How Iowa withholding works
- Subtract the deduction for your pay period – $13,000 a year (single, married with a working spouse, other), $19,500 (head of household) or $26,000 (married filing jointly, spouse without earnings).
- Multiply by 3.8%.
- Subtract your total IA W-4 allowance amount divided by your paychecks.
The department publishes ten examples; for example $2,100 biweekly with “other” status and a $40 allowance gives $59.26, and $5,000 monthly as head of household with $160 gives $114.92. This calculator reproduces all six examples for 2024 and later IA W-4s.
Worked example: $60,000 in Iowa
Single, $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks, Iowa
Gross pay is $2,307.69 per paycheck. Federal income tax is $193 and Social Security and Medicare $177. Iowa withholds $67. Take-home pay is $1,871 per paycheck, or $48,644 a year.
Take-home pay per paycheck$1,870.9226 paychecks a year
- Take-home pay per year
- $48,644
- Federal income tax withheld
- $193.08
- Iowa income tax withheld
- $67.153.8% flat
| Item | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 | $60,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$193.08 | −$5,020.08 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$143.08 | −$3,720.08 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$33.46 | −$869.96 |
| Iowa income tax | −$67.15 | −$1,745.90 |
| Take-home pay | $1,870.92 | $48,643.98 |
At $100,000 a year, take-home pay is about $75,914 a year.