F-1 OPT · Alabama
F-1 OPT take-home pay in Alabama (2026)
Pick a salary to see the full breakdown — federal income tax, FICA, Alabama state income tax, and your annual / monthly / bi-weekly net.
| Gross salary | Take-home | Monthly | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $49,088 | $4,091 | 18.2% | Details → |
| $80,000 | $63,688 | $5,307 | 20.4% | Details → |
| $100,000 | $78,288 | $6,524 | 21.7% | Details → |
| $120,000 | $92,602 | $7,717 | 22.8% | Details → |
| $150,000 | $113,902 | $9,492 | 24.1% | Details → |
| $180,000 | $135,202 | $11,267 | 24.9% | Details → |
| $220,000 | $162,144 | $13,512 | 26.3% | Details → |
| $280,000 | $199,231 | $16,603 | 28.8% | Details → |
| $350,000 | $241,231 | $20,103 | 31.1% | Details → |
| $500,000 | $331,231 | $27,603 | 33.8% | Details → |
Cities & counties in Alabama with local income tax
Some Alabama localities add their own income tax on top of state tax. Pick a salary above and choose the locality from the dropdown in the calculator to apply it:
Birmingham, Macon County, Bessemer, Gadsden.
How Alabama state income tax works for F-1 OPT holders
Alabama charges a single flat rate of 5.00% on taxable income. Unlike the federal system, there are no brackets — every dollar of taxable income is taxed at the same rate. This makes the state tax math simple: $F-1 OPT take-home in Alabama is dominated by federal tax + FICA, with the flat state component layered on top.
Local taxes in Alabama. 4 cities and counties in Alabama levy their own income tax on top of the state rate — see the "Cities & counties" section above. If you live or work in one of those localities, your effective tax rate is higher than the state headline rate.
What's different for F-1 OPT holders in Alabama?
State income tax generally does not distinguish between visa categories — it only looks at where you live and where you work, not your immigration status. A few practical notes for F-1 OPT holders specifically:
- Residency. Most states deem you a tax resident if you are domiciled in the state or spend more than 183 days there during the calendar year, regardless of visa type.
- FICA exemption (federal) ≠ state-tax exemption. Even though you are FICA-exempt at the federal level for 5 years, Alabama still taxes your wages on its own rules.
- Standard deduction. Many states tie their standard deduction to federal rules — if you can't claim the federal standard deduction as a NRA, you may also be limited at the state level.
Source: www.revenue.alabama.gov/