Tax Year 2019 Arkansas Income Tax Brackets (TY 2019 – 2020)
Arkansas – Single Tax Brackets
| Tax Bracket | Tax Rate |
|---|---|
| $0.00+ | 2% |
| $4,000.00+ | 4% |
| $8,000.00+ | 5.9% |
| $79,300.00+ | 6.6% |
Arkansas – Married Filing Jointly Tax Brackets
| Tax Bracket | Tax Rate |
|---|---|
| $0.00+ | 2% |
| $4,000.00+ | 4% |
| $8,000.00+ | 5.9% |
| $79,300.00+ | 6.6% |
Tax brackets and tax rates are ever-changing as the cost of living increases over time. Arkansas is no exception to the rule, as its tax brackets were previously updated back in 2015, while the tax rates witnessed an even earlier update in 2014. These rates are no constants though, as they are bound to inflate and are modified on a yearly basis to, as mentioned above, reflect the modifications that the cost of living is witnessing over time.
Understanding Arkansas Tax Bracket
In Arkansas, taxation is governed by six marginal tax brackets, for which the marginal rates include 2%, 4%, 5.90%, and 6.60%. Each of these marginal rates is only applicable to earnings within the corresponding tax bracket.
Furthermore, tax brackets depend on the filing type, which means that married couples, for example, who file their income tax return jointly, will generally have broader tax brackets compared to those filing their tax return individually.
Understanding tax brackets may seem tricky, but it’s quite simple: you need to pay every Arkansas marginal tax rate starting from the lowest bracket to the highest tax bracket in which your last buck was earned. You don’t have one “tax bracket,” you have as many as your earnings go. Although for comparison sake, your Arkansas tax bracket is defined as the tax bracket in which you earned your last dollar in any tax period.
Understanding Arkansas Bracketed Income
Simply put, bracketed income tax is a flat amount that you have to pay for all your earnings to the highest bracket, along with a marginal percentage of any earnings that exceed the highest bracket. All of that is broken down in the chart below:
Single Tax Brackets
| For earnings between $0.00 and $4,000.00, you’ll pay 2% |
| For earnings between $4,000.00 and $8,000.00, you’ll pay 4% plus $80.00 |
| For earnings between $8,000.00 and $79,300.00, you’ll pay 5.9% plus $240.00 |
| For earnings over $79,300.00, you’ll pay 6.6% plus $4,446.70 |
Married Filing Jointly Tax Brackets
| For earnings between $0.00 and $4,000.00, you’ll pay 2% |
| For earnings between $4,000.00 and $8,000.00, you’ll pay 4% plus $80.00 |
| For earnings between $8,000.00 and $79,300.00, you’ll pay 5.9% plus $240.00 |
| For earnings over $79,300.00, you’ll pay 6.6% plus $4,446.70 |
Arkansas Tax Deductions
Another essential feature of the Arkansas income tax that you need to understand is deductions, mainly the Arkansas Standard Deduction, the Arkansas Personal Exemption, and the Arkansas Dependent Deduction. These deductions are the most commonly encountered by taxpayers in this state, and their values for the tax year 2016 are the following:
| Standard Deduction (S) | Standard Deduction (M) | Personal Exemption* | Dependent Exemption* |
| $2,200.00 | $4,400.00 | $26.00 | $26.00 |
| *Arkansas is different from other states in that it treats personal exemptions state tax exemptions as tax credits – which means that instead of deducting an amount from taxable income, the exemptions reduce your actual tax liability after it has been calculated. |
Breakdown of Arkansas Tax Deductions
Arkansas Standard Deduction: This is the default deduction available to every taxpayer should they fail to file an itemized deduction. The values of this deduction are:
- $2,200.00 of tax-free income per year for single taxpayers.
- $4,400.00 of tax-free income per year for taxpayers filing jointly.
Arkansas Personal Exemption: This deduction is supported by the Arkansas income tax, and it is available for every taxpayer responsible for their own living expenses.
Arkansas Dependent Deduction: In addition to the Arkansas Personal Exemption, for each qualifying dependent under your wing, such as a child or a family member, for whom you support the living expenses, you can get an additional dependent exemption. These deductions aren’t specific to Arkansas, as the Federal Income Tax also has a standard deduction, personal exemptions, and dependent deductions, which are applicable in all states nationwide. Keep in mind that their amounts and rules may differ from those of Arkansas.
2018 Arkansas Income Tax Filing Deadlines
| Deadline | Type of Filing | Description |
| July 15, 2020 | Tax Return | Arkansas State Income Tax Return Due Date. |
July 15, 2020 | Tax Extension | Arkansas Automatic Extension. |
October 15, 2020 | Tax Return | Last day to efile a 2018 Arkansas State Income Tax Return for tax extension filers and late efilers. |
Disclaimer:
While we do our best to keep this list of Arkansas income tax rates up to date and complete, we cannot be held liable for errors or omissions. Is info on this page missing or out-of-date? Please let us know so we can fix it!
Update:
Our Arkansas tax brackets are currently from the tax year 2019 (filed in April 2020). Many states adjust their tax brackets yearly, and we will update the State Name tax brackets for 2021 as soon as they become available.
Andrew Osterland, CPA, CFA, graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S.B.A. in Accounting in 2011. Mr. Osterland worked for the West Virginia State Tax Department as a Tax/Revenue Auditor. This experience helped him gain some insight into the government side of an audit and the general rules of Sales and Use Tax.
Can you share little more in-depth article on this topic.
I will update it.
Send you an email regarding few Income Tax questions
Replied
Standard deduction is really good, cheers
Tax rates are high Arkansas and gov sucks too
5
4.5
Sent you an email with some suggestion on your article
Got it, Thanks 😀