Maine Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Your hourly rate and hours in, your take-home pay out. Overtime is paid at 1.5× your rate; tips you report are taxed like wages.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,600.00 | $41,600.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$108.15 | −$2,812.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$99.20 | −$2,579.20 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$23.20 | −$603.20 |
| Maine income tax · withheld | −$53.00 | −$1,378.00 |
| Maine Paid Family & Medical Leave · 0.5% (the most taken from pay) | −$8.00 | −$208.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,308.45 | $34,019.60 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $1,600.00 × 26 paychecks | $41,600.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $33,000.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $2,812.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $108.15 |
IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A — the percentage method payroll software uses for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Your employer's figure can differ by a few cents because of rounding.
How the Maine income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to Maine tax this paycheck · same as federal: after pre-tax 401(k) and benefits | $1,600.00 |
| Yearly pay (Step 1) · 1600.00 × 26 | $41,600.00 |
| Minus W-4ME allowances (Step 2) · 1 × $5,300 | −$5,300.00 |
| Minus Maine standard deduction (Step 3) · single: full amount | −$12,450.00 |
| Yearly income for withholding (Step 4) · single rate schedule | $23,850.00 |
| Yearly Maine withholding (Step 5) · 5.8% | $1,383.30 |
| Maine withholding for one paycheck (Step 6) · ÷ 26, rounded to the nearest dollar | $53.00 |
Hourly pay in Maine
Maine's minimum wage is $15.10 an hour from January 1, 2026, up from $14.65. It rises each year with the cost of living. Some cities, such as Portland and Rockland, may set a higher local minimum.
Tipped workers. Service employees can be paid a direct wage of $7.55 an hour when tips bring them up to $15.10, averaged over the week. If they don't, the employer must pay the difference.
Overtime. Time-and-a-half — one and a half times your regular rate — for hours over 40 in the workweek.
Extra hours raise both state lines. Income tax and Paid Family and Medical Leave are both based on your pay, so overtime and extra shifts raise them too. Your employer works out the income tax on your regular pay and overtime together.
Because hours change from week to week, your withholding changes too: a week with lots of overtime is withheld as if you earned that much every week, so more comes out. It usually evens out when you file your return.
What comes out of a Maine paycheck
- Federal income tax withholding — worked out from your pay and your Form W-4, using the IRS tables for 2026.
- Social Security — 6.2% of your pay, up to $184,500 of pay in 2026. Above that, it stops for the rest of the year.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000 in the year.
A Maine paycheck usually has two state lines:
- Maine income tax, worked out with Maine Revenue Services' percentage method. The rates are 5.8%, 6.75% and 7.15%.
- Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave: up to 0.5% of your wages ($5 per $1,000). It stops once your pay for the year passes the Social Security wage base of $184,500, so the most taken from your pay in 2026 is $922.50.
Here is how the income tax is worked out. Your employer multiplies this paycheck by the number of paydays in the year. It takes off $5,300 for each allowance on your W-4ME. Then it takes off a standard deduction: $12,450 on the single rate or $27,750 on the married rate. The tax on what is left comes from the rate schedule, and the yearly amount is split across your paydays and rounded to the nearest dollar. Open "How the Maine income tax was worked out" under the result to see each step.
Tips and overtime in 2026
New federal deductions apply for 2025 through 2028: up to $25,000 for qualified tips, and up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) for the extra "half" of time-and-a-half overtime. Both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
These are deductions on your tax return. Your employer still takes Social Security and Medicare out of tips and overtime, and still withholds income tax unless you tell it otherwise. If you expect to claim them, you can put the expected amount in Step 4(b) of your W-4 (and in the Step 4(b) box above) so less income tax is withheld during the year.
Other Maine calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026 · Hourly to salary · Salary to hourly
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Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- IRS — tips and overtime deductions
- Maine Revenue Services — Withholding Tables for Individual Income Tax, tax year 2026 (rev. December 2025) — percentage method Steps 1–6; $5,300 per allowance; standard deduction $12,450 / $27,750 with phase-out; rate schedules 5.8%, 6.75%, 7.15%; round to the nearest dollar; Examples 1–3; invalid W-4ME: single, no allowances
- Maine Revenue Services — Form W-4ME, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate (rev. December 2025) — line 3 status: Single or Head of Household / Married / Married, but withholding at higher single rate; line 4 allowances (worksheet: self, spouse, head of household, children and dependents); line 5 additional amount
- Maine Revenue Services — Rule 803, Income tax withholding — withholding applies to payments subject to the federal wage method of withholding; same payroll period as federal
- Maine Revenue Services — Withholding Tables for Individual Income Tax, tax year 2025 — 2025: $5,150 per allowance; standard deduction $12,150 single, $27,150 married; 6.75% from $26,800 single
- Maine Department of Labor — Paid Family and Medical Leave employer FAQ (2026) — 1% of wages (15+ employees) or 0.5% (fewer than 15); employer may deduct up to half (or all of the 0.5%) from wages; excludes wages above the Social Security base; withholding from pay dates on or after Jan. 1, 2025; benefits from May 1, 2026
- 26 M.R.S. §850-F — Premiums (Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave) — employer may deduct up to 50% of the premium; premiums required up to the Social Security contribution and benefit base
- Social Security Administration — Contribution and benefit base — $184,500 for 2026
- Maine Department of Labor — Maine's Minimum Wage $15.10 Per Hour Beginning Tomorrow (Dec. 31, 2025) — $15.10 from $14.65 on Jan. 1, 2026; tipped service employees $7.55 direct wage; CPI-W Northeast; exempt salary $871.16 a week; Portland and Rockland may set higher local rates
- Maine Department of Labor — Minimum wage poster (rev. 10/25) — $15.10 from Jan. 1, 2026; $7.55 direct service wage; overtime at time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek
- 26 M.R.S. §621-A — Timely and full payment of wages — paid at regular intervals not over 16 days, including wages earned to within 8 days of payday
- 26 M.R.S. §626 — Cessation of employment — paid in full no later than the next established payday
- Maine Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Complaint Portal — Wage and Hour Division: unpaid final pay, minimum wage, hours worked, overtime
Questions
What is Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave on my pay stub?
Your share of the contribution to Maine's paid family and medical leave program: up to 0.5% of your wages, on pay up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500. Your employer sends it to the Maine Department of Labor.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Maine?
For a single filer paid every two weeks with nothing else on the W-4, a $1,000 paycheck has about $38.08 of federal income tax, $62.00 of Social Security and $14.50 of Medicare taken out, $18.00 of Maine income tax, leaving $862.42. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Maine?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,308.45 after tax per paycheck — $34,019.60 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
How many allowances do I claim on the W-4ME?
The worksheet on the form counts one for yourself, one for your spouse, one if you file as head of household, and one for each child or dependent. Each allowance lowers your Maine withholding.
What happens if I don't fill in a W-4ME?
Your employer withholds as if you were single with no allowances. That uses the $12,450 single standard deduction and nothing for allowances.
What is the minimum wage in Maine in 2026?
$15.10 an hour. Tipped service employees can be paid $7.55 directly if tips make up the rest.
When do I get my last paycheck in Maine?
No later than your next regular payday, whether you quit or are let go.