2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Kentucky

$15 an Hour in Kentucky — 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 Kentucky state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.63/hr. In Kentucky's low cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Kentucky.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,268
Net Monthly
$2,189
Net Hourly
$12.63

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.37 $12.63
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $18.97 $101.03
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $94.85 $505.15
Biweekly $1,200.00 $189.70 $1,010.30
Monthly $2,600.00 $411.02 $2,188.98
Annual $31,200 $4,932 $26,268

Full Tax Breakdown — Kentucky, 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
Kentucky Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$3,160
Kentucky State Income Tax 3.1% −$981.40
Total Tax 15.8% effective −$4,932.20
Net Take-Home $26,268

How Does Kentucky 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 Kentucky — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Kentucky

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

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 Kentucky

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Kentucky
  • Avg 1BR rent in Louisville: $850/mo — over the 30% rule (33% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Kentucky: $31,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,268 ($4,732 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$20.3/hr

Working at $15/hr in Kentucky

Kentucky's low cost of living — Louisville 1BR averages $850/month — provides real financial relief at lower wage levels. The 4.5% flat tax is moderate. Toyota's Georgetown plant and UPS Louisville create industrial employment well above minimum wage.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 68 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Louisville (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.1x Kentucky's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Kentucky is 15.8% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Kentucky state tax 3.1%.

Kentucky's economy centers on manufacturing (Toyota has its largest US plant in Georgetown), logistics (UPS's Worldport air hub in Louisville), healthcare, and bourbon/spirits. Louisville is growing as a healthcare and logistics hub.

Kentucky has a flat 4.5% state income tax rate (reduced from 5% in recent years, with further reductions planned). The state has a low standard deduction of $3,160.

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

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Kentucky

Based on $2,189/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Kentucky's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $850 $10,200 38.8%
Food (groceries + dining) $263 $3,156 12.0%
Transportation $219 $2,628 10.0%
Utilities $131 $1,572 6.0%
Healthcare $109 $1,308 5.0%
Entertainment $109 $1,308 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $219 $2,628 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $289 $3,468 13.2%

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Kentucky

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Kentucky. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~17.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $93 $4,650
10 hrs/week $225 $187 $9,350
20 hrs/week $450 $374 $18,700

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 $12.63 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 63.3 hrs
1 month rent (Louisville) $850 56.7 hrs 67.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 791.9 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3800.9 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Kentucky gives you $26,268/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Kentucky. Avg 1BR rent in Louisville: $850/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Kentucky?

15/hr in Kentucky = $26,268/year or $2,189/month net. Effective rate: 15.8%.

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

15/hr in Kentucky has similar purchasing power to ~20.3/hr in Texas.

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

On $2,189/month in Kentucky: rent $850, food $263, transport $219, savings $219, surplus ~$289.

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

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,650/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,350/year.