How does Maine work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?

Maine Revenue Services' percentage method has six steps. Your employer multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, takes off $5,300 for each allowance on your Form W-4ME and a standard deduction that fades out at higher pay, taxes the rest at 5.80%, 6.75% and 7.15%, and divides back across the paychecks, rounding to the nearest dollar. For a $60,000 salary with one allowance that is $60,000 less $5,300 and $12,850, $41,850 of income, $2,564.38 a year and $99.00 a paycheck once rounded.

How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Maine?

For a single employee paid every two weeks with one allowance, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,827.53 a paycheck, or $47,515.84 a year. The year's deductions are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $2,574.00 of Maine income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security, $869.96 of Medicare and $300.04 for Paid Family and Medical Leave.

How much is $20 an hour after tax in Maine?

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $654.72 take-home a week for a single employee with one allowance. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $26.00 of Maine income tax, $49.60 of Social Security, $11.60 of Medicare and $4.00 of Paid Leave. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.

What do I put on the Maine Form W-4ME?

Your marital status (Single or Head of Household, Married, or Married but withholding at the higher single rate) and a number of allowances. Maine no longer bases allowances on the federal Form W-4, so the W-4ME must be given to the employer on the same day as the federal form. Each allowance takes $5,300 off a year of pay, which is worth $13.76 a paycheck here: $112.00 with none, $99.00 with one, $71.00 with three and $46.00 with five. An employee may not claim more allowances than they are entitled to without an approved variance certificate.

Why does a married couple with two jobs have more withheld?

The married table has about twice the amounts, so one paycheck from a couple with a single earner is withheld lightly, $58.00 on the $60,000 example against $99.00 on the single table. The W-4ME has a box for a married employee to be withheld at the higher single rate, which is what the Form W-4 Step 2 box stands for here. Maine Revenue Services says the employer must use the table that matches the box the employee checked.

How does Maine tax a bonus?

Maine Revenue Services says that when bonuses, commissions or overtime are paid with regular wages, the withholding is figured as if the total were one payment for the regular pay period. When the supplemental wages are paid separately, the payer may withhold a flat 5%. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.

What is Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave, and how much is taken from my pay?

For 2025 to 2027 the joint rate is 1% of wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, and no more than 0.5% can come from the employee. An employer with 15 or more employees pays 1% and may deduct up to half from pay; a smaller employer pays 0.5% and may deduct all of it. This page uses 0.5% from the employee, which is $11.54 a paycheck on a $60,000 salary and $300.04 a year, and at most $922.50. Payroll deductions began in 2025, and benefits began on May 1, 2026.

What does a 401(k) do to my Maine paycheck?

It lowers the tax, because the calculator takes a 401(k) deferral out of the pay before it annualizes the paycheck. The booklet does not list pre-tax items separately. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Maine withholding by $10.00 and take-home pay by only $111.84. Social Security, Medicare and Paid Leave are still figured on the full pay.

Who pays unemployment tax in Maine, and how much is it?

The employer does, to the Department of Labor, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. A new employer pays 2.23% in 2026 on the first $12,000 of each employee's pay, plus 0.14% for the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund and 0.17% for the Unemployment Program Administration Fund, a combined 2.54%. That is $267.60 and $37.20 a year for an employee paid $60,000. The employer also pays its share of Paid Leave, $300.00 on this salary. Maine is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

Maine Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid, the allowances on your Form W-4ME and the answers on your Form W-4, and this Maine paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows Maine Revenue Services' percentage method, 5.80% to 7.15% on what is left after $5,300 for each allowance and a standard deduction that fades at higher pay, and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.

State

Maine

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I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

Maine withholding

Allowances on Form W-4ME

1 for you, 1 for a spouse, and 1 for each dependent; each takes $5,300 off the year's pay.

Form W-4 steps 2 to 4

Step 2 box is checked

Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work. Maine reads this as Married, but withholding at higher single rate on Form W-4ME.

Children under 17

Step 3: $2,200 each.

Other dependents

Step 3: $500 each.

Other income per year

Step 4(a).

Deductions per year

Step 4(b).

Extra withholding each paycheck (USD)

Step 4(c).

401(k), % of pay

2026 limit $24,500.

Health premiums per paycheck

Pre-tax.

HSA per paycheck

2026 limit $8,750.

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,827.53

$2,307.69 gross · $480.16 withheld (20.8%)

Where this paycheck goes

Gross pay: $2,307.69
Federal income tax: - $193.08
Social Security6.2%: - $143.08
Medicare1.45%: - $33.46
Additional Medicare0.9%: - $0.00
Maine income tax: - $99.00
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave0.5%: - $11.54
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,827.53

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $12,484
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 79.2%

Take-home pay$47,516

Of every $100 of gross pay, $79 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Maine income tax$2,574 · 4.3%
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave$300 · 0.5%
Take-home pay$47,516 · 79.2%

Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $65,237 a year, $2,509.11 each pay period.

