Maine Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your Maine take-home pay. Maine uses a 3-bracket progressive income tax with rates of 5.8%, 6.75%, and 7.15% (Maine Revenue Services TY2026 rate schedules, 09/15/2025). Standard deduction is $15,300 single / $30,600 MFJ, plus a $5,300 personal exemption per taxpayer (so $5,300 for single, $10,600 for MFJ). The top 7.15% rate kicks in at $64,850 single / $129,750 MFJ. Maine has no local income tax — Portland, Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, and every other Maine city collect zero municipal income tax.
How to use this calculator
- Type your gross pay per paycheck — what you earn before any tax or deduction comes out.
- Pick your pay frequency (biweekly is the default — it's the most common).
- Set your federal filing status (Single or Married Filing Jointly).
- If you contribute to a traditional 401(k), enter the percentage. Add any pre-tax health or HSA deductions per paycheck.
- The result updates as you go. Use Share link to send your numbers to someone else without retyping them.
A real example: a $60,000 salary in Portland
Say you take a $60,000-a-year job in Portland, Maine, paid every two weeks, single, no 401(k). That's $2,307.69 gross per paycheck. The math goes like this for the year:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $60,000.00 |
| Federal income tax (after the $16,100 federal standard deduction) | −$5,020.00 |
| Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) | −$3,720.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$870.00 |
| Maine state tax (3 brackets; $15,300 SD + $5,300 personal exemption) | −$2,399.20 |
| Take-home for the year | $47,990.80 |
| Take-home per biweekly check | $1,845.80 |
About 20% of your gross goes to federal, FICA, and Maine state tax combined. Maine's effective state rate at $60k single is 4.0% — the generous $15,300 SD plus $5,300 personal exemption shield $20,600 of income before any rate applies, which is one of the higher combined shielding amounts in the country for a progressive state. The 7.15% top rate kicks in at $64,850 single — so at $60k, you don't reach the top bracket yet. No local income tax means the state rate is your total income tax burden.
Now add a 5% traditional 401(k) and $200/month in pre-tax health premiums on a $120,000 salary, married, paid monthly: gross $10,000/mo, $500 to the 401(k), $200 to health. Maine follows federal — both pre-tax items reduce ME taxable income. The MFJ SD is $30,600, and the personal exemption doubles to $10,600 ($5,300 × 2). Tax for the year runs about $5,194, and your monthly take-home lands around $7,463.
How a Maine paycheck is calculated
Maine uses 3 progressive brackets with MFJ thresholds exactly 2× single:
A few Maine-specific details worth knowing:
- Maine inflation-adjusts brackets annually. The Maine Revenue Services publishes new bracket thresholds each year. The 2026 rates above reflect the 09/15/2025 release. Both the standard deduction ($15,300 single) and the personal exemption ($5,300/person) are inflation-indexed annually.
- Top 7.15% rate is moderate by US standards. Compared to high-tax states like California (13.3% top), Hawaii (11%), New York (10.9%), or Minnesota (9.85%), Maine's 7.15% top rate is relatively mild. However, it does hit at a relatively modest threshold ($64,850 single) compared to states like Oregon ($125k) or Wisconsin ($315k).
- Generous shielding at lower incomes. The combined $15,300 SD + $5,300 personal exemption = $20,600 of income shielded for a single filer before any state tax applies. MFJ shielding is $30,600 + $10,600 = $41,200. This is among the most generous shielding in the country for a progressive state.
- No local income tax anywhere. Portland, Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, South Portland, Auburn — every Maine municipality collects zero income tax. The state's 5.8-7.15% rate IS your total income tax.
- 401(k) and pre-tax both reduce ME tax. Maine follows federal treatment for traditional 401(k) and Section 125 items.
- Generous retirement income deductions. Maine provides a $10,000 deduction for military and government pension income. For other pensions and retirement accounts (IRA, 401(k)) for age 65+, there's a $6,000 per-taxpayer deduction. Social Security has its own deduction based on federal AGI (fully excluded below ~$30k AGI; phases out higher). Maine is moderately retirement-friendly.
