Maryland Paycheck Calculator
Maryland paychecks carry three layers of income tax: federal, state, and a county tax that applies in all 23 counties and Baltimore City. This Maryland paycheck calculator estimates your 2026 take-home pay using the real marginal brackets at every layer, all 24 county rates, Social Security and Medicare, and your pre-tax 401(k) contributions, then shows the full per-period and annual breakdown.
Your Maryland paycheck breakdown
| Gross pay per period | $0.00 |
| Federal income tax | $0.00 |
| Maryland state tax | $0.00 |
| County income tax | $0.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $0.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% over threshold) | $0.00 |
| 401(k) contribution per period | $0.00 |
| Total taxes per period | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay per period | $0.00 |
Annual summary: gross $0.00, total taxes $0.00, 401(k) deferred $0.00, annual take-home $0.00, effective tax rate 0%.
Estimate only, not tax advice. Actual withholding may differ based on your W-4 and employer payroll setup. Maryland’s paid family and medical leave (FAMLI) payroll deductions do not start until January 1, 2027, so no FAMLI amount is included for 2026.
Quick Answer
A single filer earning $75,000 in Baltimore County (3.20%), claiming 1 exemption and paid bi-weekly, takes home $2,161.66 per paycheck and $56,203.23 a year in 2026, an effective tax rate of 25.06%. Federal tax is $7,670.00, Maryland state tax is $3,198.88, county tax is $2,190.40, Social Security is $4,650.00 and Medicare is $1,087.50. The calculator above is pre-filled with this exact paycheck.
Key takeaways
- Maryland is the only state where every county, plus Baltimore City, charges its own income tax on residents. Skipping it understates withholding by 2.25% to 3.30% of taxable income.
- Both the federal and Maryland taxes are marginal. Only the slice of income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket’s rate.
- A traditional 401(k) deferral cuts federal, state and county tax, never FICA, and the deferred money itself leaves your paycheck because it goes into the plan.
- No FAMLI deduction applies in 2026. Maryland’s paid family and medical leave withholding starts January 1, 2027.
- Quick Answer
- How Maryland take-home pay is calculated
- 2026 Maryland state income tax brackets
- Maryland county income tax rates for 2026
- Worked example: $75,000 salary, single, Baltimore County
- What competing Maryland paycheck calculators get wrong
- Frequently asked questions
- Add This Calculator to Your Website
- References
How Maryland take-home pay is calculated
Five withholdings come out of a Maryland paycheck, in a set order. The calculator applies them the same way payroll does, and each step below matches a line in the results.
- Federal income tax. Annual gross minus pre-tax 401(k) contributions minus the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household, $16,100 married filing separately) is taxed through the seven federal marginal brackets, from 10% up to 37%, using the tables in the IRS federal income tax rates and brackets. Any extra withholding from your W-4 is added per paycheck on top.
- Maryland state income tax. Maryland taxable income is gross minus pre-tax 401(k) contributions, minus the Maryland standard deduction ($3,350 single or married filing separately, $6,700 joint or head of household), minus $3,200 per personal exemption claimed on Form MW507. That income runs through Maryland’s ten brackets. Exemptions phase out once federal adjusted gross income passes about $100,000 for single filers or $150,000 for joint filers; you can check where you stand with an AGI calculator. This calculator does not apply the phase-out, so high earners should treat the state line as a floor.
- County income tax. Every Maryland resident pays a local tax to their county of residence, a flat percentage of the same Maryland taxable income used for the state tax. Rates run from 2.25% in Worcester County to 3.30% in Dorchester and Kent counties, on top of the state tax, so the combined state-plus-local marginal rate reaches 9.80% for top earners.
- Social Security and Medicare (FICA). Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Medicare is 1.45% on all wages with no cap, plus an additional 0.9% on wages above $200,000 for single and head-of-household filers, $250,000 for joint filers, and $125,000 for married filing separately. Traditional 401(k) contributions do not reduce FICA wages.
- Take-home pay. Gross minus the five tax lines, minus any 401(k) deferral, divided by your number of pay periods. Hourly workers are annualized first (rate times hours per week times 52); if you want the same math framed around an hourly wage, see the hourly after-taxes calculator.
2026 Maryland state income tax brackets
Maryland runs ten brackets, from 2% on the first $1,000 of taxable income to 6.5% at the top. The two top brackets, 6.25% and 6.5%, were added for the 2025 tax year and continue in 2026, per the Comptroller of Maryland 2026 withholding information. Rates are marginal: only income inside each band pays that band’s rate.
