Kentucky State Income Tax Calculator
Calculate your 2026 Kentucky state income tax. See your bracket breakdown, effective rate, and how Kentucky compares to neighboring states.
Your Tax Inputs
Kentucky uses a 3.5% rate and $3,360 standard deduction for supported statuses. Personal credits precede the nonrefundable family size credit. Its 2026 basis uses KRS 141.066 and the HHS guidelines available June 30; the 2026 agency rounded-dollar table is unverified. Separate/combined returns, other state adjustments and other credits are excluded.
2026 state authority and modeled scope — Kentucky 2026 · 2026 state authority and modeled scope — KRS 141.066The annual amount is gross income minus entered pre-tax deductions and modeled federal and state income tax. Monthly and weekly amounts divide it by 12 and 52. These allocations exclude Social Security and Medicare (FICA), local taxes, other payroll taxes, and unmodeled paycheck deductions. They do not estimate paycheck take-home or actual withholding.
Effective State Income Tax Rate vs Neighboring States
About Kentucky state taxes (Tax year 2026)
Kentucky uses a 3.5% rate and $3,360 standard deduction for supported statuses. Personal credits precede the nonrefundable family size credit. Its 2026 basis uses KRS 141.066 and the HHS guidelines available June 30; the 2026 agency rounded-dollar table is unverified. Separate/combined returns, other state adjustments and other credits are excluded.
Groceries are exempt from sales tax. Prescription drugs are exempt.
Kentucky's top income tax rate is 3.5% for tax year 2026. Its combined state and local sales tax averages 6.0%.
Filing in Kentucky: returns for tax year 2026 are administered by the Kentucky Department of Revenue and are generally filed in 2027 by the federal April deadline unless Kentucky declares a state-specific extension. Tax type on this return: Flat. Top marginal rate: 3.5%. State sales-tax rate: 6%. For the most current contact info, see the Federation of Tax Administrators directory.
Kentucky — What is Kentucky's income tax rate? Kentucky levies a flat income tax of 3.5% on taxable income for 2026. Kentucky uses a 3.5% rate and $3,360 standard deduction for supported statuses. Personal credits precede the nonrefundable family size credit. Its 2026 basis uses KRS 141.066 and the HHS guidelines available June 30; the 2026 agency rounded-dollar table is unverified. Separate/combined returns, other state adjustments and other credits are excluded.
Kentucky — Does Kentucky tax groceries? No, groceries (unprepared food) are exempt from Kentucky's 6% sales tax.
Kentucky — Will Kentucky's tax rate decrease further? Potentially yes. Kentucky law allows the rate to drop by 0.5% increments if state revenue and budget reserves meet certain thresholds. The ultimate goal is to eventually eliminate the income tax.
More by state
More Kentucky tools
Keep the same state in view while you compare tax, benefits, and wage rules across Calculover.
How this page is reviewed
See methodology, assumptions & sources
| Risk tier | High YMYL |
|---|---|
| Author | Calculover Editorial Team Tax education |
| Editorial owner | Calculover Tax & Payroll Desk State-tax methodology owner |
| Reviewer | Calculover Editorial Review Government-source and limitation review |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-06 |
| Last verified | 2026-11-06 |
| Data effective date | 2026-01-01 |
| Jurisdiction | Kentucky |
Methodology
These pages estimate annual state income tax for the selected 2026 jurisdiction and filing status. The route's coverage panel identifies the supported income basis, deductions, credits and exclusions.
Assumptions
- Enter the income basis and eligible pre-tax deductions requested by the calculator; gross wages, federal AGI and state AGI are not interchangeable.
- Some methods require confirmed state facts or explicit projection assumptions. An unavailable component is not zero tax.
Limitations
- The estimate excludes unmodeled income, adjustments, local taxes and special filing situations. Utah's indexed-credit assumptions remain provisional while final 2026 instructions are pending.
- Annual liability differs from withholding and paycheck take-home. Confirm the current official forms and source versions for a complete return.
Sources
- State Tax Rates, Federation of Tax Administrators
- State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, Tax Foundation
- State Government Resources, Internal Revenue Service
Professional guidance: This page is for state-tax education only and is not tax, legal, financial, or investment advice. State tax decisions and multi-state filing should be reviewed with a CPA or enrolled agent licensed in the relevant states.