2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Kansas

$15 an Hour in Kansas — 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 Kansas state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.56/hr. In Kansas's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Kansas.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,117
Net Monthly
$2,176
Net Hourly
$12.56

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.44 $12.56
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $19.55 $100.45
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $97.74 $502.26
Biweekly $1,200.00 $195.48 $1,004.52
Monthly $2,600.00 $423.55 $2,176.45
Annual $31,200 $5,083 $26,117

Full Tax Breakdown — Kansas, 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
Kansas Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$3,500
Kansas State Income Tax 3.6% −$1,131.75
Total Tax 16.3% effective −$5,082.55
Net Take-Home $26,117

How Does Kansas 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 Kansas — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Kansas

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

Same Rate, Other States

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

Cost of Living in Kansas

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Kansas
  • Avg 1BR rent in Wichita: $900/mo — over the 30% rule (35% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Kansas: $32,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,117 ($5,883 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19.7/hr

Working at $15/hr in Kansas

Kansas has a very low cost of living — Wichita 1BR rents average $900/month. At this wage, the financial pressure is far lower than in coastal states. The moderate income tax and low housing costs make budgeting manageable.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 72 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Wichita (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Kansas's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Kansas is 16.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Kansas state tax 3.6%.

Kansas is a major aviation and aerospace manufacturing state — Spirit AeroSystems (Boeing fuselages), Textron Aviation (Cessna, Beechcraft), and Learjet are headquartered in Wichita. Agriculture, energy, and healthcare round out the economy.

Kansas has a two-bracket income tax system with rates of 3.1% and 5.7%. The state went through a period of drastic tax cuts (the 'Kansas experiment') that were later reversed. Current rates are moderate.

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

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Kansas

Based on $2,176/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Kansas's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $900 $10,800 41.4%
Food (groceries + dining) $261 $3,132 12.0%
Transportation $218 $2,616 10.0%
Utilities $131 $1,572 6.0%
Healthcare $109 $1,308 5.0%
Entertainment $109 $1,308 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $218 $2,616 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $230 $2,760 10.6%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Kansas

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Kansas. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.7%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $91 $4,550
10 hrs/week $225 $183 $9,150
20 hrs/week $450 $366 $18,300

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 $12.56 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 9.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 63.7 hrs
1 month rent (Wichita) $900 60 hrs 71.7 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 796.5 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3822.8 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Kansas gives you $26,117/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Kansas. Avg 1BR rent in Wichita: $900/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Kansas?

15/hr in Kansas = $26,117/year or $2,176/month net. Effective rate: 16.3%.

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

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

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

On $2,176/month in Kansas: rent $900, food $261, transport $218, savings $218, surplus ~$230.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,550/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,150/year.