Maryland Paycheck Calculator

How the Maryland paycheck calculator works

It starts from your gross pay for the pay period (annual salary ÷ number of pay periods, or hourly rate × hours plus any overtime) and then subtracts:

• Pre-tax deductions you enter, such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums
• Federal income tax, based on your Form W-4 and the IRS 2026 withholding method
• Social Security (6.2% of wages up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000)
• Maryland income tax and County income tax

What is left is your estimated net (take-home) pay for the period, shown with a line-by-line breakdown.

Maryland income tax in 2026

From 2025 Maryland has a flat standard deduction of $3,350 for single filers and new top brackets of 6.25% (over $500,000) and 6.5% (over $1 million). Most workers pay 4.75% on income between $3,000 and $100,000. The $3,200 personal exemption is reduced above $100,000 of income. Employees use Form MW507.

Other Maryland payroll deductions

Counties and Baltimore City add a local income tax on the same Maryland taxable income, from 2.25% to 3.30%. The example uses Baltimore City's 3.20%. Maryland's paid family and medical leave (FAMLI) contributions have been postponed and are not deducted in 2026.

Example: $60,000 salary in Maryland (2026)

Assumptions: single filer, paid every two weeks, 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100), no other income, no pre-tax deductions and no extra withholding. Figures are annual estimates of tax owed; your employer's withholding can differ slightly.

In this example about 23.0% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your Maryland paycheck by hand

You can check the calculator with a pen and paper. Here is the same $60,000 single-filer example worked through for one biweekly paycheck:

1. Gross pay per check: $60,000.00 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
2. Pre-tax deductions: none in this example (401(k) and health premiums would be subtracted here, before income tax).
3. Federal income tax: $60,000.00 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900.00 taxable; 10%/12% brackets give $5,020.00 a year, or $193.08 per check.
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08.
5. Medicare: 1.45% × $2,307.69 = $33.46.
6. Maryland income tax: $2,486.38 for the year (see the brackets below) = $95.63 per check.
7. Other Maryland payroll deductions: $1,710.40 a year = $65.78 per check.
8. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,776.66 per check ($46,193.22 a year).

Your employer uses the IRS percentage method (Publication 15-T) on each paycheck, so withholding can differ from the annual tax by a few dollars a check; the difference is settled when you file your return.

Maryland income tax brackets for 2026

Maryland single-filer amounts for 2026: standard deduction $3,350, personal exemption $3,200. The exemption is reduced above $100,000 of income. County or Baltimore City tax of 2.25%–3.30% is added on the same taxable income.

Brackets are marginal: each rate only applies to the slice of income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay.

Maryland salary after taxes: take-home pay at common salaries

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in Maryland for a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions:

Use these as quick reference points; the calculator above gives the figure for your exact pay, pay schedule and W-4.

Hourly wage after taxes in Maryland

For hourly workers, this table converts common Maryland wages into take-home pay for a full-time year (2,080 hours, no overtime):

How a 401(k) changes your Maryland take-home pay

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and Maryland income tax is worked out. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) deferrals.

Saving $3,600 only reduces take-home pay by about $2,997 – roughly $603 of the contribution is covered by lower income tax. Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan usually reduce FICA as well, so they save even more; check how your state treats them.

Single vs married filing jointly

Filing status changes federal withholding a lot. With one earner, the married-filing-jointly brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction cut federal tax compared with single filing:

Maryland also has its own rules for married couples; choose 'Married filing jointly' in the calculator to apply them. If both spouses work, tick Step 2 on the federal W-4 (or use the IRS Withholding Estimator) to avoid under-withholding.

How a bonus is taxed in Maryland

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental wages are usually withheld at a flat federal rate of 22% when they are paid separately from regular pay. On a $5,000 bonus that means:

22% is a withholding rate, not your final tax. If your real federal bracket is 12%, the extra comes back as a refund when you file; if it is 24% or higher, you may owe a little more.

Why your Maryland paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. Maryland uses Form MW507 for state withholding – update it whenever your situation changes.
• Pre-tax benefits (401(k), HSA, health premiums) are taken out before tax and are not in the basic example.
• Bonuses and commissions are often withheld at the federal supplemental rate of 22%, so a bonus check can look heavily taxed even though the final tax is settled on your return.
• Social Security stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500; high earners see bigger checks late in the year.
• Maryland payroll items (County income tax) have their own rates and caps, shown in the breakdown.

Your Maryland paycheck by pay frequency

Pay frequency changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. For the same $60,000 example:

Hourly pay, overtime and minimum wage in Maryland

• Maryland's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour; Montgomery County has a higher local rate.
• Overtime is 1.5× pay after 40 hours a week.
• At $15.00 an hour, a 40-hour week is $600.00 gross ($31,200.00 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $22.50.

Why county choice matters in Maryland

On a $60,000 salary, Maryland taxable income is about $53,450. Each 0.5 percentage point of county rate changes your tax by about $267 a year – so moving from a 3.20% county to a 2.25% county is worth about $508 a year.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf
2. Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base — ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html
3. Tax Foundation – State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026
4. Comptroller of Maryland – withholding, county rates and Form MW507 — marylandtaxes.gov
5. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state