$38 an Hour in Indiana — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $38/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $79,040. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Indiana state income tax, your take-home pay is $29.86/hr. In Indiana's low cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Indiana.

Gross Annual
$79,040
Net Annual
$62,103
Net Monthly
$5,175
Net Hourly
$29.86

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $38.00 $8.14 $29.86
Daily (8 hrs) $304.00 $65.14 $238.86
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,520.00 $325.71 $1,194.29
Biweekly $3,040.00 $651.42 $2,388.58
Monthly $6,586.67 $1,411.42 $5,175.25
Annual $79,040 $16,937 $62,103

Full Tax Breakdown — Indiana, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $38/hr × 2,080 hrs $79,040
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $62,940
Federal Income Tax 10.8% −$8,558.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$4,900.48
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,146.08
Indiana Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$0
Indiana State Income Tax 2.9% −$2,331.68
Total Tax 21.4% effective −$16,937.04
Net Take-Home $62,103

How Does Indiana Compare?

See how $38/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$38/hr = $79,040/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Indiana

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Indiana

✓ Comfortable — $38/hr covers costs in Indiana
  • Avg 1BR rent in Indianapolis: $950/mo — within budget (14% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Indiana: $34,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $62,103 ($28,103 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$46.9/hr

Working at $38/hr in Indiana

At this level in Indiana, your real purchasing power is exceptional by national standards. A $35/hr wage in Indianapolis goes further in terms of housing, food, and lifestyle than $50/hr in San Francisco or New York once taxes and COL are factored in.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 32 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Indianapolis (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 5.2x Indiana's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Indiana is 21.4% -- federal income tax accounts for 10.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Indiana state tax 2.9%.

Indiana's economy is built on manufacturing (especially automotive — Honda, Subaru, Toyota all have plants here), logistics, pharmaceuticals (Eli Lilly HQ in Indianapolis), and agriculture. Indianapolis has a growing tech scene driven by Salesforce's significant local presence.

Indiana has a flat 3.05% state income tax rate — one of the lowest in the country. Counties also levy a local income tax ranging from 0.5% to 3.38%, adding to the total. No standard deduction at the state level.

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

Monthly Budget on $38/hr in Indiana

Based on $5,175/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Indiana's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $950 $11,400 18.4%
Food (groceries + dining) $621 $7,452 12.0%
Transportation $518 $6,216 10.0%
Utilities $311 $3,732 6.0%
Healthcare $259 $3,108 5.0%
Entertainment $259 $3,108 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $518 $6,216 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,739 $20,868 33.6%

Overtime Pay — $38/hr in Indiana

At time-and-a-half ($57.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Indiana. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~26.4%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $285 $210 $10,500
10 hrs/week $570 $420 $21,000
20 hrs/week $1,140 $839 $41,950

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $38/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $29.86 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.4 hrs 1.7 hrs
Week of groceries $120 3.2 hrs 4.1 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 21.1 hrs 26.8 hrs
1 month rent (Indianapolis) $950 25 hrs 31.9 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 263.2 hrs 335 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1263.2 hrs 1607.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

38 an hour -- is it a good wage in Indiana?

38/hr in Indiana gives you $62,103/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Indiana. Avg 1BR rent in Indianapolis: $950/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 38 an hour after taxes in Indiana?

38/hr in Indiana = $62,103/year or $5,175/month net. Effective rate: 21.4%.

How does 38/hr go further -- Indiana or Texas?

38/hr in Indiana has similar purchasing power to ~46.9/hr in Texas.

What does 38/hr look like as a monthly budget in Indiana?

On $5,175/month in Indiana: rent $950, food $621, transport $518, savings $518, surplus ~$1,739.

How much does overtime add at 38/hr in Indiana?

At 1.5x (57.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$10,500/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$21,000/year.