J-1 Research Scholar · Missouri
J-1 Research Scholar take-home pay in Missouri (2026)
Pick a salary to see the full breakdown — federal income tax, FICA, Missouri state income tax, and your annual / monthly / bi-weekly net.
| Gross salary | Take-home | Monthly | Effective rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $49,268 | $4,106 | 17.9% | Details → |
| $80,000 | $63,928 | $5,327 | 20.1% | Details → |
| $100,000 | $78,588 | $6,549 | 21.4% | Details → |
| $120,000 | $92,962 | $7,747 | 22.5% | Details → |
| $150,000 | $114,352 | $9,529 | 23.8% | Details → |
| $180,000 | $135,742 | $11,312 | 24.6% | Details → |
| $220,000 | $162,804 | $13,567 | 26.0% | Details → |
| $280,000 | $200,071 | $16,673 | 28.5% | Details → |
| $350,000 | $242,281 | $20,190 | 30.8% | Details → |
| $500,000 | $332,731 | $27,728 | 33.5% | Details → |
Cities & counties in Missouri with local income tax
Some Missouri 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:
Kansas City, St. Louis.
How Missouri state income tax works for J-1 Research Scholar holders
Missouri charges a single flat rate of 4.70% 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: $J-1 Research Scholar take-home in Missouri is dominated by federal tax + FICA, with the flat state component layered on top.
Local taxes in Missouri. 2 cities and counties in Missouri 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 J-1 Research Scholar holders in Missouri?
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 J-1 Research Scholar 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 2 years, Missouri 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: dor.mo.gov/