How Paychecks Could Change in Each State if Trump Nixes Federal Income Tax

On the campaign trail last year, now-president Donald Trump floated the idea of abolishing the federal income tax, replacing it with tariffs and other taxes on foreign nations.

In a January speech, the president mentioned the idea saying the U.S. economy was stronger before a national income tax.

“We had no income tax. The income tax came in 1913. As I said in my speech last week, instead of taxing our citizens to enrich foreign nations, we should be tariffing and taxing foreign nations to enrich our citizens,” Trump said, according to a report on Fox Business.

“It’s time for the United States to return to the system that made us richer and more powerful than ever before,” he said. “You know, the United States in 1870 to 1913, all tariffs. And that was the richest period in the history of the United States, relatively speaking.”

However, many economists and policy experts have pushed back on the idea as unrealistic (due primarily to the fact that tariffs on imported goods won’t generate enough revenue to replace income taxes).

“Higher tariffs would presumably require more of an enforcement network than we have now but wouldn’t involve the likes of people filing annual income tax returns with all their deductions and then being audited,” Daniel Shaviro, professor of taxation at the New York University School of Law, told Newsweek last month.

When asked whether tariffs could be sufficiently enforced to replace income tax as a source of government revenue, Shaviro said: “In a word, no.”

Kimberly Clausing, economist and professor of tax law and policy at the UCLA School of Law, said “even very high tariffs could only replace a minority of the revenue raised by income taxation, and such high tariffs would cripple the economy.”

“Abolishing the IRS makes no sense for a modern country that would like to collect some income tax revenue and have a fair and well-functioning tax system to help fund public services,” Clausing told Newsweek when asked about the potential elimination of the agency. “The U.S. is a low tax country, collecting much less revenue as a share of GDP than peer nations.”

In 2023, U.S. Treasury data shows federal income taxes accounted for $4.92 trillion.

If you’re curious what your paycheck would look like if Trump nixed the federal income tax, GOBankingRates compiled data to determine what checks and income would look like, state by state.

To generate the income tax for every state, GOBankingRates said it first found incomes based on 2023 American Community Survey median household figures and income tax estimates using an in-house calculator for a person as a single filer and using the standard deduction (with 2024 tax brackets). Once the income taxes (federal and state) were calculated as an annual amount, GOBankingRates found each state’s:

Total annual income taxes paid;
Total income tax burden;
Amount takin out of biweekly paycheck; and
Biweekly paycheck amount.

GOBankingRates said it then took these figures and removed the federal income taxes (including FICA) to see what paychecks would look like by state without federal income taxes. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Feb. 4, 2025, according to GOBankingRates.

In California, where median household income is $73,235, the cut would save some $723. In Hawaii, eliminating federal income tax would save $758 bi-weekly. In Alabama, the difference would be an extra $360.

The following is how paychecks could differ without a federal income tax for each state, according to GOBankingRates:

Alabama

Median household income: $50,536
Total income taxes for single filer: $12,264
State income tax for single filer: $2,911
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,472
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,832

Alaska

,Median household income: $77,640
Total income taxes for single filer: $17,434
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,316
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,986

Arizona

Median household income: $58,945
Total income taxes for single filer: $14,819
State income tax for single filer: $1,557
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,697
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,207

Arkansas

Median household income: $47,597
Total income taxes for single filer: $11,070
State income tax for single filer: $2,360
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,405
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,740

California

Median household income: $73,235
Total income taxes for single filer: $23,902
State income tax for single filer: $5,113
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,974
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,697

Colorado

Median household income: $72,331
Total income taxes for single filer: $21,143
State income tax for single filer: $3,426
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,969
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,650

Connecticut

Median household income: $78,444
Total income taxes for single filer: $22,876
State income tax for single filer: $4,407
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,137
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,848

Delaware

Median household income: $68,287
Total income taxes for single filer: $19,530
State income tax for single filer: $4,237
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,875
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,463

Florida

Median household income: $55,660
Total income taxes for single filer: $11,875
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,684
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,141

Georgia

Median household income: $58,700
Total income taxes for single filer: $16,198
State income tax for single filer: $3,440
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,635
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,125

Hawaii

Median household income: $81,275
Total income taxes for single filer: $26,872
State income tax for single filer: $7,183
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,092
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,850

Idaho

Median household income: $55,785
Total income taxes for single filer: $15,751
State income tax for single filer: $3,222
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,540
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,022

Illinois

Median household income: $65,886
Total income taxes for single filer: $18,899
State income tax for single filer: $4,044
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,807
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,379

Indiana

Median household income: $56,303
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,696
State income tax for single filer: $2,137
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,639
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,083

