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Massachusetts Overtime Calculator

Overtime in Massachusetts is withheld on at your normal federal rate: there is no separate overtime tax rate. Federal law sets overtime at 1.5× your regular hourly rate past 40 hours in a workweek, and those hours face federal income tax, FICA of 7.65%, and a 5% flat income tax, plus a 4% surtax on income over roughly $1.08 million in 2026, though the federal premium is now deductible when you file.

Is overtime taxed in Massachusetts?

Yes, but not at a special rate: overtime in Massachusetts is withheld on in the same federal brackets as regular wages plus a 5% flat income tax, plus a 4% surtax on income over roughly $1.08 million. For 2025-2028 the federal premium, the "half" of time-and-a-half, is also deductible when you file, up to $12,500 ($25,000 married filing jointly). Bigger checks can have more withheld up front because withholding is calculated per paycheck, but that evens out on your tax return. Against the 5 states Massachusetts borders, the same ten overtime hours a week is worth $14,104 here: New Hampshire keeps $1,065 more ($15,168), Rhode Island keeps $333 more ($14,437), Connecticut leaves $8 less ($14,096), Vermont leaves $58 less ($14,045) and New York leaves $73 less ($14,031). New Hampshire and Rhode Island are the only borders worth crossing for the tax alone.

See what your overtime hours actually add

Estimated take-home

$55,446 /yr

$2,133 per paycheck · $4,621/moFor $25/hr, 40 + 10 overtime hrs a week · Massachusetts · single

Take-home 78%Taxes 22%

Calculation breakdown

  • Gross salary$71,500.00
  • Federal income tax−$6,900.00
  • FICA (Social Security & Medicare)−$5,469.75
  • State & local taxes (Massachusetts)−$3,683.90
  • Total take-home$55,446.35

Gross includes regular and overtime pay; see detailed inputs for per-paycheck splits.

Estimate based on 2026 federal and Massachusetts tax rules updated Oct 2026 How we calculate

Your details

More options Deductions & details · optional
Overtime adds $14,104/yr: you keep 72.33% of each overtime dollar.
No tax on overtime: $6,500 of this overtime is the deductible “half”. Claimed on your federal return, that's about $1,280 more back at tax time. See your refund →

What overtime hours are actually worth in Massachusetts

On top of full-time pay at $25 an hour ($52,000 a year) in Massachusetts, here is what each extra dollar survives federal tax, Massachusetts income tax, FICA and MA Paid Family & Medical Leave in 2026:

Overtime workedGrossMassachusetts taxYou keepShare kept
5 OT hours a week$9,750$488$7,30274.9%
10 OT hours a week$19,500$975$14,10472.3%
15 OT hours a week$29,250$1,463$20,43069.8%

Massachusetts takes about 5.0% of that money on top of the 15% federal marginal rate and 7.65% FICA, and MA Paid Family & Medical Leave takes another 0.46%.

How Massachusetts ranks on overtime hours

Across all 50 states and DC, Massachusetts ranks 37th for what ten overtime hours a week leaves in 2026. That is $156 less than the median state ($14,260), and $759 more than Oregon, where the same ten overtime hours a week leaves $13,345.

The best outcome anywhere is $15,168 in Alaska and the other states with no wage income tax, $1,065 more than Massachusetts keeps.

Massachusetts overtime hours against the states next door

Crossing a state line changes what the same overtime hour is worth without changing what you are paid. Here is ten overtime hours a week in Massachusetts against the states it borders:

StateState income taxYou keepvs Massachusetts
Massachusetts$975$14,104—
Connecticut$1,073$14,096$8 less
New HampshireNone$15,168$1,065 more
New York$1,053$14,031$73 less
Rhode Island$731$14,437$333 more
Vermont$1,123$14,045$58 less

How overtime is taxed in Massachusetts

Short answer: no: Massachusetts does not tax overtime at a higher rate, and neither does the IRS. Overtime pay (1.5× your regular rate past 40 hours/week) is withheld on as ordinary income in the same federal and Massachusetts brackets as the rest of your wages. Big overtime checks can have more withheld up front because withholding is calculated per paycheck, but that evens out on your tax return. Here's the full picture.

