Kansas simplified its income tax in a 2024 reform to just two rates, 5.2% and 5.58%, and paired them with a large personal exemption that shields the first chunk of income.
Because the two rates are close together, Kansas feels nearly flat for most workers, but the generous exemption keeps the effective rate down. Here is how it works on your paycheck. See your exact take-home with the free Kansas paycheck calculator.
How Kansas's income tax works
Kansas uses two brackets after its 2024 reform: 5.2% up to $23,000 of taxable income (single) and 5.58% above that. It applies after a standard deduction ($3,605 single) plus a large personal exemption ($9,160 single / $18,320 married), which together shield a meaningful slice of income. There is no local income tax on wages.
Because the two rates are close and the exemption is sizable, a typical worker's marginal rate is 5.58% but the effective rate lands lower.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $23,000 | 5.2% |
| Over $23,000 | 5.58% |
Your take-home on a $65,000 salary in Kansas
Here is how a $65,000 salary breaks down for a single filer, using 2025 federal and FICA figures alongside Kansas's two rates, 5.2% and 5.58%.
| Item | Annual |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $5,246 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | $4,973 |
| Kansas income tax | $2,827 |
| Take-home pay | $51,955 |
| Percent of gross kept | 79.9% |
On a $65,000 salary a single filer owes about $2,827 in Kansas income tax, an effective rate near 4.3%, and keeps roughly $51,955, or 79.9% of gross. That take-home stretches comfortably across most of Kansas, where housing in Wichita, Overland Park, and Topeka runs below the national average. Compare with Missouri.
A 2024 reform and a big personal exemption
Kansas's recent reform collapsed three brackets into two and raised the personal exemption sharply, which is the piece that most lowers the bill for ordinary earners. The two rates (5.2% and 5.58%) are close enough that Kansas behaves almost like a flat tax.
Kansas stopped taxing Social Security benefits in its 2024 reform, a meaningful improvement for retirees on top of the larger exemption.
How to keep more of your Kansas paycheck
Because Kansas starts from a federal-style base, a traditional 401(k) and HSA lower your Kansas and federal taxable income together (and the HSA also avoids FICA), the cleanest way to push your take-home higher.