How to use the alaska paycheck calculator
- Enter your gross pay for one pay period and choose how often you are paid.
- Choose your filing status as it appears on your W-4 (Step 1c).
- Add pre-tax items: 401(k) deferrals and health premiums per period.
- Use your W-4 steps (two jobs box, credits, other income, deductions, extra withholding) if you filled them in.
- Read the net pay and the line-by-line deductions for this check.
Alaska: no income tax, one small employee contribution
Alaska has no state income tax on wages and no local wage tax. Employees do pay a small unemployment insurance contribution: for 2026 the Alaska Department of Labor sets the employee rate at 0.50% of wages up to a taxable wage base of $54,200, a maximum of $271.00 a year. This alaska paycheck calculator applies the rules for 2026.
Monthly paycheck example
$5,000 a month is $60,000 a year. Federal withholding is $418.33, Social Security $310.00, Medicare $72.50, and the Alaska unemployment line is $25.00. Net pay is $4,174.17, or $50,090.04 a year. The contribution applies to the first $54,200 only, so it stops during the eleventh month of that salary and totals $271.00 for the year.
How the federal part is worked out
The federal line follows IRS Publication 15-T for 2026. For this example, federal wages are $5,000.00 a period, which annualises to $60,000.00 over 12 pay periods. Step 1(g) takes off $8,600.00 for single filers, leaving $51,400.00. That amount is looked up in the single schedule of annual percentage method tables, the resulting annual tentative tax is divided by 12, and W-4 credits and extra withholding are applied. The result is $418.33 for the period.
Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 for the year and Medicare is 1.45% with no cap, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000. Only section 125 premiums reduce those wages.
Seasonal and fishing work
Alaska's seasonal jobs front-load wages, so the wage base is reached early. Enter the wages already paid this year to see the contribution fall to zero after $54,200, and the Social Security tax continue up to $184,500.
Limits
Dividend payments from the Permanent Fund and royalty or lease income are not wages and are not modelled. The estimate also skips garnishments and non-tax deductions. For a custom-percentage version use the paycheck calculator.
Checking the result against your pay stub
Compare each line with your stub. A small gap in federal withholding usually traces to the W-4 (Steps 2 to 4) or the filing status your employer has on file. The Alaska unemployment line should read 0.50% of gross until your wages reach $54,200 for the year and then vanish. If it is missing from the first check of the year, your employer may be using a different method or you may be exempt.
Everything else on an Alaska stub is a benefit or a court-ordered deduction.
Method and sources
Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A, and IRS Publication 15 (2026) for the $184,500 Social Security wage base. Alaska: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 2026 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates (labor.alaska.gov), which lists a taxable wage base of $54,200 and an employee rate of 0.50%. The shared engine is covered by hand-worked Publication 15-T cases in the test suite. Refresh every January. Estimate only, not tax advice.
Worked examples
| Example | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska example | Gross pay this period ($): 5000; Pay frequency: monthly; Federal filing status (W-4 Step 1c): single; Pre-tax 401(k) per pay period ($): 0; Health and other section 125 premiums per period ($): 0; W-4 Step 2 box checked (two jobs)?: no; W-4 Step 3 credits, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(a) other income, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(b) deductions, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(c) extra withholding per period ($): 0; Wages already paid this year ($): 0 | Gross pay this period: $5,000.00; Pre-tax deductions: $0.00; Federal income tax withholding: $418.33; Social Security (6.2%): $310.00; Medicare (1.45%): $72.50; Alaska income tax: $0.00; Alaska unemployment insurance (employee, 0.5%): $25.00; Net pay this period: $4,174.17; Net pay per year: $50,090.04; Total withheld as % of gross: 16.52% |
| Monthly salary, head of household | Gross pay this period ($): 6000; Pay frequency: monthly; Federal filing status (W-4 Step 1c): hoh; Pre-tax 401(k) per pay period ($): 300; Health and other section 125 premiums per period ($): 0; W-4 Step 2 box checked (two jobs)?: no; W-4 Step 3 credits, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(a) other income, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(b) deductions, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(c) extra withholding per period ($): 0; Wages already paid this year ($): 0 | Gross pay this period: $6,000.00; Pre-tax deductions: $300.00; Federal income tax withholding: $413.00; Social Security (6.2%): $372.00; Medicare (1.45%): $87.00; Alaska income tax: $0.00; Alaska unemployment insurance (employee, 0.5%): $30.00; Net pay this period: $4,798.00; Net pay per year: $57,576.00; Total withheld as % of gross: 15.03% |
| Weekly pay with a 401(k) | Gross pay this period ($): 1200; Pay frequency: weekly; Federal filing status (W-4 Step 1c): single; Pre-tax 401(k) per pay period ($): 60; Health and other section 125 premiums per period ($): 40; W-4 Step 2 box checked (two jobs)?: no; W-4 Step 3 credits, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(a) other income, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(b) deductions, per year ($): 0; W-4 Step 4(c) extra withholding per period ($): 0; Wages already paid this year ($): 0 | Gross pay this period: $1,200.00; Pre-tax deductions: $100.00; Federal income tax withholding: $90.08; Social Security (6.2%): $71.92; Medicare (1.45%): $16.82; Alaska income tax: $0.00; Alaska unemployment insurance (employee, 0.5%): $6.00; Net pay this period: $915.18; Net pay per year: $47,589.36; Total withheld as % of gross: 15.40% |
FAQ
Does Alaska have a state income tax?
No. Alaska does not tax wages at the state or local level.
What is the Alaska employee unemployment contribution for 2026?
0.50% of wages up to $54,200, so at most $271.00 per employee for the year.
Does the Permanent Fund Dividend appear in this calculator?
No. It is not wages. It is taxable on your federal return, but no payroll withholding applies.
Why does the Alaska line disappear late in the year?
Once your wages reach the $54,200 base, the contribution stops, while Social Security continues until $184,500.
Is Alaska's employee contribution deducted before tax?
No. It is taken from net of federal tax and FICA in this model and does not reduce federal taxable wages.
Does this include borough or city taxes?
No. Wages are not taxed locally in Alaska, but some places levy sales or property taxes.