Massachusetts charges 5% flat + 4% surtax >$1M state income tax. Use the quarterly tax estimator pre-loaded with Massachusetts rates.
Open Quarterly Tax Estimator →Quarterly estimated payments in Massachusetts must cover both your federal and state obligations. Massachusetts applies a flat 5% rate, and most states require their own quarterly payment schedule that may differ from the IRS dates. This estimator pre-loads Massachusetts's tax rates so you can calculate both federal and state quarterly amounts in one place, avoiding underpayment penalties at both levels.
Massachusetts levies a flat 5% state income tax on all taxable income regardless of how much you earn. This makes tax planning straightforward: for every additional dollar you earn, 5 cents goes to Massachusetts. Massachusetts does not impose local income taxes, so the 5% flat rate is the only state-level income tax you owe.
The table below shows what you actually keep at five salary levels in Massachusetts, accounting for federal tax, FICA, and Massachusetts's flat 5% state tax.
See how Massachusetts compares to other Northeast states. Each link takes you to the quarterly tax estimator landing page for that state.
For a comprehensive breakdown of Massachusetts’s tax structure, salary comparisons, cost-of-living analysis, and more, visit the full Massachusetts take-home pay page.