Income Taxes in Connecticut
Connecticut's income tax is a real, graduated seven-bracket structure topping out at a genuine 6.99% for high earners, with a real Social Security exemption for most retirees -- a moderate-to-high burden that scales with income rather than a flat surprise for every filer.
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Learn moreA real, graduated seven-bracket structure
Connecticut's income tax is a genuine, graduated seven-bracket structure, not a flat rate. For single filers: 2% on the first $10,000, 4.5% from $10,000-$50,000, 5.5% from $50,000-$100,000, 6% from $100,000-$200,000, 6.5% from $200,000-$250,000, 6.9% from $250,000-$500,000, and a real top marginal rate of 6.99% on income above $500,000. Married-filing-jointly brackets are proportionally wider, with the 6.99% top rate starting at $1,000,000. This structure was confirmed current for the 2026 tax year in this pass's own research.
A 2024 reform already lowered the two bottom brackets
A 2024 tax-year reform cut Connecticut's two lowest brackets from a prior 3%/5% structure down to the current 2%/4.5% -- this pass confirmed that reform remains the real, current, unchanged structure for 2026, with no further bracket legislation found this pass.
A real Social Security exemption for most retirees
Connecticut genuinely phases out Social Security taxation for most retirees: benefits are fully exempt from state income tax for single filers with AGI under $75,000 and joint filers under $100,000, with a partial exemption above those thresholds -- a real, retiree-relevant fact distinct from full-exemption states. See the retiring topic for the fuller retirement-income tax picture, including pension and 401(k)/IRA treatment.
How this compares to Connecticut's other taxes
Connecticut's graduated income tax sits alongside a genuinely simple flat 6.35% sales tax with zero local add-ons and a real, disclosed 3rd-highest-in-the-nation property tax burden -- a genuinely two-sided overall tax picture. High earners feel the income tax's top bracket most; nearly every homeowner feels the property tax's town-by-town variation. See the sales-tax and property-taxes topics for the rest of the picture.
Key takeaways
- Connecticut's income tax is a real, graduated seven-bracket structure: 2% up to 6.99% (single filers above $500,000; $1,000,000 joint).
- A 2024 reform cut the two lowest brackets from 3%/5% to 2%/4.5% -- confirmed still the current, unchanged structure for 2026.
- Social Security benefits are fully exempt for single filers with AGI under $75,000 and joint filers under $100,000, with a partial exemption above those thresholds.
- Property tax, not income tax, is Connecticut's most consequential tax variable for most movers -- see the property-taxes topic.
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