2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Montana

$15 an Hour in Montana — 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 Montana state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.40/hr. In Montana's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Montana.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$25,799
Net Monthly
$2,150
Net Hourly
$12.40

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.60 $12.40
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $20.77 $99.23
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $103.86 $496.14
Biweekly $1,200.00 $207.72 $992.29
Monthly $2,600.00 $450.05 $2,149.95
Annual $31,200 $5,401 $25,799

Full Tax Breakdown — Montana, 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
Montana Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$5,540
Montana State Income Tax 4.6% −$1,449.79
Total Tax 17.3% effective −$5,400.59
Net Take-Home $25,799

How Does Montana 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 Montana — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

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

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

Adjacent Rates in Montana

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

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 Montana

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Montana
  • Avg 1BR rent in Billings: $1,200/mo — over the 30% rule (46% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Montana: $40,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $25,799 ($14,201 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$15.8/hr

Working at $15/hr in Montana

Montana has no sales tax, which provides real daily savings on purchases. Billings 1BR rents average $1,200/month. The remote work boom has made Bozeman and Missoula significantly more expensive — these cities now rival western metro costs.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 97 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Billings (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.4x Montana's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Montana is 17.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Montana state tax 4.6%.

Montana's economy is driven by agriculture, tourism (Glacier and Yellowstone national parks), energy (coal, oil, natural gas), healthcare, and a growing remote-work population. The job market is tight due to the small population.

Montana has a flat 5.9% income tax rate. No sales tax, which provides meaningful consumer savings. Montana's overall tax burden is moderate.

Montana's minimum wage is $10.55/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $15/hr in Montana

Based on $2,150/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Montana's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,200 $14,400 55.8%
Food (groceries + dining) $258 $3,096 12.0%
Transportation $215 $2,580 10.0%
Utilities $129 $1,548 6.0%
Healthcare $107 $1,284 5.0%
Entertainment $107 $1,284 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $215 $2,580 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-81 $-972 -3.8%

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

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Montana

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Montana. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.1%.

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 $364 $18,200

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 $12.40 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 64.5 hrs
1 month rent (Billings) $1,200 80 hrs 96.8 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 806.3 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3869.9 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Montana gives you $25,799/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Montana. Avg 1BR rent in Billings: $1,200/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 15 an hour after taxes in Montana?

15/hr in Montana = $25,799/year or $2,150/month net. Effective rate: 17.3%.

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

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

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

On $2,150/month in Montana: rent $1,200, food $258, transport $215, savings $215, surplus ~$0.

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

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