LA
Louisiana
3.00% top marginal rate
KY
State · 2026 tax year · Flat Tax
Kentucky 2026 Income Tax
According to the Kentucky Department of Revenue August 2026 schedule, Kentucky applies a flat 3.50% to all taxable income. Walk the math and compute your full federal + state + FICA take-home.
$3,500 state tax on $100K
A single filer with $100,000 of taxable income in Kentucky owes $3,500 in state income tax (3.50% effective; structure: Flat Tax). Rank #16 of 51 by state-tax burden (1 = lowest).
- Burden rank #16 of 51 at $100K single
- Top marginal rate 3.50%
- 2026 tax year · IRS + state DOR schedules
Kentucky at $100K, in one line
A single filer earning $100,000 of taxable income owes $3,500 in Kentucky state income tax, a 3.50% effective rate, well below the 3.50% headline top rate. That ranks Kentucky#16 of 51 jurisdictions by state-tax burden (1 = lowest), under a single flat rate.
Kentucky Department of Revenue 2026 schedule · Tax Foundation How we calculate →
$3,500
state tax at $100K
3.50%
effective state rate
#16
of 51 1 = lowest
3.50%
top marginal rate
Gross income
$116,100 100.0%
Federal income tax
$16,712 14.4%
FICA / SECA
$8,882 7.7%
State income tax
$3,500 3.0%
Take-home pay
$87,006 74.9%
Jurisdiction bracket ticket
Kentucky DOR bracket ticket KY · 2026 · flat
Kentucky · $3,500 @ $100K · #16/51
Kentucky line from the 2026 Department of Revenue schedule vs IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, reference math, not a filing. Read with Kentucky → · Model your own →
Kentucky in the $100K burden neighbourhood
Kentucky effective state rate at $100K (single filer) 3.5%
Federal effective @ $100K
The percentage is Kentucky's state income tax at $100K of taxable income, not a fill-ratio against federal. The marker is the ~16.9% federal effective rate at the same income. The heaviest state income-tax line at $100K is about 8.4% (Oregon), so state tax stacks well under federal in every state.
How Kentucky compares to nearby states on the burden scale
States immediately above and below Kentucky on the $100K single-filer burden scale, sorted by burden ascending.
The comparison ranks 5 states clustered around Kentucky on burden, not by geographic proximity. The Selected tag marks Kentucky; cards on either side show the next-cheaper and next-more-expensive jurisdictions, useful for understanding whether your state's rate is broadly competitive in its tier or an outlier. Each peer card links to its own bracket schedule for a deeper comparison.
PA
Pennsylvania
3.07% top marginal rate
KY
Kentucky
3.50% top marginal rate
IA
Iowa
3.80% top marginal rate
AR
Arkansas
3.90% top marginal rate
About Kentucky 2026 Income Tax
Kentucky applies a flat 3.50% income tax to all taxable income, one of fourteen US flat-rate jurisdictions. The flat structure produces predictable per-dollar tax cost regardless of income level, simplifying filing relative to the twenty-eight progressive-bracket states. At $100,000 single-filer 2026 taxable income Kentucky state tax equals approximately $3500. Combined with federal income tax ($16,914 single, 2026) and FICA ($7,650 on $100K wages) the total tax burden equals roughly $28064 - effective combined rate 28.06%.
Key Kentucky Tax Notes (2026)
Flat 3.5% rate effective Jan 1 2026 (reduced from 4.0% via H.B. 1, Feb 2025).
Source: Kentucky Department of Revenue, 2026 personal income tax publications. Source: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets 2026. Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, 2026 federal inflation adjustments.
2026 Federal Brackets That Stack on Kentucky (Single Filer)
State income tax applies after federal brackets on the same taxable income base. Federal rows from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32; compare the full federal hub at /federal/.
| Taxable income range | Federal marginal rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $12,400 | 10.00% |
| $12,400 – $50,400 | 12.00% |
| $50,400 – $105,700 | 22.00% |
| $105,700 – $201,775 | 24.00% |
| $201,775 – $256,225 | 32.00% |
| $256,225 – $640,600 | 35.00% |
| $640,600 and above | 37.00% |
2026 Federal Brackets (Married Filing Jointly)
| Taxable income range | Federal marginal rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $24,800 | 10.00% |
| $24,800 – $100,800 | 12.00% |
| $100,800 – $211,400 | 22.00% |
| $211,400 – $403,550 | 24.00% |
| $403,550 – $512,450 | 32.00% |
| $512,450 – $768,700 | 35.00% |
| $768,700 and above | 37.00% |
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, 2026 inflation-adjusted brackets.
Combined Kentucky + Federal + FICA at Common Incomes (Single)
Taxable-income tiers walk the published Kentucky schedule plus IRS federal brackets and 2026 FICA on gross wages before the $16,100 standard deduction. Reference math only.
| Taxable income | Kentucky tax | Federal tax | FICA | Total tax | Est. take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,750 | $5,752 | $5,057 | $12,559 | $53,541 |
| $100,000 | $3,500 | $16,712 | $8,882 | $29,094 | $87,006 |
| $200,000 | $7,000 | $40,598 | $14,717 | $62,315 | $153,785 |
Source: Kentucky Department of Revenue 2026 schedule · IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 · 2026 FICA rates from IRS/SSA publications.
Kentucky ranks #16 of 51 US jurisdictions by state tax burden at $100K single-filer income (1 = lowest burden).
Quick Kentucky State Tax Estimate
Enter taxable income and filing status to see Kentucky state tax owed for 2026. The estimate walks the matching Department of Revenue bracket schedule (single and married-jointly are separate keys when the state publishes different widths). For full federal + state + FICA, use the main calculator.
Compare with Nearby-Burden States
Read with this jurisdiction
Drills shaped by Kentucky's flat tax architecture, not a generic tool list.
- Run Kentucky in the 2026 calculator
Stack federal + FICA + this state on your own income
- Effective vs marginal rate
Flat 3.50% makes effective ≈ marginal on state income
- Iowa (flat 3.80%)
Nearest same-structure peer at $100K (Δ $300)
- Pennsylvania (flat 3.07%)
Nearest same-structure peer at $100K (Δ $430)
- Full state tax rankings hub
See where Kentucky lands across $50K / $100K / $200K tiers
Every figure on PlainTaxCalc is rendered directly from IRS Revenue Procedure and state Department of Revenue data, no number is typed in by an editor. This state's figures are rendered directly from IRS Revenue Procedure and state Department of Revenue data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data issue on this page. Data current as of August 2026.
A published rate is a schedule line, not a filing recommendation. The calculator's take-home figure applies the standard deduction only, it excludes credits, AMT, and itemized deductions. These pages explain the issued tables; they are not tax advice.