Estimate your net pay in Massachusetts after federal and state taxes, FICA, and PFML deductions.
Weekly
Bi-weekly
Semi-monthly
Monthly
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Head of Household
Understanding Your Massachusetts Paycheck
Navigating your paycheck can be complex, especially with various federal and state taxes and deductions. This Massachusetts Paycheck Calculator helps you estimate your net pay by considering key factors like your gross income, pay frequency, federal and state filing statuses, and common deductions.
How Your Paycheck is Calculated
Your net pay is your gross pay minus all applicable deductions. These typically include:
Federal Income Tax: This is a progressive tax, meaning higher earners pay a larger percentage. The amount withheld depends on your gross income, filing status, and any adjustments you've made on your W-4 form. Our calculator uses standard deductions and federal tax brackets for estimation.
FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare): These are mandatory federal taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare programs.
Social Security: 6.2% of your gross wages, up to an annual wage base limit ($168,600 for 2024).
Medicare: 1.45% of all your gross wages. An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies to wages above certain thresholds ($200,000 for single filers, $250,000 for married filing jointly).
Massachusetts State Income Tax: Massachusetts has a flat income tax rate of 5% (for 2024). However, your taxable income is reduced by personal and dependent exemptions.
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML): This is a state-mandated contribution that funds paid leave benefits. For 2024, the employee share is 0.31% of your gross wages, up to the Social Security wage base.
Pre-tax Deductions: These are deductions taken from your gross pay before taxes are calculated, reducing your taxable income. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or health insurance premiums.
Post-tax Deductions: These are deductions taken after taxes are calculated. Examples include Roth 401(k) contributions, union dues, or charitable contributions.
Key Factors Affecting Your Net Pay
Gross Pay: Your total earnings before any deductions.
Pay Frequency: How often you get paid (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly). This affects how your annual income is distributed across pay periods.
Federal Filing Status: Your marital status for tax purposes (Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household) impacts your standard deduction and tax bracket thresholds.
Number of Dependents: In Massachusetts, dependents can reduce your state taxable income through exemptions.
Deductions: Both pre-tax and post-tax deductions directly reduce your take-home pay, though pre-tax deductions also lower your taxable income.
Disclaimer
This calculator provides an estimate for informational purposes only. Actual withholdings may vary based on specific circumstances, additional deductions, credits, and changes in tax laws. Consult a qualified tax professional for personalized advice.
function calculatePaycheckMA() {
// 1. Get Input Values
var grossPayPerPeriod = parseFloat(document.getElementById("grossPay").value);
var payFrequencyValue = parseInt(document.getElementById("payFrequency").value); // Number of pay periods per year
var federalFilingStatus = document.getElementById("federalFilingStatus").value;
var numDependents = parseInt(document.getElementById("numDependents").value);
var preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod = parseFloat(document.getElementById("preTaxDeductions").value);
var postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod = parseFloat(document.getElementById("postTaxDeductions").value);
// 2. Validate Inputs
if (isNaN(grossPayPerPeriod) || grossPayPerPeriod < 0) {
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter a valid Gross Pay per Pay Period.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(numDependents) || numDependents < 0) {
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter a valid number of dependents.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod) || preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod < 0) {
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter valid Pre-tax Deductions.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod) || postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod < 0) {
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter valid Post-tax Deductions.";
return;
}
// 3. Define Constants (2024 values)
var annualGrossPay = grossPayPerPeriod * payFrequencyValue;
var annualPreTaxDeductions = preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod * payFrequencyValue;
// FICA Taxes
var socialSecurityRate = 0.062;
var medicareRate = 0.0145;
var additionalMedicareRate = 0.009;
var socialSecurityWageBase = 168600; // 2024
// Federal Standard Deductions (2024)
var federalStandardDeduction;
var federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold;
if (federalFilingStatus === "single") {
federalStandardDeduction = 14600;
federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold = 200000;
} else if (federalFilingStatus === "married") {
federalStandardDeduction = 29200;
federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold = 250000;
