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Which states tax Social Security in retirement

Only 8 states still tax Social Security benefits in 2026, and every one of them exempts a large share of retirees through income thresholds or age rules. The other 42 states and DC don't tax benefits at all. This page covers benefits specifically — pension and 401(k) withdrawals are taxed differently and vary by income, age and account type, so check the state's own rules before relying on a single label.

States that still tax Social Security (8)

All eight apply income thresholds or age rules, so many retirees in these states owe nothing on their benefits. Treat this as "check the limits", not "avoid the state".

StateSocial SecurityMetros on this site
Colorado Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 5
Connecticut Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 4
Minnesota Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 2
Montana Taxes benefits (with thresholds) —
New Mexico Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 1
Rhode Island Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 1
Utah Taxes benefits (with thresholds) 3
Vermont Taxes benefits (with thresholds) —

States with no income tax at all (9)

Nothing in retirement is taxed at the state level here — benefits, pensions and withdrawals alike.

StateSocial SecurityMetros on this site
Alaska No state income tax 1
Florida No state income tax 16
Nevada No state income tax 2
New Hampshire No state income tax 1
South Dakota No state income tax 1
Tennessee No state income tax 6
Texas No state income tax 17
Washington No state income tax 6
Wyoming No state income tax —

States with an income tax that exempt Social Security

These states tax wages but leave Social Security benefits alone. Pension and 401(k) treatment still varies — see the state's own rules.

StateSocial SecurityMetros on this site
Alabama Has income tax, exempts benefits 6
Arizona Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Arkansas Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
California Has income tax, exempts benefits 19
Delaware Has income tax, exempts benefits —
District of Columbia Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Georgia Has income tax, exempts benefits 4
Hawaii Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Idaho Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Illinois Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Indiana Has income tax, exempts benefits 4
Iowa Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Kansas Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Kentucky Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
Louisiana Has income tax, exempts benefits 4
Maine Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Maryland Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Massachusetts Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Michigan Has income tax, exempts benefits 6
Mississippi Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
Missouri Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Nebraska Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
New Jersey Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
New York Has income tax, exempts benefits 8
North Carolina Has income tax, exempts benefits 9
North Dakota Has income tax, exempts benefits 1
Ohio Has income tax, exempts benefits 8
Oklahoma Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
Oregon Has income tax, exempts benefits 3
Pennsylvania Has income tax, exempts benefits 9
South Carolina Has income tax, exempts benefits 5
Virginia Has income tax, exempts benefits 4
West Virginia Has income tax, exempts benefits 2
Wisconsin Has income tax, exempts benefits 4

States that stopped taxing benefits recently

Guides published even a year or two ago often still list these as taxing states, which is a common way retirees rule out a state that would now cost them nothing.

Kansas — stopped 2024Missouri — stopped 2024Nebraska — stopped 2024West Virginia — stopped phase-out completed 2026

What this page does not cover

Pension income, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, and military or railroad retirement are each treated differently, and several states that exempt Social Security still tax the rest. Those rules turn on income, age, filing status and account type, so a one-line-per-state answer would mislead more than it helps. Every metro page on this site shows its state's Social Security treatment alongside income, sales and property tax.