How Cleveland taxes your pay
Cleveland taxes pay for work done in the city, whether you live there or commute from Lakewood or Parma. Residents also owe it on pay earned in other cities, less a credit for tax paid there.
Ohio cities have always taxed pay where the work is done; the pandemic rule that let employers keep withholding for the office city has ended. If you work from home in another city part of the week, your employer may split the withholding, and under the occasional-entrant rule an employer need not withhold for a city where you work twenty days or fewer in a year.
Cleveland tax rates for 2026
- Cleveland city income tax: 2.5% of pay for residents, wherever they work; 2.5% for people who live elsewhere, on pay for work done here.
| Salary | Live and work here | Work here, live elsewhere in Ohio | Take-home, living here | Take-home with no local tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $32,486 | $33,486 |
| $60,000 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $47,458 | $48,958 |
| $75,000 | $1,875 | $1,875 | $57,837 | $59,712 |
| $100,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $74,052 | $76,552 |
| $150,000 | $3,750 | $3,750 | $105,713 | $109,463 |
| $250,000 | $6,250 | $6,250 | $169,204 | $175,454 |
The commuter column assumes a home elsewhere in Ohio 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 Ohio median wage in Cleveland
The median annual wage in Ohio is $49,380: 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 Cleveland, Ohio.
| Line | Each paycheck | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,899.23 | $49,380.00 |
| Federal income tax | $144.06 | $3,745.56 |
| Social Security | $117.75 | $3,061.50 |
| Medicare | $27.54 | $716.04 |
| Ohio income tax | $42.86 | $1,114.36 |
| Cleveland city income tax | $47.48 | $1,234.48 |
| Take-home pay | $1,519.54 | $39,508.06 |
You keep 80.0% of gross pay. Of the $9,872 withheld, federal income tax is the largest part at $3,746, followed by Social Security at $3,062.
Without the local tax the same salary would leave $40,743 a year in Ohio, so living and working in Cleveland costs $1,234 a year, or 2.5% of pay.
Cleveland paycheck questions
How much is Cleveland local tax on $75,000 a year?
$1,875 for the year if you live and work in Cleveland, single and paid every two weeks. That leaves $57,837 after all taxes, against $59,712 with no local tax.
Do I pay Cleveland tax if I live there but work somewhere else?
Yes. Cleveland taxes residents on their pay wherever they work.
What is the Ohio median wage after tax in Cleveland?
The median wage in Ohio is $49,380 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). Living and working in Cleveland, that leaves $39,508 a year after federal, Ohio, FICA and $1,234 of local tax.
What does a paycheck look like in Cleveland?
At the Ohio median wage, paid every two weeks, each paycheck is $1,899.23 before tax and $1,519.54 after it. $47.48 of that goes to Cleveland, next to $144.06 of federal income tax and $42.86 for Ohio.
How much Cleveland tax is withheld on $250,000?
$6,250 for the year living and working there, which leaves $169,204 after every tax, against $175,454 with no local tax.
Sources
Rules checked . How we calculate.