2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Idaho

$12 an Hour in Idaho — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $12/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $24,960. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Idaho state income tax, your take-home pay is $10.41/hr. In Idaho's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Idaho.

Gross Annual
$24,960
Net Annual
$21,651
Net Monthly
$1,804
Net Hourly
$10.41

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $12.00 $1.59 $10.41
Daily (8 hrs) $96.00 $12.73 $83.27
Weekly (40 hrs) $480.00 $63.64 $416.36
Biweekly $960.00 $127.28 $832.72
Monthly $2,080.00 $275.78 $1,804.22
Annual $24,960 $3,309 $21,651

Full Tax Breakdown — Idaho, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $12/hr × 2,080 hrs $24,960
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $8,860
Federal Income Tax 3.5% −$886.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,547.52
Medicare (1.45%) −$361.92
Idaho Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Idaho State Income Tax 2.1% −$513.88
Total Tax 13.3% effective −$3,309.32
Net Take-Home $21,651

How Does Idaho Compare?

See how $12/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $287.60 $1,823/mo $21,877 Florida None $1,847/mo $22,165 New York $678.40 $1,791/mo $21,486 Texas None $1,847/mo $22,165 Washington None $1,847/mo $22,165
Open Full Calculator for Idaho — $12/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$12/hr = $24,960/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$24,960 salary in Idaho — full breakdown $24,960 after tax in Idaho $24,960 salary to hourly Idaho paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Idaho

$10/hr in Idaho$11/hr in Idaho$13/hr in Idaho$14/hr in Idaho$15/hr in Idaho

Same Rate, Other States

$12/hr in Alabama$12/hr in Alaska$12/hr in Arizona$12/hr in Arkansas$12/hr in California$12/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Idaho

✗ Difficult — $12/hr falls short in Idaho
  • Avg 1BR rent in Boise: $1,200/mo — over the 30% rule (58% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Idaho: $40,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $21,651 ($18,349 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$12.6/hr

Working at $12/hr in Idaho

Boise's rapid growth has pushed rents up significantly — once a budget destination, median 1BR now runs $1,200/month. Outside Boise, Idaho remains very affordable. At this wage, rural Idaho workers have real financial breathing room that Boise residents increasingly lack.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 116 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Boise (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.7x Idaho's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Idaho is 13.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 3.5%, FICA 7.6%, and Idaho state tax 2.1%.

Boise has emerged as a tech hub (Micron Technology is headquartered here) and has attracted significant in-migration from California. Agriculture, food processing, and manufacturing are the state's traditional economic base.

Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax rate (2026). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction, keeping calculation simple.

Idaho follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $12/hr in Idaho

Based on $1,804/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Idaho's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,200 $14,400 66.5%
Food (groceries + dining) $217 $2,604 12.0%
Transportation $180 $2,160 10.0%
Utilities $108 $1,296 6.0%
Healthcare $90 $1,080 5.0%
Entertainment $90 $1,080 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $180 $2,160 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-261 $-3,132 -14.5%

⚠ This budget is underwater — rent alone exceeds the 30% guideline in Idaho at $12/hr. Consider roommates, lower-cost areas, or targeting a higher wage to reach balance.

Overtime Pay — $12/hr in Idaho

At time-and-a-half ($18.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Idaho. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $90 $74 $3,700
10 hrs/week $180 $149 $7,450
20 hrs/week $360 $298 $14,900

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $12/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $10.41 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 4.2 hrs 4.9 hrs
Week of groceries $120 10 hrs 11.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 66.6 hrs 76.8 hrs
1 month rent (Boise) $1,200 100 hrs 115.3 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 833.4 hrs 960.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 4000 hrs 4611.5 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

12 an hour -- is it a good wage in Idaho?

12/hr in Idaho gives you $21,651/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Idaho. Avg 1BR rent in Boise: $1,200/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 12 an hour after taxes in Idaho?

12/hr in Idaho = $21,651/year or $1,804/month net. Effective rate: 13.3%.

How does 12/hr go further -- Idaho or Texas?

12/hr in Idaho has similar purchasing power to ~12.6/hr in Texas.

What does 12/hr look like as a monthly budget in Idaho?

On $1,804/month in Idaho: rent $1,200, food $217, transport $180, savings $180, surplus ~$0.

How much does overtime add at 12/hr in Idaho?

At 1.5x (18.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$3,700/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$7,450/year.