} else if (federalFilingStatus === "hoh") {
federalStandardDeduction = 21900;
federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold = 200000; // Same as single for this threshold
}
// MA State Tax
var maStateTaxRate = 0.05;
var maPersonalExemption = 4400;
var maDependentExemption = 1000;
// MA PFML
var maPFMLRate = 0.0031; // 0.28% medical + 0.03% family = 0.31% employee share (2024)
// 4. Calculate Federal Income Tax
var federalTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – federalStandardDeduction;
if (federalTaxableIncome 609350) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 609350) * 0.37;
federalTaxableIncome = 609350;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 243725) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 243725) * 0.35;
federalTaxableIncome = 243725;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 191950) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 191950) * 0.32;
federalTaxableIncome = 191950;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 100525) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 100525) * 0.24;
federalTaxableIncome = 100525;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 47150) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 47150) * 0.22;
federalTaxableIncome = 47150;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 11600) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 11600) * 0.12;
federalTaxableIncome = 11600;
}
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += federalTaxableIncome * 0.10;
} else if (federalFilingStatus === "married") {
// Married Filing Jointly (2024)
if (federalTaxableIncome > 731250) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 731250) * 0.37;
federalTaxableIncome = 731250;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 487450) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 487450) * 0.35;
federalTaxableIncome = 487450;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 383900) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 383900) * 0.32;
federalTaxableIncome = 383900;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 201050) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 201050) * 0.24;
federalTaxableIncome = 201050;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 94300) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 94300) * 0.22;
federalTaxableIncome = 94300;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 23200) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 23200) * 0.12;
federalTaxableIncome = 23200;
}
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += federalTaxableIncome * 0.10;
} else if (federalFilingStatus === "hoh") {
// Head of Household (2024)
if (federalTaxableIncome > 609350) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 609350) * 0.37;
federalTaxableIncome = 609350;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 243700) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 243700) * 0.35;
federalTaxableIncome = 243700;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 191950) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 191950) * 0.32;
federalTaxableIncome = 191950;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 100500) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 100500) * 0.24;
federalTaxableIncome = 100500;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 63550) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 63550) * 0.22;
federalTaxableIncome = 63550;
}
if (federalTaxableIncome > 16550) {
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += (federalTaxableIncome – 16550) * 0.12;
federalTaxableIncome = 16550;
}
federalIncomeTaxAnnual += federalTaxableIncome * 0.10;
}
var federalIncomeTaxPerPeriod = federalIncomeTaxAnnual / payFrequencyValue;
// 5. Calculate FICA Taxes
var socialSecurityTaxableWages = Math.min(annualGrossPay, socialSecurityWageBase);
var socialSecurityTaxAnnual = socialSecurityTaxableWages * socialSecurityRate;
var medicareTaxAnnual = annualGrossPay * medicareRate;
if (annualGrossPay > federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold) {
medicareTaxAnnual += (annualGrossPay – federalAdditionalMedicareThreshold) * additionalMedicareRate;
}
var ficaTaxPerPeriod = (socialSecurityTaxAnnual + medicareTaxAnnual) / payFrequencyValue;
// 6. Calculate Massachusetts State Income Tax
var maExemptionsAnnual = maPersonalExemption + (numDependents * maDependentExemption);
var maTaxableIncomeAnnual = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions – maExemptionsAnnual;
if (maTaxableIncomeAnnual < 0) maTaxableIncomeAnnual = 0;
var maStateTaxAnnual = maTaxableIncomeAnnual * maStateTaxRate;
var maStateTaxPerPeriod = maStateTaxAnnual / payFrequencyValue;
// 7. Calculate Massachusetts PFML
var maPFMLTaxableWages = Math.min(annualGrossPay, socialSecurityWageBase); // PFML also capped at SS wage base
var maPFMLPerPeriod = (maPFMLTaxableWages * maPFMLRate) / payFrequencyValue;
// 8. Calculate Total Deductions
var totalDeductionsPerPeriod =
federalIncomeTaxPerPeriod +
ficaTaxPerPeriod +
maStateTaxPerPeriod +
maPFMLPerPeriod +
preTaxDeductionsPerPeriod +
postTaxDeductionsPerPeriod;
// 9. Calculate Net Pay
var netPayPerPeriod = grossPayPerPeriod – totalDeductionsPerPeriod;
// 10. Display Results
var resultHTML = "