Single, married filing separately, or dependent filers
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 to $1,000 | 2.00% |
| $1,001 to $2,000 | 3.00% |
| $2,001 to $3,000 | 4.00% |
| $3,001 to $100,000 | 4.75% |
| $100,001 to $125,000 | 5.00% |
| $125,001 to $150,000 | 5.25% |
| $150,001 to $250,000 | 5.50% |
| $250,001 to $500,000 | 5.75% |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | 6.25% |
| Over $1,000,000 | 6.50% |
Married filing jointly, head of household, or qualifying surviving spouse
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 to $1,000 | 2.00% |
| $1,001 to $2,000 | 3.00% |
| $2,001 to $3,000 | 4.00% |
| $3,001 to $150,000 | 4.75% |
| $150,001 to $175,000 | 5.00% |
| $175,001 to $225,000 | 5.25% |
| $225,001 to $300,000 | 5.50% |
| $300,001 to $600,000 | 5.75% |
| $600,001 to $1,200,000 | 6.25% |
| Over $1,200,000 | 6.50% |
Maryland county income tax rates for 2026
The county tax follows your county of residence, not your workplace. The 2026 flat rates below are the rates built into the calculator. Two counties are the exception: Anne Arundel charges graduated rates from 2.70% to 3.20% and Frederick charges graduated rates from 2.25% to 3.20%. For those two, the calculator applies the 3.20% top rate, so estimates run a few dollars high for most earners there.
| County / City | Rate | County / City | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany | 3.20% | Howard | 3.20% |
| Anne Arundel | 3.20%* | Kent | 3.30% |
| Baltimore City | 3.20% | Montgomery | 3.20% |
| Baltimore County | 3.20% | Prince George’s | 3.20% |
| Calvert | 3.20% | Queen Anne’s | 3.20% |
| Caroline | 3.20% | St. Mary’s | 3.20% |
| Carroll | 3.03% | Somerset | 3.20% |
| Cecil | 2.74% | Talbot | 2.40% |
| Charles | 3.03% | Washington | 2.95% |
| Dorchester | 3.30% | Wicomico | 3.20% |
| Frederick | 3.20%* | Worcester | 2.25% |
* Anne Arundel and Frederick use graduated local schedules (2.70% to 3.20% and 2.25% to 3.20%). The rate shown is the top rate the calculator applies. County rates can change each year, so confirm yours if your paycheck looks off.
Worked example: $75,000 salary, single, Baltimore County
A single filer on $75,000 a year in Baltimore County, 1 exemption, no 401(k), paid bi-weekly, produces the breakdown below. Every figure is a calculator output, not a hand estimate.
- Federal taxable income: $75,000 minus $16,100 standard deduction = $58,900
- Federal income tax: $1,240 + 12% of ($50,400 minus $12,400) + 22% of ($58,900 minus $50,400) = $1,240 + $4,560 + $1,870 = $7,670.00
- Maryland taxable income: $75,000 minus $3,350 state standard deduction minus $3,200 for 1 exemption = $68,450
- Maryland state tax: $90 + 4.75% of ($68,450 minus $3,000) = $90 + $3,108.88 = $3,198.88
- County tax: $68,450 times 3.20% = $2,190.40
- Social Security: $75,000 times 6.2% = $4,650.00; Medicare: $75,000 times 1.45% = $1,087.50
- Annual take-home: $75,000 minus $7,670.00 minus $3,198.88 minus $2,190.40 minus $4,650.00 minus $1,087.50 = $56,203.23
- Bi-weekly take-home: $56,203.23 divided by 26 = $2,161.66 (effective tax rate 25.06%)
Where the $75,000 goes
Add a 10% 401(k) deferral to the same paycheck and the picture changes in two directions at once. The deferral moves $7,500 a year ($288.46 per paycheck) into the plan, total taxes fall from $18,796.78 to $16,550.53 because federal, state and county taxable income all shrink, and take-home lands at $50,949.48 a year, or $1,959.60 per paycheck, with an effective tax rate of 22.07%. An hourly check works the same way after annualizing: $25 an hour at 40 hours a week in Baltimore County is $52,000 a year, $776.95 a week take-home, a net hourly rate of $19.42.
