F-1 OPT · Pennsylvania
F-1 OPT take-home pay in Pennsylvania (2026)
Pick a salary to see the full breakdown — federal income tax, FICA, Pennsylvania state income tax, and your annual / monthly / bi-weekly net.
| Gross salary | Take-home | Monthly | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $50,246 | $4,187 | 16.3% | Details → |
| $80,000 | $65,232 | $5,436 | 18.5% | Details → |
| $100,000 | $80,218 | $6,685 | 19.8% | Details → |
| $120,000 | $94,918 | $7,910 | 20.9% | Details → |
| $150,000 | $116,797 | $9,733 | 22.1% | Details → |
| $180,000 | $138,676 | $11,556 | 23.0% | Details → |
| $220,000 | $166,390 | $13,866 | 24.4% | Details → |
| $280,000 | $204,635 | $17,053 | 26.9% | Details → |
| $350,000 | $247,986 | $20,665 | 29.1% | Details → |
| $500,000 | $340,881 | $28,407 | 31.8% | Details → |
Cities & counties in Pennsylvania with local income tax
Some Pennsylvania 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:
Philadelphia (resident wage tax), Pittsburgh (resident EIT + school), Scranton (resident EIT), Allentown (resident EIT), Harrisburg (resident EIT).
How Pennsylvania state income tax works for F-1 OPT holders
Pennsylvania charges a single flat rate of 3.07% 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 Pennsylvania is dominated by federal tax + FICA, with the flat state component layered on top.
Local taxes in Pennsylvania. 5 cities and counties in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
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, Pennsylvania 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.pa.gov/