$20 an Hour in Arizona — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $20/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $41,600. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Arizona state income tax, your take-home pay is $16.81/hr. In Arizona's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Arizona.

Gross Annual
$41,600
Net Annual
$34,968
Net Monthly
$2,914
Net Hourly
$16.81

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $20.00 $3.19 $16.81
Daily (8 hrs) $160.00 $25.51 $134.49
Weekly (40 hrs) $800.00 $127.54 $672.46
Biweekly $1,600.00 $255.07 $1,344.93
Monthly $3,466.67 $552.66 $2,914.01
Annual $41,600 $6,632 $34,968

Full Tax Breakdown — Arizona, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $20/hr × 2,080 hrs $41,600
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $25,500
Federal Income Tax 6.8% −$2,812.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,579.20
Medicare (1.45%) −$603.20
Arizona Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Arizona State Income Tax 1.5% −$637.50
Total Tax 15.9% effective −$6,631.90
Net Take-Home $34,968

How Does Arizona Compare?

See how $20/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$20/hr = $41,600/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Arizona

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Arizona

✗ Difficult — $20/hr falls short in Arizona
  • Avg 1BR rent in Phoenix: $1,350/mo — over the 30% rule (39% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Arizona: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $34,968 ($7,032 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$20/hr

Working at $20/hr in Arizona

This is a comfortable wage in most Arizona metros. The 2.5% flat state tax means your effective burden is low — a meaningful advantage over neighboring California. Phoenix's job market is booming in tech and manufacturing, creating real upward mobility at this level.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 81 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Phoenix (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.4x Arizona's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Arizona is 15.9% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Arizona state tax 1.5%.

Arizona's economy has grown rapidly, led by semiconductor manufacturing (TSMC's Phoenix fab), real estate, tourism, and healthcare. The Phoenix metro is one of the fastest-growing job markets in the US.

Arizona simplified to a flat 2.5% income tax rate in 2023 — one of the lowest flat rates in the country. This means workers at all income levels pay the same low effective state rate.

Arizona's minimum wage is $14.70/hr (2026), adjusted annually for inflation.

Monthly Budget on $20/hr in Arizona

Based on $2,914/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Arizona's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,350 $16,200 46.3%
Food (groceries + dining) $350 $4,200 12.0%
Transportation $291 $3,492 10.0%
Utilities $175 $2,100 6.0%
Healthcare $146 $1,752 5.0%
Entertainment $146 $1,752 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $291 $3,492 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $165 $1,980 5.7%

Overtime Pay — $20/hr in Arizona

At time-and-a-half ($30.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Arizona. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~16.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $150 $126 $6,300
10 hrs/week $300 $252 $12,600
20 hrs/week $600 $504 $25,200

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $20/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $16.81 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.5 hrs 3 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6 hrs 7.2 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 40 hrs 47.6 hrs
1 month rent (Phoenix) $1,350 67.5 hrs 80.4 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 500 hrs 594.9 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2400 hrs 2855.2 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

20 an hour -- is it a good wage in Arizona?

20/hr in Arizona gives you $34,968/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Arizona. Avg 1BR rent in Phoenix: $1,350/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 20 an hour after taxes in Arizona?

20/hr in Arizona = $34,968/year or $2,914/month net. Effective rate: 15.9%.

How does 20/hr go further -- Arizona or Texas?

20/hr in Arizona has similar purchasing power to ~20/hr in Texas.

What does 20/hr look like as a monthly budget in Arizona?

On $2,914/month in Arizona: rent $1,350, food $350, transport $291, savings $291, surplus ~$165.

How much does overtime add at 20/hr in Arizona?

At 1.5x (30.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$6,300/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$12,600/year.