Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
How much does a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers actually take home in Iowa?
3.9% flat rate — 27.6% effective total tax rateData: BLS OEWS 2025 + IRS/State Tax Brackets 2024 • Updated 2026-05-19
Detailed line-by-line tax calculation for a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earning $131,730 in Iowa (single filer, standard deduction).
| Tax Component | Annual Amount | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Salary (Median) | $131,730 | — |
| Federal Income Tax | -$21,153 | 16.1% |
| Iowa State Income Tax | -$5,137 | 3.9% |
| Social Security (OASDI) | -$8,167 | 6.2% |
| Medicare | -$1,910 | 1.5% |
| Total Taxes | -$36,368 | 27.6% |
| Take-Home Pay | $95,361 | 72.4% |
Take-home pay varies significantly across experience levels. Here is the after-tax breakdown for each salary percentile of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa.
| Percentile | Gross Salary | Total Taxes | Take-Home Pay | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $64,100 | -$13,346 | $50,753 | 20.8% |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $86,570 | -$20,885 | $65,684 | 24.1% |
| Median (P50) | $131,730 | -$36,368 | $95,361 | 27.6% |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $168,510 | -$49,443 | $119,066 | 29.3% |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $201,080 | -$59,018 | $142,061 | 29.4% |
After federal income tax ($21,153), state tax ($5,137), and FICA ($10,077), a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa takes home $95,361 per year — or $7,946 per month. The effective tax rate of 27.6% is moderate compared to the national range.
A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa loses 27.6% of gross pay to taxes — higher than the ~25% national midpoint. Of the $131,730 gross, $95,361 lands in the paycheck after federal ($21,154), state ($5,137), and FICA ($10,077) withholding.
Iowa applies a flat state income tax — every dollar of wage income is taxed at the same rate. For this Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary that contributes $5,137 to the 3.9% effective state-tax burden.
Federal income tax ($21,154) accounts for 58% of the total tax bill — the single largest deduction. FICA adds $10,077 (28%), and state tax the remaining $5,137 (14%).
Moving this same Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary to a zero-state-tax state would yield around $100,499 net — a gain of $5,137 (5.4%) per year versus Iowa.
Iowa sits near the bottom (#33 of 37) for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers after-tax earnings. Relocation, negotiation, or credential stacking typically show the clearest ROI in bottom-quartile states.
Translated into paycheck cadences, $95,361 net/year works out to $7,947/month or $3,668/bi-weekly for this Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa — the numbers that actually hit a checking account after every deduction.
Where does a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers keep the most of their paycheck? Top 10 states ranked by after-tax take-home pay.
Iowa ranks #33 out of 37 states for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers after-tax take-home pay.
A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa earning a median salary of $131,730 will take home approximately $95,361 per year after federal income tax ($21,153), state income tax ($5,137), and FICA ($10,077). That is $7,946 per month or $3,667 per bi-weekly paycheck.
The effective total tax rate for a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa is 27.6%, broken down as: federal income tax 16.1%, Iowa state tax 3.9%, and FICA (Social Security + Medicare) 7.7%. This assumes a single filer with the standard deduction for 2024.
Iowa has a 3.9% flat rate. On a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers's median salary of $131,730, the state income tax amounts to $5,137 per year, which is an effective state rate of 3.9%.
After all taxes, a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa takes home approximately $7,946 per month, or about $45.85 per hour (based on a standard 2,080-hour work year). These figures assume a single filer, standard deduction, and no additional pre-tax deductions.
We start with the 2025 BLS median salary of $131,730 for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Iowa, then subtract: federal income tax using 2024 IRS brackets ($14,600 standard deduction), Iowa state income tax (3.9% flat rate), Social Security (6.2% up to $168,600), and Medicare (1.45%). The result — $95,361/yr — does not include local taxes, pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA), or tax credits.
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This estimate assumes a single filer using the 2024 standard deduction ($14,600), with W-2 employment income only. It does not account for: itemized deductions, tax credits (e.g. earned income credit, child tax credit), local/city taxes, pre-tax contributions (401k, HSA, FSA), self-employment tax, or additional income sources. Actual take-home pay may differ. Consult a tax professional for personalized advice.
Our Methodology · Data Sources · Salary: BLS OEWS · Tax: IRS + State DOR