$15 an Hour in Indiana — 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 Indiana state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.66/hr. In Indiana's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Indiana.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,329
Net Monthly
$2,194
Net Hourly
$12.66

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.34 $12.66
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $18.74 $101.26
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $93.68 $506.32
Biweekly $1,200.00 $187.35 $1,012.65
Monthly $2,600.00 $405.93 $2,194.07
Annual $31,200 $4,871 $26,329

Full Tax Breakdown — Indiana, 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
Indiana Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$0
Indiana State Income Tax 2.9% −$920.40
Total Tax 15.6% effective −$4,871.20
Net Take-Home $26,329

How Does Indiana 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 Indiana

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Indiana

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Indiana
  • Avg 1BR rent in Indianapolis: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (37% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Indiana: $34,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,329 ($7,671 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$18.5/hr

Working at $15/hr in Indiana

Indiana's combination of low state income tax and very low cost of living makes wages go further here than most states. Indianapolis 1BR rents average $950/month — among the most affordable major metros in the US. At this wage, budgeting carefully can actually lead to meaningful savings.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 76 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Indianapolis (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Indiana's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Indiana is 15.6% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Indiana state tax 2.9%.

Indiana's economy is built on manufacturing (especially automotive — Honda, Subaru, Toyota all have plants here), logistics, pharmaceuticals (Eli Lilly HQ in Indianapolis), and agriculture. Indianapolis has a growing tech scene driven by Salesforce's significant local presence.

Indiana has a flat 3.05% state income tax rate — one of the lowest in the country. Counties also levy a local income tax ranging from 0.5% to 3.38%, adding to the total. No standard deduction at the state level.

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

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Indiana

Based on $2,194/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Indiana's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 43.3%
Food (groceries + dining) $263 $3,156 12.0%
Transportation $219 $2,628 10.0%
Utilities $132 $1,584 6.0%
Healthcare $110 $1,320 5.0%
Entertainment $110 $1,320 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $219 $2,628 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $191 $2,292 8.7%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Indiana

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Indiana. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~16.4%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $94 $4,700
10 hrs/week $225 $188 $9,400
20 hrs/week $450 $376 $18,800

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 $12.66 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 63.2 hrs
1 month rent (Indianapolis) $950 63.4 hrs 75.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 790.1 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3792.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Indiana gives you $26,329/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Indiana. Avg 1BR rent in Indianapolis: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Indiana?

15/hr in Indiana = $26,329/year or $2,194/month net. Effective rate: 15.6%.

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

15/hr in Indiana has similar purchasing power to ~18.5/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,194/month in Indiana: rent $950, food $263, transport $219, savings $219, surplus ~$191.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,700/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,400/year.