Connecticut Paycheck Calculator & Income Tax Rates (2026)

Connecticut applies 7 rates to taxable income — that is, income after the state standard deduction or exemption. Only the slice of income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate.

Connecticut's effective state rate climbs with income as more of your salary lands in higher bands. The last column shows the state rate on your next dollar at each level.

Connecticut's joint brackets widen the bands for couples, so the same household income is taxed more lightly. On $100,000 a joint return keeps $80,710 versus $74,375 for a single filer.

Connecticut adopted its income tax in 1991 under Governor Lowell Weicker, and for 2026 it runs seven brackets from 2% to 6.99%. The two lowest rates were cut for tax year 2024 — from 3% to 2% and from 5% to 4.5% — the first rate reduction since the tax was created, and no further changes are scheduled. The top 6.99% rate applies above $500,000 single or $1 million joint. What sets Connecticut apart is a pair of recapture provisions that quietly raise effective rates on upper-middle and high earners: as adjusted gross income passes roughly $56,000 single ($100,000 joint), the benefit of the 2% bracket phases out, and above $200,000 ($400,000 joint) an additional 'benefit recapture' amount is added to the bill — so a taxpayer at $600,000 pays close to a flat 6.99% on every dollar, not just the top slice. Connecticut also computes tax on adjusted gross income with no standard or itemized deductions, relying instead on a personal exemption that shrinks to zero at higher incomes.

Connecticut has neither a standard deduction nor itemized deductions. A personal exemption of up to $15,000 for single filers and $24,000 for joint filers is subtracted from adjusted gross income, phasing out dollar-for-dollar above roughly $30,000 single and $48,000 joint. Credits include a state earned income credit equal to 40% of the federal credit, a property tax credit of up to $300, and a personal tax credit that also phases out with income.

Connecticut has no local income or wage taxes. Its 169 municipalities are barred from taxing income and rely almost entirely on property taxes, which is why mill rates run so high. Residents who commute to New York City do not owe New York City's local income tax, since it applies only to city residents, but they do owe New York State tax on wages earned there and claim a credit against Connecticut tax.

Connecticut charges a single statewide sales tax of 6.35% with no local add-ons — one of the few states where the rate is identical in every town. A 7.75% luxury rate applies to vehicles over $50,000, jewelry over $5,000 and clothing or footwear over $1,000, and prepared meals and restaurant food carry 7.35%. Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt. Everyday clothing has been taxable since the exemption was repealed in 2011.

Connecticut has among the highest property taxes in the nation, with an effective rate around 1.8–2.0% of market value — third behind New Jersey and Illinois. Each of the 169 towns sets its own mill rate, ranging from under 15 mills in Greenwich to over 40 in Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport. Connecticut also taxes cars as personal property, at a rate capped at 32.46 mills. Relief is thin: a $300 state income tax credit and circuit-breaker programs for elderly homeowners.

Connecticut still taxes Social Security, but only above income thresholds: benefits are fully exempt for filers with adjusted gross income under $75,000 single or $100,000 joint, and even above that no more than 25% of benefits are taxable. Pensions and annuities are fully exempt below the same thresholds, with the exemption phasing down rather than ending at a cliff for incomes up to $100,000 single or $150,000 joint — a fix enacted in 2023. IRA distributions have been phased into the same exemption: 75% exempt in 2025 and 100% exempt for tax year 2026 for filers under the thresholds. Military retirement pay is entirely exempt at any income, and teachers can exclude 50% of their state pension.

Connecticut's structure favors the ends and squeezes the middle. Low earners get a 2% starting rate and a 40% EITC match. Retirees under the income thresholds pay nothing on Social Security, pensions or — as of 2026 — IRA withdrawals. Earners between roughly $100,000 and $500,000 fare worst: the personal exemption is gone, low-bracket benefits have phased out and recapture pushes effective rates toward 6.99%, on top of the country's third-highest property taxes. Joint thresholds are double the single ones, so dual-income couples are not penalized. Remote workers for New York employers face New York's convenience-of-the-employer rule, which Connecticut mirrored in 2019.

The median household income in Connecticut is $78,000, which is $60,108 a year ($5,009 a month) after all taxes. That is above the national median, reflecting Connecticut's higher cost of living and correspondingly higher wages. After adjusting for cost of living, the purchasing power of that take-home is equivalent to $54,151 in an average-cost area.

Connecticut ranks #38 of 50 for raw take-home pay and #42 for cost-adjusted purchasing power at $100,000. The 4-place gap between the two reflects an above-average cost of living that erodes what the take-home actually buys. The best state (Alaska) leaves $79,125; the worst (Oregon) leaves $70,932. Connecticut is $4,750 behind the leader.

Connecticut Tax Questions, Answered

Compare Connecticut with Other Northeast States

Specific Salaries in Connecticut