2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Alabama

$15 an Hour in Alabama — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $15/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $31,200. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Alabama state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.44/hr. In Alabama's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Alabama.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$25,879
Net Monthly
$2,157
Net Hourly
$12.44

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.56 $12.44
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $20.46 $99.54
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $102.32 $497.68
Biweekly $1,200.00 $204.65 $995.35
Monthly $2,600.00 $443.40 $2,156.60
Annual $31,200 $5,321 $25,879

Full Tax Breakdown — Alabama, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $15/hr × 2,080 hrs $31,200
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $15,100
Federal Income Tax 5.0% −$1,564.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,934.40
Medicare (1.45%) −$452.40
Alabama Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$3,000
Alabama State Income Tax 4.4% −$1,370.00
Total Tax 17.1% effective −$5,320.80
Net Take-Home $25,879

How Does Alabama Compare?

See how $15/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $422.38 $2,236/mo $26,827 Florida None $2,271/mo $27,249 New York $958.25 $2,191/mo $26,291 Texas None $2,271/mo $27,249 Washington None $2,271/mo $27,249
Open Full Calculator for Alabama — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$15/hr = $31,200/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$31,200 salary in Alabama — full breakdown $31,200 after tax in Alabama $31,200 salary to hourly Alabama paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Alabama

$12/hr in Alabama$13/hr in Alabama$14/hr in Alabama$16/hr in Alabama$17/hr in Alabama$18/hr in Alabama

Same Rate, Other States

$15/hr in Alaska$15/hr in Arizona$15/hr in Arkansas$15/hr in California$15/hr in Colorado$15/hr in Connecticut

Cost of Living in Alabama

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Alabama
  • Avg 1BR rent in Birmingham: $900/mo — over the 30% rule (35% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Alabama: $32,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $25,879 ($6,121 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19.7/hr

Working at $15/hr in Alabama

At this wage level in Alabama, you're earning well above the $7.25 state minimum — but Birmingham's rising rents mean budget discipline is essential. The low cost of living outside metro areas gives rural workers more breathing room than the numbers suggest.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 73 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Birmingham (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Alabama's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Alabama is 17.1% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Alabama state tax 4.4%.

Manufacturing, healthcare, and automotive industries dominate Alabama's economy. The Huntsville area has grown significantly due to aerospace and defense contracts.

Alabama taxes income at 2–5% and does not fully follow the federal standard deduction, resulting in a somewhat higher effective state tax rate than the flat rate suggests.

Alabama follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr — no state increase.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Alabama

Based on $2,157/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Alabama's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $900 $10,800 41.7%
Food (groceries + dining) $259 $3,108 12.0%
Transportation $216 $2,592 10.0%
Utilities $129 $1,548 6.0%
Healthcare $108 $1,296 5.0%
Entertainment $108 $1,296 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $216 $2,592 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $221 $2,652 10.2%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Alabama

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Alabama. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.4%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $92 $4,600
10 hrs/week $225 $183 $9,150
20 hrs/week $450 $367 $18,350

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $15/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $12.44 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.4 hrs 4.1 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.7 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 64.3 hrs
1 month rent (Birmingham) $900 60 hrs 72.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 803.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3858 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

15 an hour -- is it a good wage in Alabama?

15/hr in Alabama gives you $25,879/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Alabama. Avg 1BR rent in Birmingham: $900/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Alabama?

15/hr in Alabama = $25,879/year or $2,157/month net. Effective rate: 17.1%.

How does 15/hr go further -- Alabama or Texas?

15/hr in Alabama has similar purchasing power to ~19.7/hr in Texas.

What does 15/hr look like as a monthly budget in Alabama?

On $2,157/month in Alabama: rent $900, food $259, transport $216, savings $216, surplus ~$221.

How much does overtime add at 15/hr in Alabama?

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,600/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,150/year.