What the employer adds, per year

Employer Social Security6.2% to $184,500: $3,720
Employer Medicare1.45%: $870
Federal unemployment (FUTA)0.6% of the first $7,000: $42
Maine unemployment2.23% of the first $12,000: $268
Maine Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund tax0.14% of the first $12,000: $17
Maine Unemployment Program Administration Fund tax0.17% of the first $12,000: $20
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (employer share)0.5% of the first $184,500: $300

Employer taxes$5,237

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $5,237
Per pay period: $2,509.11

Per year$65,237

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Maine takes $5,300 for each allowance and a fading standard deduction, then taxes the rest at 5.80% to 7.15%.

The percentage method annualizes your paycheck, subtracts $5,300 for every allowance on the W-4ME and a withholding standard deduction of $12,850 for a single employee or $28,550 for a married one, and taxes what is left at 5.80% to $27,400, 6.75% to $64,850 and 7.15% above that for a single employee. A married employee has the same rates on $54,850 and $129,750. The result is divided back across the paychecks and rounded to the nearest dollar. Maine added a 2% surcharge on income above $1 million, or $1.5 million for a married employee, from 2026.

A $60,000 Maine salary takes home $1,827.53 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single employee with one allowance, on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.

Gross pay: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69
Federal income tax: $193.08
Maine income tax: $60,000 − $5,300 − $12,850 = $41,850; $1,589 + 6.75% × ($41,850 − $27,400) = $2,564.38; ÷ 26 = $98.63, withheld as $99.00
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46; Paid Leave: 0.5% × $2,307.69 = $11.54
Take-home pay: $1,827.53 a paycheck, $47,515.84 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $47,516 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Maine income tax$2,574 · 4.3%
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave$300 · 0.5%
Take-home pay$47,516 · 79.2%

Each paycheck: $1,827.53Kept: 79.2%

A single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks. Invented example. Each tax is rounded to the cent in every paycheck, as payroll does.

Each allowance on the W-4ME lowers the Maine tax of this paycheck by about $13.76.

At $60,000 the last dollars of pay fall in the 6.75% step, so each $5,300 allowance saves $357.75 a year, $13.76 a paycheck before the result is rounded to the dollar. Maine no longer takes allowances from the federal Form W-4, so a new employee gives the employer both forms on the same day.

Each allowance takes about $13.76 off the Maine tax of a biweekly paycheck.

0 allowances$112.00
1 allowance$99.00
2 allowances$85.00
3 allowances$71.00
5 allowances$46.00

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. The tax is withheld in whole dollars.

A married employee with a working spouse can ask to be withheld at the higher single rate.

The employer has to use the schedule for the box checked on the W-4ME. A married employee whose spouse does not work has $58.00 withheld from the $60,000 example, a single employee or head of household $99.00, and a married employee who checks “Married, but withholding at higher single rate” the same $99.00.

The box on the W-4ME sets the Maine tax of a biweekly paycheck, from $58.00 to $99.00.

Single or head of household$99.00
Married, spouse does not work$58.00
Married, but withhold at higher single rate$99.00

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, one allowance, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions. The federal Form W-4 status changes along with the choice.

Withholding climbs faster between $102,250 and $177,250 because the standard deduction fades out.

The standard deduction is $12,850 up to $102,250 of annual pay for a single employee and then falls in a straight line to nothing at $177,250, so each extra dollar in that range loses a little deduction as well as being taxed at 7.15%. A $100,000 salary has $5,330.00 withheld over the year, a $150,000 salary $9,490.00 and a $250,000 salary $16,978.00.

The share of pay Maine withholds climbs steadily with pay, and fastest where the standard deduction fades.

$20,000 a year0.52% of pay, $104
$40,000 a year3.19% of pay, $1,274
$60,000 a year4.29% of pay, $2,574
$100,000 a year5.33% of pay, $5,330
$150,000 a year6.33% of pay, $9,490
$250,000 a year6.79% of pay, $16,978

Invented salaries, single, one allowance, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions.

Paid Family and Medical Leave takes up to 0.5% of pay, up to $184,500 of it.

The deduction is $11.54 a paycheck on the $60,000 example, $300.04 a year. It stops once the year's wages reach the Social Security limit, so the most it takes in a year is $922.50, from any salary of $184,500 or more. The Department says the premium is taken from pay after federal and state taxes, so it lowers take-home pay but not the tax base.

Paid Leave stops at the Social Security limit, so its share of pay falls above $184,500.

$60,000 a year8.15% of pay
Social Security $3,720, Medicare $870, Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave $300
$150,000 a year8.15% of pay
Social Security $9,300, Medicare $2,175, Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave $750
$250,000 a year6.57% of pay
Social Security $11,439, Medicare $3,625, Additional Medicare $450, Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave $923
$500,000 a year4.46% of pay
Social Security $11,439, Medicare $7,250, Additional Medicare $2,700, Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave $922

Social SecurityMedicareAdditional MedicareMaine Paid Family and Medical Leave

Invented salaries, single, paid every two weeks. Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9% of pay above $200,000.

A 401(k) lowers Maine withholding by $10.00 a paycheck.