What competing Maryland paycheck calculators get wrong
Most Maryland paycheck tools fail on the county layer, the exemption, or the 401(k). These are the specific errors found in the current top results for this search, checked against the Comptroller’s 2026 schedules.
- TakeHomeWages runs its Maryland salary table with no local tax at all. Its $75,000 row shows $58,394 of annual take-home; the missing $2,190.40 is exactly the Baltimore County tax it never charges.
- MarylandSalaryCalculator tells Montgomery County readers their county rate is 3.30%, the highest Maryland allows. Montgomery’s actual 2026 rate is 3.20%; 3.30% belongs to Dorchester and Kent. Its county pages also describe a state top rate of 5.75% for most earners, two brackets behind the current 6.5% top.
- TrueValueCalc applies a 3.30% local rate to Montgomery County as well, and its $75,000 breakdown uses a $71,650 Maryland taxable base, which is gross minus the $3,350 standard deduction with the $3,200 personal exemption never subtracted.
- RevisionTown describes Maryland’s 2026 standard deduction as a proposed $4,100 for single filers. That increase was proposed and not enacted; the Comptroller’s 2026 figure is $3,350, and using $4,100 understates Maryland taxable income by $750 on every run.
- The gap this page fills: all 24 county rates for 2026 including the graduated-county warning, the $3,200 exemption actually subtracted, both new top state brackets, the correct $125,000 additional Medicare threshold for separate filers, and a 401(k) model where the deferral itself leaves take-home pay, the way a real pay stub reads. For a one-time payment rather than a salary, the bonus take-home pay calculator isolates that check.
Frequently asked questions
Maryland is the only state where every county and Baltimore City levies its own local income tax on residents. It is a flat percentage of your Maryland taxable income, from 2.25% to 3.30% in 2026, withheld alongside the state tax and based on where you live, not where you work.
Federally, bonuses are usually withheld at a flat 22% supplemental rate. Maryland taxes a bonus as regular income at your marginal state and county rates when you file. During the year, employers either annualize the bonus with your regular pay or apply a supplemental withholding method, so the withholding on a bonus check can look higher than your normal rate even though the final tax is the same.
Yes. Both the Maryland state tax and the county piggyback tax are calculated on your Maryland taxable income, and traditional 401(k) contributions reduce that base. The contributions do not reduce Social Security or Medicare withholding, and the deferred amount itself is subtracted from take-home pay because it goes into the plan.
Generally no. Maryland has reciprocal agreements with Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC, so you pay income tax to Maryland as your state of residence, not to the work state. File Maryland Form MW507 with your employer to claim exemption from the other state’s withholding.
Payroll deductions for Maryland’s FAMLI program do not begin until January 1, 2027. The planned premium is 0.90% of wages, split between employer and employee, so the employee share will be up to 0.45%. Nothing is withheld for FAMLI in 2026, and this calculator includes no FAMLI amount.
Employers withhold using annualized payroll tables and your W-4 elections, which can differ a few dollars per check from a straight liability calculation. Pre-tax benefits such as health premiums, HSA and FSA contributions, post-tax deductions, the personal exemption phase-out for high earners, and the graduated Anne Arundel and Frederick county schedules can also move the number. Treat this as a planning estimate, not a payroll guarantee.
Anne Arundel County charges graduated local rates from 2.70% to 3.20%, and Frederick County charges graduated rates from 2.25% to 3.20%, instead of one flat rate. This calculator applies the 3.20% top rate for both counties, so if your taxable income falls in a lower tier, your actual county tax will be a little less than the estimate.
Yes, by the full deferred amount. A 10% deferral on a $75,000 salary moves $7,500 a year ($288.46 per bi-weekly paycheck) into the plan. The calculator lowers your federal, state and county tax because of the deferral, then subtracts the $7,500 from take-home pay, which is the money that actually reaches your bank account.
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References
- Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 (Revenue Procedure 2025-32). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Federal Income Tax Rates and Brackets. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Tax Topic No. 560: Additional Medicare Tax. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Tax Withholding Estimator. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Tax Topic No. 751: Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Comptroller of Maryland. 2026 Maryland State and Local Income Tax Withholding Information. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Comptroller of Maryland, Taxpayer Services. Filing Information for Individual Income Tax: Personal Exemptions. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Maryland Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Plans: Deferrals and Employer Contributions. Accessed October 22, 2026.