States That Don't Tax Retirement Income
A sortable 51-jurisdiction comparison of Social Security, pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, state exclusions, and top rates.
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Pension income
See broad, partial, age-based, and plan-specific pension exclusions.
Open the guide →Social Security
Compare the states that tax at least some Social Security benefits.
Open the guide →Military retirement
Compare full, partial, and no-income-tax treatment for retired pay.
Open the guide →Which states don't tax pensions?
States with no individual income tax plus the states whose pension treatment is listed as exempt in the reviewed table below. Partial and age-based exclusions are in the table.
Which states don't tax Social Security?
Most states exempt benefits. The states that still tax at least some Social Security are the ones missing from this list; the table below shows each one's rule.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Washington DC
Compare Retirement Taxes in All 50 States and DC
Use the search and filters to narrow the table. Linked states have a full Wave R1 guide; unlinked rows remain in the comparison asset and will receive full guides in the next two waves.
| Official tax source | Exempt | Often exempt | Partially taxed | $6,000 account exclusion at age 65+ | 5.00% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Up to $2,500 for qualifying government pensions | 2.50% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Up to $6,000 of eligible retirement income | 3.70% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | $20,000 military-pay exclusion with income limits | 13.30% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Retirement subtraction up to $20,000 or $24,000 | 4.40% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Income-based Social Security and pension phaseouts | 6.99% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Up to $12,500 pension exclusion at age 60+ | 6.60% |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Retirement exclusion up to $35,000 or $65,000 | 4.99% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Often exempt | Taxed | Employer-funded pension portions may be exempt | 11.00% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Deduction for certain public pensions | 5.30% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Exempt | Exempt | Qualified retirement income is subtracted | 4.95% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Federal civil-service deduction may apply | 2.95% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Exempt at 55+ | Exempt at 55+ | Qualifying retirement income exclusion at age 55+ | 3.80% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Kansas public pensions are generally exempt | 5.58% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Retirement-income exclusion up to $31,110 | 3.50% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Age-65 exclusion starts at $12,000 per eligible person and is indexed annually | 3.00% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Pension-income deduction tied to Social Security benefit | 7.15% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Pension exclusion for qualifying residents age 65+ | 6.50% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Many government pensions are exempt | 9.00% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | 2026 subtraction up to $67,610 single or $135,220 joint | 4.25% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Taxed | Taxed | Income-based Social Security subtraction | 9.85% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Exempt | Exempt | Qualified retirement income is exempt | 4.00% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Public-pension deduction and phased $6,000 private exemption | 4.70% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Up to $5,500 qualified retirement subtraction | 5.65% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Military retirement pay is exempt | 4.55% |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | Interest and dividends tax ended in 2025 | None |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Large age-62 exclusion subject to income limits | 10.75% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | $8,000 age-65 deduction; $30,000 military exclusion | 5.90% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | $20,000 exclusion at 59.5+; government pensions exempt | 10.90% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Bailey relief and service-conditioned military deduction | 3.99% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Large zero-rate bracket; military pay exempt | 2.50% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Retirement-income and senior credits may apply | 2.75% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Up to $10,000 retirement-income exclusion | 4.50% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Limited retirement-income credit may apply | 9.90% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Exempt | Exempt | Eligible retirement distributions are exempt | 3.07% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Income-tested retirement exclusion | 5.99% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Retirement deduction plus age-65 deduction rules | 5.21% |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Taxed | Taxed | Income-tested retirement and Social Security credits | 4.45% |
| Official tax source | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Taxed | Income-tested Social Security and pension exemptions | 8.75% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Age deduction and $40,000 military subtraction | 5.75% |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No broad individual income tax | None |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Taxed | Taxed | Most retirement income is taxable | 10.75% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Taxed | Social Security fully exempt beginning in 2026 | 4.58% |
| Official tax source | Exempt | Partially taxed | Partially taxed | Up to $24,000 at age 67+; claiming it bars state credits | 7.65% |
| Official tax source | No income tax | No income tax | No income tax | No individual income tax | None |
The States With No Broad Individual Income Tax
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not impose a broad individual income tax on Social Security, pensions, or retirement-account withdrawals.
That does not make every state-tax question disappear. Washington has a separate tax on certain long-term capital gains, and every state still has its own property, sales, insurance, and estate-planning cost profile.
Pensions and 401(k) Withdrawals Do Not Always Match
Some states exempt a traditional pension but tax an IRA distribution. Others cap one combined exclusion across pensions, annuities, and account withdrawals. Government pensions can receive a rule that private pensions do not.
That is why the table separates pensions from 401(k) and IRA withdrawals. The headline question is not just whether a state taxes retirement income. It is which stream you receive, at what age, and under which plan.
How to Compare States Before You Move
Run the comparison using a full year of your expected Social Security, pension, required distributions, Roth conversions, and taxable investments. Then add property tax, homeowners insurance, sales tax, health-care cost, and any estate or inheritance tax.
Use our separate guides for pension income, Social Security, and military retirement pay when one stream is a major part of the move.
Retirement Taxes by State FAQs
Comparing retirement locations or a large distribution?
We model the federal and state interaction before the move or withdrawal locks in the result. Educational content is not individualized tax advice.
