How Kansas City taxes your pay
Kansas City, Missouri, charges its earnings tax to residents on all their pay and to commuters on pay for work done in the city. Missouri law requires the city's voters to renew the tax every five years.
Commuters from Kansas pay it too. Missouri withholds state tax from them as nonresidents, and Kansas then credits the Missouri tax against its own. Kansas City, Kansas, is a separate city with no earnings tax.
Kansas City tax rates for 2026
- Kansas City earnings tax: 1% of pay for residents, wherever they work; 1% for people who live elsewhere, on pay for work done here.
| Salary | Live and work here | Work here, live elsewhere in Missouri | Take-home, living here | Take-home with no local tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $400 | $400 | $32,984 | $33,384 |
| $60,000 | $600 | $600 | $47,918 | $48,518 |
| $75,000 | $750 | $750 | $58,242 | $58,992 |
| $100,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $74,410 | $75,410 |
| $150,000 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $106,181 | $107,681 |
| $250,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $169,866 | $172,366 |
The commuter column assumes a home elsewhere in Missouri with no local tax of its own; a home city or county with its own tax can add to it or credit it.
Worked example: the Missouri median wage in Kansas City
The median annual wage in Missouri is $47,800: half of all jobs pay more and half pay less, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for May 2025 (all occupations; survey date May 31, 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, with no 401(k) or benefits, that salary works out like this in Kansas City, Missouri.
| Line | Each paycheck | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,838.46 | $47,800.00 |
| Federal income tax | $136.77 | $3,556.02 |
| Social Security | $113.98 | $2,963.49 |
| Medicare | $26.66 | $693.16 |
| Missouri income tax | $50.00 | $1,300.00 |
| Kansas City earnings tax | $18.38 | $477.89 |
| Take-home pay | $1,492.67 | $38,809.44 |
You keep 81.2% of gross pay. Of the $8,991 withheld, federal income tax is the largest part at $3,556, followed by Social Security at $2,963.
Without the local tax the same salary would leave $39,287 a year in Missouri, so living and working in Kansas City costs $478 a year, or 1.0% of pay.
Live in Kansas, work in Kansas City, Missouri
On the same $47,800 salary, take-home pay in this case comes to $37,730 a year, $1,079 less than living and working in Kansas City.
| Line | Year |
|---|---|
| Missouri income tax | $1,300 |
| Kansas income tax | $1,079 |
| Kansas City earnings tax | $478 |
| Take-home pay | $37,730 |
Enter both states in the calculator ("I live in a different state") to run this with your own pay.
Kansas City paycheck questions
How much is Kansas City local tax on $75,000 a year?
$750 for the year if you live and work in Kansas City, single and paid every two weeks. That leaves $58,242 after all taxes, against $58,992 with no local tax.
Do I pay Kansas City tax if I live there but work somewhere else?
Yes. Kansas City taxes residents on their pay wherever they work.
What is the Missouri median wage after tax in Kansas City?
The median wage in Missouri is $47,800 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). Living and working in Kansas City, that leaves $38,809 a year after federal, Missouri, FICA and $478 of local tax.
What does a paycheck look like in Kansas City?
At the Missouri median wage, paid every two weeks, each paycheck is $1,838.46 before tax and $1,492.67 after it. $18.38 of that goes to Kansas City, next to $136.77 of federal income tax and $50.00 for Missouri.
How much Kansas City tax is withheld on $250,000?
$2,500 for the year living and working there, which leaves $169,866 after every tax, against $172,366 with no local tax.
What if I live in Kansas and work in Kansas City, Missouri?
On $47,800, take-home pay comes to $37,730 a year, against $38,809 living and working in Kansas City. Enter both states in the calculator to see each line.
Sources
Rules checked . How we calculate.