2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Missouri

$26 an Hour in Missouri — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $26/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $54,080. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Missouri state income tax, your take-home pay is $21.06/hr. In Missouri's low cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Missouri.

Gross Annual
$54,080
Net Annual
$43,810
Net Monthly
$3,651
Net Hourly
$21.06

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $26.00 $4.94 $21.06
Daily (8 hrs) $208.00 $39.50 $168.50
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,040.00 $197.50 $842.50
Biweekly $2,080.00 $394.99 $1,685.01
Monthly $4,506.67 $855.81 $3,650.85
Annual $54,080 $10,270 $43,810

Full Tax Breakdown — Missouri, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $26/hr × 2,080 hrs $54,080
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $37,980
Federal Income Tax 8.0% −$4,309.60
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$3,352.96
Medicare (1.45%) −$784.16
Missouri Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Missouri State Income Tax 3.4% −$1,823.04
Total Tax 19.0% effective −$10,269.76
Net Take-Home $43,810

How Does Missouri Compare?

See how $26/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $1,510.24 $3,677/mo $44,123 Florida None $3,803/mo $45,633 New York $2,265.53 $3,614/mo $43,368 Texas None $3,803/mo $45,633 Washington None $3,803/mo $45,633
Open Full Calculator for Missouri — $26/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$26/hr = $54,080/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$54,080 salary in Missouri — full breakdown $54,080 after tax in Missouri $54,080 salary to hourly Missouri paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Missouri

$23/hr in Missouri$24/hr in Missouri$25/hr in Missouri$27/hr in Missouri$28/hr in Missouri$29/hr in Missouri

Same Rate, Other States

$26/hr in Alabama$26/hr in Alaska$26/hr in Arizona$26/hr in Arkansas$26/hr in California$26/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Missouri

✓ Comfortable — $26/hr covers costs in Missouri
  • Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/mo — within budget (21% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Missouri: $33,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $43,810 ($10,810 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$33.1/hr

Working at $26/hr in Missouri

At this level in Missouri you're solidly upper-middle-class. Financial services, healthcare, and tech employers in the metro areas create real demand at this rate.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 46 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Kansas City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.9x Missouri's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Missouri is 19.0% -- federal income tax accounts for 8.0%, FICA 7.6%, and Missouri state tax 3.4%.

Missouri has a diversified economy including finance (Edward Jones, Citi operations in St. Louis), healthcare (BJC HealthCare, SSM Health), agriculture, manufacturing, and a growing tech scene in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Missouri has a flat 4.8% income tax rate (reduced from a graduated system). The state mirrors the federal standard deduction.

Missouri's minimum wage is $13.75/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $26/hr in Missouri

Based on $3,651/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Missouri's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 26.0%
Food (groceries + dining) $438 $5,256 12.0%
Transportation $365 $4,380 10.0%
Utilities $219 $2,628 6.0%
Healthcare $183 $2,196 5.0%
Entertainment $183 $2,196 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $365 $4,380 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $948 $11,376 26.0%

Overtime Pay — $26/hr in Missouri

At time-and-a-half ($39.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Missouri. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~18.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $195 $159 $7,950
10 hrs/week $390 $319 $15,950
20 hrs/week $780 $638 $31,900

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $26/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $21.06 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2 hrs 2.4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 4.7 hrs 5.7 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 30.8 hrs 38 hrs
1 month rent (Kansas City) $950 36.6 hrs 45.2 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 384.7 hrs 474.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1846.2 hrs 2279 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

26 an hour -- is it a good wage in Missouri?

26/hr in Missouri gives you $43,810/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Missouri. Avg 1BR rent in Kansas City: $950/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 26 an hour after taxes in Missouri?

26/hr in Missouri = $43,810/year or $3,651/month net. Effective rate: 19.0%.

How does 26/hr go further -- Missouri or Texas?

26/hr in Missouri has similar purchasing power to ~33.1/hr in Texas.

What does 26/hr look like as a monthly budget in Missouri?

On $3,651/month in Missouri: rent $950, food $438, transport $365, savings $365, surplus ~$948.

How much does overtime add at 26/hr in Missouri?

At 1.5x (39.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$7,950/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$15,950/year.