2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Utah

$42 an Hour in Utah — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $42/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $87,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Utah state income tax, your take-home pay is $31.84/hr. In Utah's medium cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Utah.

Gross Annual
$87,360
Net Annual
$66,226
Net Monthly
$5,519
Net Hourly
$31.84

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $42.00 $10.16 $31.84
Daily (8 hrs) $336.00 $81.29 $254.71
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,680.00 $406.43 $1,273.57
Biweekly $3,360.00 $812.86 $2,547.14
Monthly $7,280.00 $1,761.21 $5,518.79
Annual $87,360 $21,134 $66,226

Full Tax Breakdown — Utah, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $42/hr × 2,080 hrs $87,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $71,260
Federal Income Tax 11.9% −$10,389.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$5,416.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,266.72
Utah Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$0
Utah State Income Tax 4.7% −$4,062.24
Total Tax 24.2% effective −$21,134.48
Net Take-Home $66,226

How Does Utah Compare?

See how $42/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $4,183.06 $5,509/mo $66,105 Florida None $5,857/mo $70,288 New York $4,212.41 $5,506/mo $66,075 Texas None $5,857/mo $70,288 Washington None $5,857/mo $70,288
Open Full Calculator for Utah — $42/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$42/hr = $87,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$87,360 salary in Utah — full breakdown $87,360 after tax in Utah $87,360 salary to hourly Utah paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Utah

$39/hr in Utah$40/hr in Utah$41/hr in Utah$43/hr in Utah$44/hr in Utah$45/hr in Utah

Same Rate, Other States

$42/hr in Alabama$42/hr in Alaska$42/hr in Arizona$42/hr in Arkansas$42/hr in California$42/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Utah

✓ Comfortable — $42/hr covers costs in Utah
  • Avg 1BR rent in Salt Lake City: $1,400/mo — within budget (19% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Utah: $44,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $66,226 ($22,226 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$40.1/hr

Working at $42/hr in Utah

At this level in Utah you're competing in one of the most dynamic tech ecosystems outside Silicon Valley and Seattle. The flat 4.65% tax and housing costs (still below San Francisco or Seattle) create favorable after-tax outcomes for skilled tech workers.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 44 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Salt Lake City (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 5.8x Utah's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Utah is 24.2% -- federal income tax accounts for 11.9%, FICA 7.6%, and Utah state tax 4.7%.

Utah has one of the strongest economies in the Mountain West. Silicon Slopes (the tech corridor between Salt Lake City and Provo) has attracted significant tech investment — Adobe, Qualtrics, Domo, and dozens of high-growth startups are based here. Healthcare, tourism, and outdoor recreation are also major sectors.

Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax. No standard deduction — the state uses a personal exemption credit instead. Overall tax burden is moderate and predictable.

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

Monthly Budget on $42/hr in Utah

Based on $5,519/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Utah's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,400 $16,800 25.4%
Food (groceries + dining) $662 $7,944 12.0%
Transportation $552 $6,624 10.0%
Utilities $331 $3,972 6.0%
Healthcare $276 $3,312 5.0%
Entertainment $276 $3,312 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $552 $6,624 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,470 $17,640 26.6%

Overtime Pay — $42/hr in Utah

At time-and-a-half ($63.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Utah. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~28.1%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $315 $226 $11,300
10 hrs/week $630 $453 $22,650
20 hrs/week $1,260 $906 $45,300

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $42/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $31.84 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.2 hrs 1.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 2.9 hrs 3.8 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 19.1 hrs 25.1 hrs
1 month rent (Salt Lake City) $1,400 33.4 hrs 44 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 238.1 hrs 314.1 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1142.9 hrs 1507.6 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

42 an hour -- is it a good wage in Utah?

42/hr in Utah gives you $66,226/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Utah. Avg 1BR rent in Salt Lake City: $1,400/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 42 an hour after taxes in Utah?

42/hr in Utah = $66,226/year or $5,519/month net. Effective rate: 24.2%.

How does 42/hr go further -- Utah or Texas?

42/hr in Utah has similar purchasing power to ~40.1/hr in Texas.

What does 42/hr look like as a monthly budget in Utah?

On $5,519/month in Utah: rent $1,400, food $662, transport $552, savings $552, surplus ~$1,470.

How much does overtime add at 42/hr in Utah?

At 1.5x (63.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$11,300/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$22,650/year.