2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Nebraska

$18 an Hour in Nebraska — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $18/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $37,440. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Nebraska state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.97/hr. In Nebraska's low cost-of-living environment, this is enough to get by in Nebraska, though budget carefully.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,131
Net Monthly
$2,594
Net Hourly
$14.97

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $3.03 $14.97
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $24.26 $119.74
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $121.32 $598.68
Biweekly $1,440.00 $242.64 $1,197.36
Monthly $3,120.00 $525.72 $2,594.28
Annual $37,440 $6,309 $31,131

Full Tax Breakdown — Nebraska, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $18/hr × 2,080 hrs $37,440
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $21,340
Federal Income Tax 6.2% −$2,312.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,321.28
Medicare (1.45%) −$542.88
Nebraska Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$7,900
Nebraska State Income Tax 3.0% −$1,131.69
Total Tax 16.9% effective −$6,308.65
Net Take-Home $31,131

How Does Nebraska Compare?

See how $18/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $671.98 $2,633/mo $31,591 Florida None $2,689/mo $32,263 New York $1,292.09 $2,581/mo $30,971 Texas None $2,689/mo $32,263 Washington None $2,689/mo $32,263
Open Full Calculator for Nebraska — $18/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$18/hr = $37,440/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$37,440 salary in Nebraska — full breakdown $37,440 after tax in Nebraska $37,440 salary to hourly Nebraska paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Nebraska

$15/hr in Nebraska$16/hr in Nebraska$17/hr in Nebraska$19/hr in Nebraska$20/hr in Nebraska$21/hr in Nebraska

Same Rate, Other States

$18/hr in Alabama$18/hr in Alaska$18/hr in Arizona$18/hr in Arkansas$18/hr in California$18/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Nebraska

⚠ Tight — $18/hr is borderline in Nebraska
  • Avg 1BR rent in Omaha: $950/mo — over the 30% rule (30% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Nebraska: $34,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,131 ($2,869 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$22.2/hr

Working at $18/hr in Nebraska

This is a solid income in Nebraska. Omaha's insurance and financial sector provides stable employment. The simplified, reduced income tax rates and very low COL create genuine financial comfort at this level.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 64 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Omaha (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.3x Nebraska's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Nebraska is 16.9% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Nebraska state tax 3.0%.

Nebraska's economy is built on agriculture, food processing (Tyson, ConAgra), insurance (Berkshire Hathaway, Mutual of Omaha), and finance. Omaha's 'insurance capital' status creates a stable professional sector. The state has very low unemployment historically.

Nebraska has a graduated income tax with rates from 2.46% to 3.99% (recently simplified and reduced). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

Nebraska's minimum wage is $13.50/hr (2026), rising to $15 by 2026.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in Nebraska

Based on $2,594/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Nebraska's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 36.6%
Food (groceries + dining) $311 $3,732 12.0%
Transportation $259 $3,108 10.0%
Utilities $156 $1,872 6.0%
Healthcare $130 $1,560 5.0%
Entertainment $130 $1,560 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $259 $3,108 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $399 $4,788 15.4%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Nebraska

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Nebraska. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $111 $5,550
10 hrs/week $270 $221 $11,050
20 hrs/week $540 $443 $22,150

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $18/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.97 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.8 hrs 3.4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.7 hrs 8.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 53.4 hrs
1 month rent (Omaha) $950 52.8 hrs 63.5 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 668.2 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3207.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

18 an hour -- is it a good wage in Nebraska?

18/hr in Nebraska gives you $31,131/year after taxes -- enough to get by in Nebraska, though budget carefully. Avg 1BR rent in Omaha: $950/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in Nebraska?

18/hr in Nebraska = $31,131/year or $2,594/month net. Effective rate: 16.9%.

How does 18/hr go further -- Nebraska or Texas?

18/hr in Nebraska has similar purchasing power to ~22.2/hr in Texas.

What does 18/hr look like as a monthly budget in Nebraska?

On $2,594/month in Nebraska: rent $950, food $311, transport $259, savings $259, surplus ~$399.

How much does overtime add at 18/hr in Nebraska?

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,550/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,050/year.