- 5.5% sales tax — among the lowest in New England. Maine's 5.5% state sales tax (and no local sales tax) is lower than Massachusetts (6.25%) and Connecticut (6.35%). Food for home consumption and most clothing are exempt — keeping effective sales-tax burden modest.
What Maine paychecks look like at common salaries (single, no 401k)
| Annual salary | Federal tax | FICA | Maine tax | Net per year | Net per biweekly check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,620.00 | $3,060.00 | $1,125.20 | $33,194.80 | $1,276.72 |
| $50,000 | $3,820.00 | $3,825.00 | $1,724.20 | $40,630.80 | $1,562.72 |
| $60,000 | $5,020.00 | $4,590.00 | $2,399.20 | $47,990.80 | $1,845.80 |
| $75,000 | $7,670.00 | $5,737.50 | $3,411.70 | $58,180.80 | $2,237.72 |
| $100,000 | $13,170.00 | $7,650.00 | $5,157.40 | $74,022.60 | $2,847.02 |
| $150,000 | $24,734.00 | $11,475.00 | $8,732.40 | $105,058.60 | $4,040.72 |
Numbers above use 2026 federal rates and Maine's progressive brackets, single filer, no 401(k) or pre-tax deductions. Your actual withholding will differ based on your Maine W-4.
Tips to take home more
- Max out pre-tax benefits first. Health insurance, HSA, and FSA dollars reduce both your federal tax and FICA — that's a roughly 22–28% discount on those expenses for most people.
- A 401(k) is real money, not a deduction. A 5% contribution on $60k is $3,000 the IRS doesn't see right now. You're not losing it — you're moving it.
- Check your W-4 if your refund or bill is large. A big refund means you overpaid all year; a big bill means you underpaid. Either way, the IRS withholding estimator at irs.gov/W4App helps fix it.
- Track the Social Security cap. If you'll cross $184,500 this year, your last few checks will be noticeably bigger for SS. (Medicare and SDI keep going on every dollar.)
- Live in Maine, work remotely for an out-of-state employer? Maine taxes residents on all income regardless of where it's earned. Check your paystub — out-of-state employers don't always withhold Maine tax correctly.
Frequently asked questions
What is Maine's state income tax rate in 2026?
Maine uses a 3-bracket progressive income tax for TY2026 with rates of 5.8%, 6.75%, and 7.15%. Single filers: 5.8% to $27,400, 6.75% to $64,850, 7.15% above. MFJ thresholds are exactly 2× single ($54,850 and $129,750). Source: Maine Revenue Services 2026 rate schedules (released 09/15/2025).
How much of a $60,000 salary do you take home in Maine?
A single filer earning $60,000 in Maine with no pre-tax deductions takes home roughly $47,991 a year, or about $1,846 every two weeks. That's $5,020 federal, $4,590 FICA, and $2,399 Maine state tax (Maine's 5.8% and 6.75% brackets on $39,400 after the $15,300 SD and $5,300 personal exemption). No local income tax in Maine.
What is the Maine standard deduction for 2026?
Single filers: $15,300. Married filing jointly: $30,600. Head of household: $22,950. Married filing separately: $15,300. Additional amounts apply for age 65+ or blindness ($1,650 if married, $2,050 if unmarried; $3,300 for both 65 and blind, married). Maine also offers a $5,300 personal exemption per taxpayer (so MFJ = $10,600). Source: Maine Revenue Services 09/15/2025 release.
Does Portland or Bangor have a local income tax?
No. Maine does NOT allow cities or counties to levy income taxes on wages. Portland, Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, South Portland, Auburn — every Maine city collects zero income tax. The state's 5.8-7.15% rate is your total income tax.
Is Social Security taxed in Maine?
Maine offers a Social Security deduction based on federal AGI. Filers with federal AGI below approximately $30,000 may fully exclude Social Security from Maine income tax. The exclusion phases out at higher incomes. Military retirement and government pensions get a separate $10,000 deduction; other retirement income (pensions, IRA, 401(k)) gets a $6,000/taxpayer deduction for age 65+. Maine has no estate tax below ~$6.8 million.