Waiters and Waitresses
Median $21.62 an hour in New Jersey · 55,800 jobs
New Jersey · 2026 take-home pay
At $22 an hour in New Jersey you keep about $18.07 of every hour — $723 a week, $3,132 a month or $37,585 a year full time — after 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, New Jersey income tax and state payroll programs. New Jersey has a graduated income tax plus TDI, FLI, UI (Unemployment Insurance) employee share and WF/SWF (Workforce Development / Supplemental Workforce Fund) employee share, and its minimum wage is $15.92 an hour.
| A year | A week | An hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $45,760 | $880 | $22.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$3,311 | −$64 | −$1.59 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$2,837 | −$55 | −$1.36 |
| Medicare (1.45%+) | −$664 | −$13 | −$0.32 |
| New Jersey income tax | −$980 | −$19 | −$0.47 |
| TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) | −$87 | −$2 | −$0.04 |
| FLI (Family Leave Insurance) | −$105 | −$2 | −$0.05 |
| UI (Unemployment Insurance) employee share | −$171 | −$3 | −$0.08 |
| WF/SWF (Workforce Development / Supplemental Workforce Fund) employee share | −$19 | −$0 | −$0.01 |
| Take-home pay | $37,585 | $723 | $18.07 |
Effective tax rate 17.9% · federal bracket 12% · New Jersey bracket 5.53%.
TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance): 0.19% of wages · FLI (Family Leave Insurance): 0.23% of wages · UI (Unemployment Insurance) employee share: 0.38% of wages (capped) · WF/SWF (Workforce Development / Supplemental Workforce Fund) employee share: 0.04% of wages (capped).
| Paid | Gross | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly (52 paychecks) | $880.00 | $722.79 |
| Every two weeks (26) | $1,760.00 | $1,445.58 |
| Twice a month (24) | $1,906.67 | $1,566.04 |
| Monthly (12) | $3,813.33 | $3,132.09 |
Take-home in New Jersey for part-time, full-time and overtime weeks. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times $22 an hour for hours over 40, as federal law requires for most hourly workers.
| Schedule | Gross a week | Take-home a week | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours a week* | $440 | $384 | $19,945 |
| 30 hours a week | $660 | $557 | $28,953 |
| 40 hours a week | $880 | $723 | $37,585 |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime | $1,045 | $846 | $43,969 |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime | $1,210 | $968 | $50,353 |
*If this is your only job. With a second job, withholding on each is likely too low unless you adjust your W-4.
Occupations whose median wage in New Jersey is within 4% of $22 an hour, most common first. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Median $21.62 an hour in New Jersey · 55,800 jobs
Median $22.51 an hour in New Jersey · 33,900 jobs
Median $22.52 an hour in New Jersey · 32,400 jobs
Median $21.85 an hour in New Jersey · 29,440 jobs
Median $22.16 an hour in New Jersey · 21,790 jobs
Median $22.70 an hour in New Jersey · 20,330 jobs
New Jersey ranks 26th of 51 for take-home pay on $22 an hour (1st = keeps the most). Here it is next to its neighbors.
| State | After tax, per hour | A year | Minimum wage | vs New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $18.07 | $37,585 | $15.92 | — |
| Delaware | $17.74 | $36,902 | $15.00 | −$683 a year |
| New York | $17.71 | $36,845 | $16.00 | −$740 a year |
| Pennsylvania | $18.03 | $37,511 | $7.25 | −$74 a year |
Taxable income is $45,760 minus the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100) = $29,660. Each slice is taxed at its own rate:
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $12,400 | $1,240 |
| 12% | $17,260 | $2,071 |
| Total | $29,660 | $3,311 |
Taxable income is $45,760 of New Jersey wages minus $1,000 in exemptions = $44,760.
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4% | $20,000 | $280 |
| 1.75% | $15,000 | $263 |
| 3.5% | $5,000 | $175 |
| 5.53% | $4,760 | $263 |
| Total | $44,760 | $980 |
About $18.07 for every hour you work, or $37,585 a year at 40 hours a week ($45,760 gross). Taxes take about 17.9% of your pay, for a single filer in 2026 with no pre-tax deductions.
About $723 a week at 40 hours, from $880 gross. Paid every two weeks, each paycheck is about $1,446.
About $3,132 a month at 40 hours a week, from $3,813 gross.
$22 an hour is 1.4 times New Jersey's minimum wage of $15.92 an hour. It's about the 33rd percentile of hourly pay in New Jersey (BLS, May 2025) — roughly 33 in 100 workers earn less. The median hourly wage for all jobs in New Jersey is $28.16. After taxes and local prices, $37,585 a year buys about what $34,544 would at national-average prices.
It ranks 26th of 51 among the 50 states and D.C. for take-home on $22 an hour. The most you'd keep is $38,948 a year, in 8 places including Florida, North Dakota, New Hampshire; the least, $35,750 in Oregon.
$22 an hour in every state · $45,000 a year in New Jersey · $50,000 a year in New Jersey · New Jersey paycheck calculator · All pay conversions
Our 2026 engine applies IRS Publication 15-T withholding, Social Security and Medicare, New Jersey's income tax rules and New Jersey's employee payroll programs (methodology). Local income taxes are not included. Minimum wages: U.S. Department of Labor. Wage distribution and jobs: BLS OEWS May 2025. Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities.