$48 an Hour in Georgia — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $48/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $99,840. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Georgia state income tax, your take-home pay is $35.69/hr. In Georgia's medium cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Georgia.

Gross Annual
$99,840
Net Annual
$74,245
Net Monthly
$6,187
Net Hourly
$35.69

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $48.00 $12.31 $35.69
Daily (8 hrs) $384.00 $98.44 $285.56
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,920.00 $492.21 $1,427.79
Biweekly $3,840.00 $984.42 $2,855.58
Monthly $8,320.00 $2,132.91 $6,187.09
Annual $99,840 $25,595 $74,245

Full Tax Breakdown — Georgia, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $48/hr × 2,080 hrs $99,840
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $83,740
Federal Income Tax 13.2% −$13,134.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$6,190.08
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,447.68
Georgia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$12,000
Georgia State Income Tax 4.8% −$4,822.42
Total Tax 25.6% effective −$25,594.98
Net Take-Home $74,245

How Does Georgia Compare?

See how $48/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$48/hr = $99,840/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Georgia

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Georgia

✓ Comfortable — $48/hr covers costs in Georgia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Atlanta: $1,300/mo — within budget (16% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Georgia: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $74,245 ($32,245 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$48/hr

Working at $48/hr in Georgia

At this level in Georgia you're solidly upper-middle-class by state standards. Atlanta competes directly with Charlotte and Nashville for tech talent at this wage tier, and its cost of living remains lower than comparable Northern metros.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 37 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Atlanta (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 6.6x Georgia's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Georgia is 25.6% -- federal income tax accounts for 13.2%, FICA 7.6%, and Georgia state tax 4.8%.

Atlanta is a major logistics, finance, technology, and film production hub. Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, UPS, and Coca-Cola are headquartered here. Georgia's film tax credits have made it the second-largest film production state. The broader state economy includes significant manufacturing and agriculture.

Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax rate (2026), reduced from a graduated system. The rate continues to phase down toward 4.99% in coming years. Georgia has a relatively generous standard deduction of $12,000 for single filers.

Georgia follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr — no state increase.

Monthly Budget on $48/hr in Georgia

Based on $6,187/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Georgia's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,300 $15,600 21.0%
Food (groceries + dining) $742 $8,904 12.0%
Transportation $619 $7,428 10.0%
Utilities $371 $4,452 6.0%
Healthcare $309 $3,708 5.0%
Entertainment $309 $3,708 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $619 $7,428 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,918 $23,016 31.0%

Overtime Pay — $48/hr in Georgia

At time-and-a-half ($72.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Georgia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~28.9%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $360 $256 $12,800
10 hrs/week $720 $512 $25,600
20 hrs/week $1,440 $1,023 $51,150

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $48/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $35.69 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.1 hrs 1.5 hrs
Week of groceries $120 2.5 hrs 3.4 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 16.7 hrs 22.4 hrs
1 month rent (Atlanta) $1,300 27.1 hrs 36.5 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 208.4 hrs 280.2 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1000 hrs 1344.8 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

48 an hour -- is it a good wage in Georgia?

48/hr in Georgia gives you $74,245/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Georgia. Avg 1BR rent in Atlanta: $1,300/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 48 an hour after taxes in Georgia?

48/hr in Georgia = $74,245/year or $6,187/month net. Effective rate: 25.6%.

How does 48/hr go further -- Georgia or Texas?

48/hr in Georgia has similar purchasing power to ~48/hr in Texas.

What does 48/hr look like as a monthly budget in Georgia?

On $6,187/month in Georgia: rent $1,300, food $742, transport $619, savings $619, surplus ~$1,918.

How much does overtime add at 48/hr in Georgia?

At 1.5x (72.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$12,800/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$25,600/year.