A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck. The calculator takes it out of the pay before annualizing, so federal and Maine withholding both fall and take-home pay falls by only $111.84. The booklet does not list pre-tax items separately, and Social Security, Medicare and Paid Leave still apply to the deferral.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and Maine tax by $10.00 a paycheck.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
Maine tax, no 401(k)$99.00
Maine tax, 6% 401(k)$89.00

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck.

Hiring that employee costs $65,237 a year in Maine.

On top of the $60,000, the employer matches Social Security and Medicare at 6.2% and 1.45%, which is $4,590. It pays federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000, which is $42. A new Maine employer pays unemployment tax at 2.23% on the first $12,000 of pay, which is $267.60, plus two assessments of 0.14% and 0.17% on the same pay, $37.20, and its half of Paid Leave, $300.00. The employee pays none of these.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $5,237 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
Maine unemployment$268
Maine Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund tax$17
Maine Unemployment Program Administration Fund tax$20
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (employer share)$300
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. Maine unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 2.23% on the first $12,000.

Take-home pay in Maine runs from $32,846 on $40,000 to $103,551 on $150,000.

For a single employee with one allowance, paid every two weeks. At $100,000 the year's take-home is $73,350. For the neighbor to the southwest, see the New Hampshire paycheck calculator.

Take-home pay in Maine for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. Maine taxes are its income tax and Paid Family and Medical Leave.
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	Maine taxes	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$1,474	$32,846	$1,263.31
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$2,148	$40,207	$1,546.43
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$2,874	$47,516	$1,827.53
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$3,963	$57,629	$2,216.52
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$5,830	$73,350	$2,821.15
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$10,240	$103,551	$3,982.73

Methodology & sources

The formula this calculator uses is shown in full above, and every assumption is an input you control. There are no hidden industry presets. All math runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server. For the reasoning behind the formula and its edge cases, see:

Frequently asked questions

How does Maine work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?: Maine Revenue Services' percentage method has six steps. Your employer multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, takes off $5,300 for each allowance on your Form W-4ME and a standard deduction that fades out at higher pay, taxes the rest at 5.80%, 6.75% and 7.15%, and divides back across the paychecks, rounding to the nearest dollar. For a $60,000 salary with one allowance that is $60,000 less $5,300 and $12,850, $41,850 of income, $2,564.38 a year and $99.00 a paycheck once rounded.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Maine?: For a single employee paid every two weeks with one allowance, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,827.53 a paycheck, or $47,515.84 a year. The year's deductions are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $2,574.00 of Maine income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security, $869.96 of Medicare and $300.04 for Paid Family and Medical Leave.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in Maine?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $654.72 take-home a week for a single employee with one allowance. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $26.00 of Maine income tax, $49.60 of Social Security, $11.60 of Medicare and $4.00 of Paid Leave. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.
What do I put on the Maine Form W-4ME?: Your marital status (Single or Head of Household, Married, or Married but withholding at the higher single rate) and a number of allowances. Maine no longer bases allowances on the federal Form W-4, so the W-4ME must be given to the employer on the same day as the federal form. Each allowance takes $5,300 off a year of pay, which is worth $13.76 a paycheck here: $112.00 with none, $99.00 with one, $71.00 with three and $46.00 with five. An employee may not claim more allowances than they are entitled to without an approved variance certificate.
Why does a married couple with two jobs have more withheld?: The married table has about twice the amounts, so one paycheck from a couple with a single earner is withheld lightly, $58.00 on the $60,000 example against $99.00 on the single table. The W-4ME has a box for a married employee to be withheld at the higher single rate, which is what the Form W-4 Step 2 box stands for here. Maine Revenue Services says the employer must use the table that matches the box the employee checked.
How does Maine tax a bonus?: Maine Revenue Services says that when bonuses, commissions or overtime are paid with regular wages, the withholding is figured as if the total were one payment for the regular pay period. When the supplemental wages are paid separately, the payer may withhold a flat 5%. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.
What is Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave, and how much is taken from my pay?: For 2025 to 2027 the joint rate is 1% of wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, and no more than 0.5% can come from the employee. An employer with 15 or more employees pays 1% and may deduct up to half from pay; a smaller employer pays 0.5% and may deduct all of it. This page uses 0.5% from the employee, which is $11.54 a paycheck on a $60,000 salary and $300.04 a year, and at most $922.50. Payroll deductions began in 2025, and benefits began on May 1, 2026.
What does a 401(k) do to my Maine paycheck?: It lowers the tax, because the calculator takes a 401(k) deferral out of the pay before it annualizes the paycheck. The booklet does not list pre-tax items separately. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Maine withholding by $10.00 and take-home pay by only $111.84. Social Security, Medicare and Paid Leave are still figured on the full pay.
Who pays unemployment tax in Maine, and how much is it?: The employer does, to the Department of Labor, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. A new employer pays 2.23% in 2026 on the first $12,000 of each employee's pay, plus 0.14% for the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund and 0.17% for the Unemployment Program Administration Fund, a combined 2.54%. That is $267.60 and $37.20 a year for an employee paid $60,000. The employer also pays its share of Paid Leave, $300.00 on this salary. Maine is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

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