Moving from Illinois to Texas: What Changes for Your Paycheck (2026)
About 14,641 people moved along this corridor in 2019. Here is what the move does to take-home pay at every salary we model, and the one rule that decides whether the bill matches the arithmetic.
Last updated
At a glance
Tax year 2026, single filer, $100,000, biweekly pay, no retirement contribution, health premium or local tax — the same assumptions as the method section. Rates and brackets come from the Tax Foundation tables in force on January 1, 2026.
| Rule | Illinois → Texas |
|---|---|
| Illinois | Flat 4.95% on taxable income |
| Texas | No wage income tax |
| Take-home at $100,000 | $$74,375 → $$79,180 |
| Difference | +$$4,805 per year, +$$185 per paycheck |
| Movers on this corridor | 14,641 (Census ACS 2019, top net-mover corridors) |
Paycheck comparison
Both columns are computed by the calculator from the same inputs, so the only thing that differs between them is the state layer. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare cancel out — the difference column is entirely Illinois and Texas.
| Income | Illinois | Texas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $$40,025 | $$42,355 | +$$2,330 |
| $75,000 | $$58,025 | $$61,593 | +$$3,568 |
| $100,000 | $$74,375 | $$79,180 | +$$4,805 |
| $150,000 | $$106,511 | $$113,791 | +$$7,280 |
Want different inputs? Run this move through the calculator with Texas selected — filing status, retirement percentage, health premium and local tax all change the answer, and none of them are modelled above.
Leaving Illinois: the day-count rule working in your favour
Texas takes no wage income tax and Illinois is flat, so the whole state-layer difference lands in your paycheck. The Illinois rule worth carrying out of this move is the one that decides withholding: Publication 130 sets the threshold at fewer than 31 days of service in Illinois.
- Live in Texas and perform no services in Illinois, and the Illinois withholding trigger does not engage.
- If you still travel in for meetings, count the days — crossing the threshold flips the analysis back.
- Illinois' reciprocal agreements are with Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Wisconsin. Texas is not among them, and it does not need to be.
- Illinois' flat rate means no bracket jumps on the way out.
The year you move
Neither state recognises the day you unpacked the boxes as a bright line. You file a part-year resident return in Illinois for the wages earned while you were its resident and a part-year return in Texas for the rest, and the date each one starts is a question of domicile facts — home, family, licence, registration, voting, business ties — not of the calendar.
The rules above decide who gets to tax which days; the mechanics of residency, day-count apportionment and safe harbors are the same on every corridor and are set out once in which state taxes a remote worker. Keep a per-day log of where you worked, your employer’s written statement of your work location, and the paperwork that shows you actually moved.
Read the full schedules behind these figures: Illinois tax brackets and Texas tax brackets.
Common questions
Does Texas tax wages?
Texas has no wage income tax, so no state withholding comes out of a Texas paycheck. Everything you gain on this move is what Illinois stops taking.
How much do I keep moving from Illinois to Texas?
At $100,000 for a single filer, take-home is $$74,375 in Illinois and $$79,180 in Texas — a difference of +$$4,805 a year, or about +$$185 per biweekly paycheck. The four-income table above shows the same calculation at $50,000, $75,000 and $150,000; the federal tax and FICA portions are identical on both sides.
What is the one thing to get right on this move?
Live in Texas and perform no services in Illinois, and the Illinois withholding trigger does not engage.
Estimates for a modelled filer, not tax advice, and not a prediction of your return — part-year residency, bonuses, local taxes and filing status all move the number. See the Disclaimer and what this site’s numbers do and do not model.