Iowa

Median household income: $60,523
Total income taxes for single filer: $16,579
State income tax for single filer: $4,016
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,690
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,173

Kansas

Median household income: $59,597
Total income taxes for single filer: $15,864
State income tax for single filer: $3,483
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,682
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,158

Kentucky

Median household income: $50,589
Total income taxes for single filer: $11,813
State income tax for single filer: $2,370
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,491
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,855

Louisiana

Median household income: $49,469
Total income taxes for single filer: $10,973
State income tax for single filer: $1,970
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,481
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,827

Maine

Median household income: $57,918
Total income taxes for single filer: $15,674
State income tax for single filer: $3,612
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,625
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,089

Maryland

Median household income: $84,805
Total income taxes for single filer: $25,347
State income tax for single filer: $4,655
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,287
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $3,083

Massachusetts

Median household income: $81,215
Total income taxes for single filer: $25,416
State income tax for single filer: $5,067
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,146
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,929

Michigan

Median household income: $57,144
Total income taxes for single filer: $14,890
State income tax for single filer: $3,024
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,625
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,082

Minnesota

Median household income: $71,306
Total income taxes for single filer: $21,061
State income tax for single filer: $4,503
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,933
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,569

Mississippi

Median household income: $45,081
Total income taxes for single filer: $10,058
State income tax for single filer: $2,003
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,347
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,657

Missouri

Median household income: $55,461
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,674
State income tax for single filer: $2,428
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,607
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,040

Montana

Median household income: $54,970
Total income taxes for single filer: $14,447
State income tax for single filer: $3,018
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,559
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,998

Nebraska

Median household income: $61,439
Total income taxes for single filer: $16,288
State income tax for single filer: $3,250
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,737
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,238

Nevada

Median household income: $60,365
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,082
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,819
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,322

New Hampshire

Median household income: $76,768
Total income taxes for single filer: $18,752
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,231
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,953

New Jersey

Median household income: $82,545
Total income taxes for single filer: $24,699
State income tax for single filer: $4,312
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,225
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $3,009

New Mexico

Median household income: $49,754
Total income taxes for single filer: $11,364
State income tax for single filer: $2,049
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,477
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,835

New York

Median household income: $68,486
Total income taxes for single filer: $19,734
State income tax for single filer: $4,047
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,875
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,478

North Carolina

Median household income: $54,602
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,969
State income tax for single filer: $2,572
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,563
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,001

North Dakota

Median household income: $64,894
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,838
State income tax for single filer: $324
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,964
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,483

Ohio

Median household income: $56,602
Total income taxes for single filer: $12,701
State income tax for single filer: $1,200
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,688
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,131

Oklahoma

Median household income: $52,919
Total income taxes for single filer: $12,413
State income tax for single filer: $2,531
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,558
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,938

Oregon

Median household income: $62,818
Total income taxes for single filer: $20,837
State income tax for single filer: $6,496
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,615
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,166

Pennsylvania

Median household income: $61,744
Total income taxes for single filer: $15,638
State income tax for single filer: $2,336
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,773
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,285

Rhode Island

Median household income: $67,167
Total income taxes for single filer: $18,824
State income tax for single filer: $2,843
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,859
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,474

South Carolina

Median household income: $53,199
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,260
State income tax for single filer: $2,649
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,536
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,944

South Dakota

Median household income: $58,275
Total income taxes for single filer: $12,232
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,771
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,241

Tennessee

Median household income: $53,320
Total income taxes for single filer: $10,681
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,640
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,051

Texas

Median household income: $61,874
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,358
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,866
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,380

Utah

Median household income: $71,621
Total income taxes for single filer: $21,731
State income tax for single filer: $4,226
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,919
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,592

Vermont

Median household income: $61,973
Total income taxes for single filer: $16,959
State income tax for single filer: $3,212
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,731
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,260

Virginia

Median household income: $74,222
Total income taxes for single filer: $22,047
State income tax for single filer: $4,514
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,007
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,681

Washington

Median household income: $73,775
Total income taxes for single filer: $18,374
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $2,131
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,838

West Virginia

Median household income: $46,711
Total income taxes for single filer: $10,624
State income tax for single filer: $2,085
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,388
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $1,716

Wisconsin

Median household income: $61,747
Total income taxes for single filer: $16,130
State income tax for single filer: $2,918
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,755
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,263

Wyoming

Median household income: $64,049
Total income taxes for single filer: $13,200
State income tax for single filer: $0
Biweekly check with all taxes: $1,956
Biweekly check with no federal tax: $2,463

With Tribune News Services

Photo caption: President Donald Trump walks across the lawn of the White House on Aug. 21, 2019. (Tennessee Witney/Alamy Stock Photo)

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