F-1 OPT · Georgia
F-1 OPT take-home pay in Georgia (2026)
Pick a salary to see the full breakdown — federal income tax, FICA, Georgia state income tax, and your annual / monthly / bi-weekly net.
Georgia moved to a 5.39% flat tax in 2024 (down from a progressive structure topping 5.75%) and is scheduled to keep dropping through the late 2020s. Atlanta is one of the lowest-cost top-20 metros for H-1B holders.
| Gross salary | Take-home | Monthly | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $48,974 | $4,081 | 18.4% | Details → |
| $80,000 | $63,536 | $5,295 | 20.6% | Details → |
| $100,000 | $78,098 | $6,508 | 21.9% | Details → |
| $120,000 | $92,374 | $7,698 | 23.0% | Details → |
| $150,000 | $113,617 | $9,468 | 24.3% | Details → |
| $180,000 | $134,860 | $11,238 | 25.1% | Details → |
| $220,000 | $161,726 | $13,477 | 26.5% | Details → |
| $280,000 | $198,699 | $16,558 | 29.0% | Details → |
| $350,000 | $240,566 | $20,047 | 31.3% | Details → |
| $500,000 | $330,281 | $27,523 | 33.9% | Details → |
How Georgia state income tax works for F-1 OPT holders
Georgia charges a single flat rate of 5.19% 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 Georgia is dominated by federal tax + FICA, with the flat state component layered on top.
What's different for F-1 OPT holders in Georgia?
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, Georgia 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.