Plain Paycheck

Tax year 2026 · Federal & state tables · Computed in your browser

New York vs. New Jersey: where a paycheck goes further

more kept in New Jersey at $75,000 · single filer, no 401(k) · 2026

Keep at $75K in New York
$57,784
Keep at $75K in New Jersey
$58,491
Difference / month
$58.90
Difference at $150K
$67

What explains the gap

New Jersey keeps more of a $75,000 salary than New York. New Jersey runs 7 brackets from 1.4% up to 10.75%. New York runs 9 brackets from 3.9% up to 10.9%.

The gap is not constant across incomes: at a $200,000 salary, New York actually keeps slightly more instead, because the two states' bracket schedules cross in that range. The table below shows every tested salary.

Employee-paid payroll programs add to the gap: New York runs NY PFL, NY SDI, while New Jersey runs NJ UI/WF/SWF, NJ SDI, NJ FLI.

New York City and Yonkers residents also pay a local income tax (NYC 3.078–3.876%; Yonkers 16.75% of state tax). Each has its own calculator on this site. Local income taxes are not included in the figures on this page.

This is a take-home-pay comparison only: cost of living, housing prices, property tax, and sales tax are out of scope and can easily outweigh the income-tax gap shown here.

Take-home pay, New York vs. New Jersey

New York New Jersey Extra kept in New Jersey
$50,000 $40,005 $40,740 $735
$75,000 $57,784 $58,491 $707
$100,000 $73,877 $74,390 $512
$150,000 $105,538 $105,606 $67
$200,000 $137,724 $137,468 -$256

Single filer, no 401(k), 2026 federal and state tables. The direction above is not constant across every salary; see "What explains the gap" for where it crosses.

How each state's paycheck math differs

New York New Jersey
Effective all-in rate at $75,000 23.0% 22.0%
Top marginal state rate 10.9% 10.8%
State income-tax structure Progressive Progressive
Employee-paid payroll programs NY PFL, NY SDI NJ UI/WF/SWF, NJ SDI, NJ FLI

Quick answers

Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than New York?
This page only compares take-home pay from wages; it does not account for housing, property tax, sales tax, or everyday cost of living, which can differ far more than the $707 income-tax gap shown here. At $75,000, New Jersey take-home runs $707 a year higher than New York's, but that says nothing about rent or home prices in either state.
How does New York tax wages differently than New Jersey in 2026?
New York runs 9 brackets from 3.9% up to 10.9%. New Jersey runs 7 brackets from 1.4% up to 10.75%.
How much more do I keep in New Jersey at $100,000?
About $512 more a year in New Jersey than New York at a $100,000 salary, single filer, no 401(k): $74,390 take-home in New Jersey versus $73,877 in New York, after federal tax, FICA, and state tax.
Is this the exact amount my employer will withhold?
No. It is a planning estimate on 2026 tables. Actual withholding follows your W-4 elections, benefit premiums, and any local taxes, so individual paychecks can differ even when the year's total lands close. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.

Sources