Southern Utah Income Tax Calculator
What state income tax looks like in St. George, Utah compared to the places people move here from. Updated for Utah's 2026 rate cut.
I built this because the income tax story about Utah keeps getting told badly, in both directions. Nevada agents will tell you Utah taxes your Social Security and stop there. What they leave out: Utah gives a full credit that wipes that tax to zero for a married couple with income under $90,000, the flat rate just dropped for the sixth straight year, and military retirement pay is effectively tax free here. On the other side, plenty of national calculators are still quoting Utah rates from two or three years ago. Enter your own numbers below and see the real comparison, state by state, with every rate pulled from the official source and dated. Income tax is only half the picture, so when you are done here, run the same comparison on the property tax calculator, where the answer often flips.
| Where | State + local income tax | vs. St. George |
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What this calculator does and does not do
It computes state and local income tax only, using each state's own standard deduction or exemptions, because federal tax is the same wherever you live and including it would just bury the differences. It applies the federal Social Security taxability worksheet first, since Utah only taxes the portion of Social Security that lands in federal adjusted gross income, then applies Utah's credit against that. It assumes you take the standard deduction rather than itemizing, and for married couples it assumes both spouses are the same age. New York's figure leaves out the benefit recapture that adds a modest amount above $107,650 of New York income, and its $40,000 retirement exclusion for couples assumes both spouses have their own retirement income. Idaho has a capped deduction for military and federal civil service pensions at 65 and older that is not modeled, so Idaho may run slightly high for those households. None of this is tax advice; it is a comparison tool, and your CPA gets the last word on your actual return.
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah tax Social Security?
Utah taxes the federally taxable portion of Social Security at 4.45%, but a full credit wipes that tax to zero for married couples with modified adjusted gross income of $90,000 or less, and for singles at $54,000 or less, as of tax year 2026 under Utah Code 59-10-1042. Above those thresholds the credit shrinks by 2.5 cents per dollar of additional income rather than vanishing at once. Utah is one of the few states still taxing Social Security at all, which is true and worth knowing, but for a typical retired couple in St. George the actual Utah tax on Social Security is zero dollars, and the calculator above will show you your own number.
How much is Utah income tax in 2026?
Utah's income tax is a flat 4.45% for tax year 2026, cut from 4.5% by SB60 in the 2026 General Session. It is the sixth cut in six years: the rate was 5% as recently as 2018. There are no brackets; the same rate applies to all taxable income, offset by a taxpayer tax credit keyed to the federal standard deduction that phases out as income rises.
Is it cheaper to retire in Nevada or Utah?
On income tax alone, Nevada wins, since it has no income tax at all, and the gap grows with income. On property tax the answer usually flips: Mesquite, Nevada's rate runs well above most of Washington County, Utah for a primary residence, which you can check on my property tax calculator. For a retired couple under Utah's $90,000 credit threshold, the income tax gap largely disappears because their Social Security is already untaxed here, and the property tax difference can put Utah ahead overall. Run both tools with your own numbers before you let either state's agents tell you the answer.
Does Utah tax military retirement pay?
Effectively no. Utah taxes military retirement pay as ordinary income, then gives a nonrefundable credit equal to the full tax on it under Utah Code 59-10-1043, with no dollar cap and no income phase-out, so the two cancel out for nearly every retiree. The credit can be claimed alongside the Social Security credit on the same return, though not alongside the smaller age-based retirement credit.
The math behind every figure here comes from the official rate schedules named in the sources box above. If you are weighing a move to St. George and want the whole cost picture for your specific situation, reach out and I will walk you through it, or start with the power cost calculator and the market summary for the rest of the monthly numbers.