Also for Massachusetts: paycheck calculator · hourly · salary · take-home pay by job
Massachusetts take-home pay by hourly rate
| Wage | Gross / 2 weeks | Taxes | Take-home / 2 weeks | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12/hour | $960.00 | $147.80 | $812.20 | $406.10 |
| $15/hour | $1,200.00 | $205.17 | $994.83 | $497.42 |
| $18/hour | $1,440.00 | $265.43 | $1,174.57 | $587.29 |
| $20/hour | $1,600.00 | $305.61 | $1,294.39 | $647.20 |
| $22/hour | $1,760.00 | $345.78 | $1,414.22 | $707.11 |
| $25/hour | $2,000.00 | $406.05 | $1,593.95 | $796.98 |
| $30/hour | $2,400.00 | $506.49 | $1,893.51 | $946.76 |
| $35/hour | $2,800.00 | $631.16 | $2,168.84 | $1,084.42 |
| $40/hour | $3,200.00 | $771.60 | $2,428.40 | $1,214.20 |
| $50/hour | $4,000.00 | $1,052.48 | $2,947.52 | $1,473.76 |
40 hours a week, paid every two weeks, single, W-4 defaults, no pre-tax deductions.
How Massachusetts taxes hourly pay
Massachusetts withholds a flat 5%, plus a 4% surtax on income above $1,107,750 in 2026. Before applying the rate, employers subtract the Social Security and Medicare tax you paid (up to $2,000 a year) and your M-4 exemptions: $4,400 for yourself and $1,000 for each additional exemption. Heads of household get a further reduction of about $120 a year.
Most workers also pay the Paid Family and Medical Leave contribution, up to 0.46% of wages in 2026 (employers with 25+ workers may pay part of it, so yours may be lower).
Hourly workers pay the same taxes as salaried staff. What changes is that your check moves with your hours, so withholding moves with it: a week with overtime is withheld as if every week looked like that.
Questions
How much is $20 an hour after taxes in Massachusetts?
About $1,294.39 every two weeks ($647.20 a week) for 40 hours a week, single, W-4 defaults, 2026 rules. That's about $33,654 a year.
How is overtime taxed in Massachusetts?
Overtime is taxed like regular pay, but a check with overtime is annualized as if you earned that much every period, so more is withheld from that check. At $20 an hour with 10 overtime hours in a two-week period, take-home is about $1,519.06 instead of $1,294.39. Any new federal deduction for overtime is claimed through W-4 Step 4(b) or on your tax return.