gross − Pre-tax deductions − KS standard deduction
KS standard deduction: $3,500 single · $8,000 MFJ · $6,000 HoH
KS Tax = 5.20% on first $23,000 + 5.58% above (single)
No local earnings tax on the Kansas side
Total KS state+local = KS state tax only
FICA Taxes:
Social Security = 6.2% × min(Gross salary, $184,500)
Medicare = 1.45% × Gross salary
Additional Medicare = 0.9% × max(0, Gross − $200,000)
Take-Home Pay:
Net = Gross − Federal tax − State tax − City tax − SS − Medicare − Pre-tax deductions
Per paycheck = Net ÷ Number of pay periods
Example: $80,000 Salary, Single
KC Missouri (KCMO)
KC Kansas (Overland Park)
KC Missouri is $374/year cheaper than Overland Park despite the 1% KC earnings tax. Missouri's state+local total ($3,712) beats Kansas's state total ($4,086) because MO's top rate of 4.80% plus 1% city tax still comes in under KS's 5.58% top rate — and Missouri's federal-sized standard deduction ($15,750) shields far more income than Kansas's $3,500.