Delaware runs a graduated state income tax in 2026, with rates from 0% up to 6.6% depending on how much you earn, on top of federal income tax and FICA. Single filers get a standard deduction of $3,250. Use the calculators below to see your exact 2026 take-home pay in Delaware, check the sales tax on a purchase, and estimate a mortgage payment with Delaware property taxes factored in.
State Paycheck Calculator 2026
Estimate take-home pay after federal tax, FICA and your state’s income tax for the 2026 tax year.
How it works: the 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly) comes off your salary first, then the 2026 federal brackets (10%–37%). FICA is applied properly: 6.2% Social Security on the first $184,500 of wages (2026 wage base), 1.45% Medicare on all wages, plus 0.9% additional Medicare on wages above $200,000 single / $250,000 married filing jointly. State tax applies each state’s own standard deduction/exemptions, then its brackets or flat rate. Local income taxes are not included — many cities and counties (e.g. New York City, Philadelphia, most of Ohio, Maryland counties, Indiana counties, Kentucky) levy their own payroll taxes on top of the state tax.
Delaware sales tax calculator
Delaware has no statewide sales tax in 2026 — the state base rate is 0%. A few local areas may still add their own small tax; enter it as the local add-on if yours does.
Sales Tax Calculator 2026
Estimate the sales tax and total price using each state’s base rate (2026), plus any local add-on.
State base rates are the 2026 state-level rates (local add-ons excluded). Actual combined rates vary widely by city and county — many localities add 1–5%. Five states have no statewide sales tax (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon), though some localities still levy local taxes.
Mortgage calculator for Delaware homes
The average effective property tax rate in Delaware is about 0.5% of a home’s value per year. When you use the mortgage calculator below, enter roughly that percentage of the home price in the yearly property tax field for a realistic Delaware monthly payment.
Mortgage Payment Calculator
Work out your monthly principal & interest payment, total interest and the true total cost of your loan.
How it works: your loan amount (price minus down payment) is repaid in equal monthly instalments using the standard amortisation formula, so early payments are mostly interest and later ones mostly principal. Property tax and insurance, if entered, are simply spread evenly across each month. Your actual rate and payment will depend on your lender, credit profile and the deal you choose.
0%. That’s Delaware’s sales tax, statewide, on everything — and it’s the first thing shoppers notice when they cross in from Pennsylvania or Maryland. The catch is that Delaware still has to pay for roads and schools somehow. It does it with an income tax that climbs in seven steps, and with a gross-receipts tax on businesses that most residents never see on a receipt.
Income tax in Delaware in 2026
Delaware taxes income progressively, and the ladder starts early. Your first slice of taxable income is free, then the rates step up quickly before settling at a top rate of 6.6%.
- 0% on the first $2,000 of taxable income
- 2.2% on taxable income from $2,000 to $5,000
- 3.9% on taxable income from $5,000 to $10,000
- 4.8% on taxable income from $10,000 to $20,000
- 5.2% on taxable income from $20,000 to $25,000
- 5.55% on taxable income from $25,000 to $60,000
- 6.6% on taxable income over $60,000
The standard deduction is $3,250. That’s small. Compare it with the federal standard deduction of $16,100 and you’ll see why Delaware’s taxable income stays so close to your actual salary. There’s also a personal exemption, but Delaware handles it differently from most states: it’s not a deduction, it’s a $110 credit taken straight off the tax you owe. A credit beats a deduction dollar for dollar, but $110 is still $110 — it won’t move your bill much.
And here’s the quirk Delaware couples complain about, with reason. The brackets above are exactly the same for single and joint filers. They aren’t doubled for married couples. Two people earning $60,000 each can end up paying more filing jointly in Delaware than the same two incomes would suggest, because the household hits the 6.6% top bracket far sooner. It’s a genuine marriage penalty, baked right into the table.
Worked example: $75,000 salary, single filer
Step 1 — taxable income. Start with $75,000, subtract the $3,250 standard deduction, and you get a state taxable income of $71,750.
Step 2 — state tax. Run that $71,750 through the seven brackets and the tax before credits comes to $3,719.00. Subtract the $110 personal credit and the Delaware tax is $3,609.00. That’s an effective rate of about 4.8% of your gross pay.
Step 3 — federal tax. Federal income tax on this salary is $7,670.00, after the federal standard deduction of $16,100.
Step 4 — FICA. Payroll taxes take $5,737.50 in total: $4,650.00 for Social Security and $1,087.50 for Medicare.
Step 5 — take-home. $75,000 minus $3,609.00, $7,670.00 and $5,737.50 leaves $57,983.50 a year, or about $2,230.13 every two weeks.
Sales tax in Delaware
There isn’t one. The rate is 0.00% — no state tax, no county add-on, nothing at the till. A $1,000 purchase costs $1,000. Delaware leans into this hard, marketing itself as the home of tax-free shopping, and outlet centres near the state line pull in plenty of out-of-state plates.
But the money comes from somewhere. Instead of taxing shoppers, Delaware charges businesses a gross-receipts tax on their sales. You don’t see it as a line on your receipt, though businesses do factor it into their prices. Tax-free, then — just not quite cost-free.
Property tax in Delaware
Here’s where Delaware redeems itself. The average effective property tax rate is 0.50%, a statewide average, which is well below what you’ll pay in nearby New Jersey or Pennsylvania. On a $300,000 home, that’s $1,500 a year.
Put the pieces together and Delaware’s pattern is clear. You pay a middling income tax, nothing on shopping, and relatively little to own a home. For retirees and commuters weighing it against higher-property-tax neighbours, that last number often decides it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware really have no sales tax?
Really. The rate is 0.00% statewide, with no local sales taxes added on top.
Why are Delaware’s brackets the same for married couples?
Because the state never doubled them for joint filers. Each bracket threshold applies the same whether one person or two are filing on the return, which pushes joint income into the 6.6% bracket sooner and creates a marriage penalty you won’t find in the federal system.
Is the $110 personal exemption a deduction?
No — it’s a credit. It comes off your tax bill directly, after the brackets have been applied, rather than reducing your taxable income first.
What is Delaware’s top income tax rate?
6.6%, on taxable income over $60,000. You’ll hit it sooner than in many progressive states because the top threshold is relatively low and doesn’t rise for joint filers.
How does Delaware pay for services without a sales tax?
Partly through its income tax, and partly through a gross-receipts tax charged to businesses on their sales. Shoppers see 0% at the till, but the state still collects revenue from commerce.
Run your own numbers with the paycheck, sales tax and mortgage calculators on this page — Delaware’s zero at the till looks different once you see the full paycheck picture.
This calculator is for guidance only and isn’t financial advice.