  • Overtime rate is 1.5× your regular pay: Federal law requires at least 1.5 times your regular hourly rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Some states and employers offer higher rates.
  • Withheld as ordinary income: There is no special tax rate for overtime pay. It's added to your regular wages and withheld on through the same federal brackets plus a 5% flat income tax, plus a 4% surtax on income over roughly $1.08 million.
  • The premium is deductible federally (2025-2028): When you file, the extra half of time-and-a-half the FLSA requires comes off your federal taxable income: up to $12,500, or $25,000 married filing jointly, phasing out above $150,000 of income. Social Security and Medicare still apply.
  • Higher income can mean higher withholding: Because overtime increases your total paycheck, your employer annualizes the higher amount when calculating withholding, which can result in a higher rate on the overtime portion.
  • You always take home more by working overtime: Even in a high tax bracket, you keep more than 50% of each overtime dollar. Higher taxes on overtime never mean you'd be better off working fewer hours.

Enter your hourly rate and overtime hours below to see your exact Massachusetts take-home pay after all taxes.

Frequently Asked Questions

On your paycheck, overtime in Massachusetts is ordinary wages: there is no special overtime tax rate. It's withheld on through a 5% flat income tax, plus a 4% surtax on income over roughly $1.08 million along with the rest of your wages, and because overtime raises the pay period's total, a larger percentage of each overtime dollar may be withheld. The federal overtime deduction you claim at filing doesn't change Massachusetts's withholding, which still applies to every overtime dollar.

Not fully. For 2025-2028 the federal premium, the "half" of time-and-a-half, is also deductible when you file, up to $12,500 ($25,000 married filing jointly). It's claimed on Schedule 1-A, phases out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint), and doesn't reduce Social Security or Medicare. It's a federal deduction, so don't assume Massachusetts income tax follows it. Your employer still withholds on overtime unless you claim the deduction on a new W-4, so for most people it shows up as a bigger refund.

Overtime can push your annualized income into a higher bracket, but only the dollars above the threshold are taxed at the higher rate: you always take home more by working the hours. Priced for Massachusetts: five overtime hours a week is worth $7,302 a year after tax, ten overtime hours a week is worth $14,104 a year after tax, fifteen overtime hours a week is worth $20,430 a year after tax, against $19,500 gross on the middle figure.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5× their regular rate beyond 40 hours in a workweek. Massachusetts adds no daily-overtime rule on top of that federal floor. The calculator uses the standard 1.5× multiplier.

Massachusetts follows the federal FLSA standard: at least 1.5× your regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek, with no additional daily-overtime requirement. If you believe you're owed overtime, the Massachusetts Department of Labor is the place to check. Our calculator uses the standard 1.5× multiplier.

Add regular earnings (rate × regular hours) to overtime earnings (rate × 1.5 × overtime hours), then subtract federal tax, Massachusetts income tax and FICA. In Massachusetts that leaves about 72.3% of each overtime dollar: $14,104 of the $19,500 that ten overtime hours a week adds over a year.

Against the 5 states Massachusetts borders, the same ten overtime hours a week is worth $14,104 here: New Hampshire keeps $1,065 more ($15,168), Rhode Island keeps $333 more ($14,437), Connecticut leaves $8 less ($14,096), Vermont leaves $58 less ($14,045) and New York leaves $73 less ($14,031). New Hampshire and Rhode Island are the only borders worth crossing for the tax alone.

Massachusetts property taxes (especially in Boston and surrounding suburbs) are among the highest in the nation. A $500,000 home in Boston might incur $8,000-$12,000+ annually in property taxes, which can offset the income tax advantage compared to other states. Many people focus on the 5% income tax rate and are shocked when they see property tax bills, which aren't on your paycheck but significantly impact your total tax burden.

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