League ranking · United States
NCAA take-home pay: all 36 teams ranked after tax
On a $500,000 NCAA contract, take-home pay runs from $188,866 at California (CA) to $255,366 at Florida (FL) — a spread of $66,500 for doing the same job.
Every NCAA team, ranked by net pay
| # | Team | Market | Top rate | Net | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida (FL) | Florida | 0% | $255,366 | 51.1% |
| 2 | Nevada (NV) | Nevada | 0% | $255,366 | 51.1% |
| 3 | Tennessee (TN) | Tennessee | 0% | $255,366 | 51.1% |
| 4 | Texas (TX) | Texas | 0% | $255,366 | 51.1% |
| 5 | Washington (WA) | Washington | 0% | $255,366 | 51.1% |
| 6 | Arizona (AZ) | Arizona | 2.5% | $242,866 | 48.6% |
| 7 | Ohio (OH) | Ohio | 2.8% | $241,616 | 48.3% |
| 8 | Indiana (IN) | India | 3% | $240,616 | 48.1% |
| 9 | Louisiana (LA) | Louisiana | 3% | $240,366 | 48.1% |
| 10 | Pennsylvania (PA) | Pennsylvania | 3.1% | $240,016 | 48% |
| 11 | Kentucky (KY) | Kentucky | 3.5% | $237,866 | 47.6% |
| 12 | Iowa (IA) | Iowa | 3.8% | $236,366 | 47.3% |
| 13 | Arkansas (AR) | Arkansas | 3.9% | $235,866 | 47.2% |
| 14 | North Carolina (NC) | North Carolina | 4% | $235,416 | 47.1% |
| 15 | Mississippi (MS) | Mississippi | 4% | $235,366 | 47.1% |
| 16 | Michigan (MI) | Michigan | 4.3% | $234,116 | 46.8% |
| 17 | Colorado (CO) | Colorado | 4.4% | $233,366 | 46.7% |
| 18 | Oklahoma (OK) | Oklahoma | 4.5% | $232,866 | 46.6% |
| 19 | Utah (UT) | Utah | 4.5% | $232,866 | 46.6% |
| 20 | Nebraska (NE) | Nebraska | 4.5% | $232,616 | 46.5% |
| 21 | Missouri (MO) | Missouri | 4.7% | $231,866 | 46.4% |
| 22 | Illinois (IL) | Illinois | 5% | $230,616 | 46.1% |
| 23 | Alabama (AL) | Alabama | 5% | $230,366 | 46.1% |
| 24 | Georgia (GA) | Georgia | 5.2% | $229,416 | 45.9% |
| 25 | Kansas (KS) | Kansas | 5.6% | $227,466 | 45.5% |
| 26 | Virginia (VA) | Virginia | 5.8% | $226,616 | 45.3% |
| 27 | South Carolina (SC) | South Carolina | 6% | $225,366 | 45.1% |
| 28 | Maryland (MD) | Maryland | 6.5% | $222,866 | 44.6% |
| 29 | Connecticut (CT) | Connecticut | 7% | $220,416 | 44.1% |
| 30 | Wisconsin (WI) | Wisconsin | 7.7% | $217,116 | 43.4% |
| 31 | Massachusetts (MA) | Massachusetts | 9% | $210,366 | 42.1% |
| 32 | Minnesota (MN) | Minnesota | 9.8% | $206,116 | 41.2% |
| 33 | Oregon (OR) | Oregon | 9.9% | $205,866 | 41.2% |
| 34 | New Jersey (NJ) | New Jersey | 10.8% | $201,616 | 40.3% |
| 35 | New York (NY) | New York | 10.9% | $200,866 | 40.2% |
| 36 | California (CA) | California | 13.3% | $188,866 | 37.8% |
How NCAA money is taxed
NIL money is self-employment income, so it carries the 15.3% self-employment tax plus income tax. There is no escrow and no union agent cap.
Beyond the league deductions, every NCAA salary meets the tax system of the country and state it is earned in. NIL income is self-employment income, so it carries a 15.3% self-employment tax on top of income tax, and colleges in states without income tax give athletes a real advantage.
Select a team above to see its full line-by-line breakdown at three contract sizes.
Questions
Which NCAA team has the best take-home pay?
Florida (FL) come out on top: a $500,000 contract keeps about $255,366, or 51.1%. Florida (FL) play in Florida, where the top rate is 0%.
Which NCAA team has the worst take-home pay?
California (CA) come out last: the same $500,000 contract keeps about $188,866, or 37.8%. The gap between the best and worst NCAA market is $66,500 on a $500,000 deal.
What does NCAA escrow and agent commission cost?
NCAA has no league escrow modelled here, and agent commission is capped at 5% by the players' association.