$15 an Hour in Idaho — 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 Idaho state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.68/hr. In Idaho's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Idaho.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,373
Net Monthly
$2,198
Net Hourly
$12.68

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.32 $12.68
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $18.56 $101.44
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $92.82 $507.18
Biweekly $1,200.00 $185.64 $1,014.36
Monthly $2,600.00 $402.22 $2,197.78
Annual $31,200 $4,827 $26,373

Full Tax Breakdown — Idaho, 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
Idaho Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Idaho State Income Tax 2.8% −$875.80
Total Tax 15.5% effective −$4,826.60
Net Take-Home $26,373

How Does Idaho Compare?

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

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

Adjacent Rates in Idaho

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Idaho

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Idaho
  • Avg 1BR rent in Boise: $1,200/mo — over the 30% rule (46% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Idaho: $40,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,373 ($13,627 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$15.8/hr

Working at $15/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 95 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Boise (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Idaho's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Idaho is 15.5% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Idaho state tax 2.8%.

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 $15/hr in Idaho

Based on $2,198/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 54.6%
Food (groceries + dining) $264 $3,168 12.0%
Transportation $220 $2,640 10.0%
Utilities $132 $1,584 6.0%
Healthcare $110 $1,320 5.0%
Entertainment $110 $1,320 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $220 $2,640 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-58 $-696 -2.6%

⚠ This budget is underwater — rent alone exceeds the 30% guideline in Idaho at $15/hr. Consider roommates, lower-cost areas, or targeting a higher wage to reach balance.

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Idaho

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Idaho. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $91 $4,550
10 hrs/week $225 $182 $9,100
20 hrs/week $450 $363 $18,150

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 $12.68 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 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.5 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 63.1 hrs
1 month rent (Boise) $1,200 80 hrs 94.7 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 788.7 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3785.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Idaho gives you $26,373/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 15 an hour after taxes in Idaho?

15/hr in Idaho = $26,373/year or $2,198/month net. Effective rate: 15.5%.

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

15/hr in Idaho has similar purchasing power to ~15.8/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,198/month in Idaho: rent $1,200, food $264, transport $220, savings $220, surplus ~$0.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,550/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,100/year.