Massachusetts paycheck calculator

The same calculator, pre-set to Massachusetts. State figures below are computed from Massachusetts's own published withholding method — cited at the bottom of this page.

Your pay

Gross pay per check Pay entered as Pay frequency Year-to-date wages before this check (for the Social Security cap)

Federal — your W-4

Filing status (Step 1c) Step 2 box is checked (multiple jobs / spouse works — use the higher withholding schedules) Step 3 — dependents amount ($)

More W-4 detail (Steps 4a–4c)

Step 4(a) — other income, annual ($) Step 4(b) — deductions above the standard amount, annual ($) Step 4(c) — extra withholding per check ($)

Deductions per check

Pre-tax retirement — 401(k)/403(b)/457 ($) Pre-tax premiums & HSA — cafeteria plan ($) Post-tax deductions ($)

State

Work state

State inputs mirror that state's own withholding form.

Your pay stub Annual figures

No signup. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere — every figure is computed on this device, from the published withholding methods cited below.

Worked example

Worked example. Circular M's Section G supplemental example is the famous one — a $350,000 bonus on a $948,000 salary is withheld at 9% on the $183,850 over the threshold and 5% on the rest, $24,854 in total; the test suite asserts it exactly. A regular-pay example, computed by the same engine: single, $6,000 a month, 1 exemption.
Federal income tax $584.17 · Social Security $372.00 · Medicare $87.00 · Massachusetts withholding $273.33 · Take-home $4,683.50 per month

How Massachusetts withholding works

State form: M-4.

Massachusetts withholds at 5% (9% on the part of annualized pay over the $1,107,750 surtax threshold): subtract your FICA/Medicare/retirement deductions (capped at $2,000 a year) and your exemption factor ($4,400 if you claim 1 exemption; $1,000 per exemption plus $3,400 if you claim more), annualize, tax, and divide back. Head-of-household filers get a $120-a-year credit and each blindness exemption $110. Claiming 1+ exemptions with wages under $8,000 a year means no withholding.

Current parameters

method detail	Flat 5.0% with a 4% surtax layer (9% marginal over the threshold). Percentage method for wages (p.12): (1) subtract FICA/Medicare/retirement amounts deducted, capped at $2,000/year; (2) subtract exemption factor for the period; (3) annualize; (4) annual tax = 5% up to $1,107,750 plus 9% on the excess; (5) divide by pay periods; (6) subtract head-of-household tax value $120/year if applicable; (7) subtract blindness tax value $110/year per blind person. Wage-bracket tables (weekly/biweekly/semimonthly/monthly/daily) are the alternative; a claimed spouse counts as 4 exemptions in the tables.
base rate pct	5.0
surtax	See the cited publication
exemption factor annual	See the cited publication
fica medicare retirement deduction cap annual	2,000
head of household tax value annual	120
blindness tax value annual per person	110
no withholding floor	Do not withhold from an employee claiming 1+ exemptions if wages are under $8,000/year ($154/week, $308/biweekly, $333 semimonthly, $667/month, $22/day)

What this page covers — and what it doesn't

State method only; Massachusetts has no local income taxes.

Source. Massachusetts Circular M - Income Tax Withholding Tables at 5.0%, Effective January 1, 2026 (Rev. 12/25); Percentage Method Tables updated to include 4% Surtax — Massachusetts Department of Revenue — tax year 2026. Tables checked 2026-11-06. Official source.