F-1 OPT · Delaware
F-1 OPT take-home pay in Delaware (2026)
Pick a salary to see the full breakdown — federal income tax, FICA, Delaware state income tax, and your annual / monthly / bi-weekly net.
| Gross salary | Take-home | Monthly | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $48,128 | $4,011 | 19.8% | Details → |
| $80,000 | $62,408 | $5,201 | 22.0% | Details → |
| $100,000 | $76,688 | $6,391 | 23.3% | Details → |
| $120,000 | $90,682 | $7,557 | 24.4% | Details → |
| $150,000 | $111,502 | $9,292 | 25.7% | Details → |
| $180,000 | $132,322 | $11,027 | 26.5% | Details → |
| $220,000 | $158,624 | $13,219 | 27.9% | Details → |
| $280,000 | $194,751 | $16,229 | 30.4% | Details → |
| $350,000 | $235,631 | $19,636 | 32.7% | Details → |
| $500,000 | $323,231 | $26,936 | 35.4% | Details → |
Cities & counties in Delaware with local income tax
Some Delaware 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:
Wilmington.
How Delaware state income tax works for F-1 OPT holders
Delaware charges a single flat rate of 6.60% 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 Delaware is dominated by federal tax + FICA, with the flat state component layered on top.
Local taxes in Delaware. 1 city or county in Delaware 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 Delaware?
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, Delaware 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: revenue.delaware.gov/