Home Health and Personal Care Aides
Median $19.67 an hour in Massachusetts · 117,940 jobs
Massachusetts · 2026 take-home pay
$20 an hour after taxes in Massachusetts
At $20 an hour in Massachusetts you keep about $16.13 of every hour — $645 a week, $2,796 a month or $33,554 a year full time — after 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Massachusetts income tax and state payroll programs. Massachusetts has a graduated income tax plus PFML (Paid Family & Medical Leave) employee share, and its minimum wage is $15.00 an hour.
Where $20 an hour goes
| A year | A week | An hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $41,600 | $800 | $20.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$2,812 | −$54 | −$1.35 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$2,579 | −$50 | −$1.24 |
| Medicare (1.45%+) | −$603 | −$12 | −$0.29 |
| Massachusetts income tax | −$1,860 | −$36 | −$0.89 |
| PFML (Paid Family & Medical Leave) employee share | −$191 | −$4 | −$0.09 |
| Take-home pay | $33,554 | $645 | $16.13 |
Effective tax rate 19.3% · federal bracket 12% · Massachusetts bracket 5%.
PFML (Paid Family & Medical Leave) employee share: 0.46% of wages.
Take-home per paycheck
| Paid | Gross | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly (52 paychecks) | $800.00 | $645.27 |
| Every two weeks (26) | $1,600.00 | $1,290.55 |
| Twice a month (24) | $1,733.33 | $1,398.09 |
| Monthly (12) | $3,466.67 | $2,796.19 |
$20 an hour at different hours
Take-home in Massachusetts for part-time, full-time and overtime weeks. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times $20 an hour for hours over 40, as federal law requires for most hourly workers.
| Schedule | Gross a week | Take-home a week | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours a week* | $400 | $343 | $17,823 |
| 30 hours a week | $600 | $495 | $25,766 |
| 40 hours a week | $800 | $645 | $33,554 |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime | $950 | $758 | $39,396 |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime | $1,100 | $870 | $45,237 |
*If this is your only job. With a second job, withholding on each is likely too low unless you adjust your W-4.
Is $20 an hour good pay in Massachusetts?
- Minimum wage: $20 an hour is 1.3 times Massachusetts's minimum wage of $15.00 an hour.
- Among Massachusetts workers: It's about the 19th percentile of hourly pay in Massachusetts (BLS, May 2025) — roughly 19 in 100 workers earn less. The median is $30.57 an hour.
- Local prices: Massachusetts's price level is 105.8% of the U.S. average (BEA Regional Price Parities), so $33,554 a year buys about what $31,728 would at national-average prices.
- Rent: the 30% rule points to about $1,040 a month. Check it with your debts.
- A 50/30/20 budget: about $1,398 a month for needs, $839 for wants and $559 for savings. Plan it in the budget calculator.
Jobs in Massachusetts that pay about $20 an hour
Occupations whose median wage in Massachusetts is within 4% of $20 an hour, most common first. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Childcare Workers
Median $19.66 an hour in Massachusetts · 13,140 jobs
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term
Median $19.88 an hour in Massachusetts · 8,410 jobs
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Median $19.40 an hour in Massachusetts · 5,020 jobs
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median $20.47 an hour in Massachusetts · 3,810 jobs
Library Assistants, Clerical
Median $20.44 an hour in Massachusetts · 2,840 jobs
How Massachusetts compares on $20 an hour
Massachusetts ranks 50th of 51 for take-home pay on $20 an hour (1st = keeps the most). Here it is next to its neighbors.
| State | After tax, per hour | A year | Minimum wage | vs Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $16.13 | $33,554 | $15.00 | — |
| Connecticut | $16.37 | $34,059 | $16.94 | +$505 a year |
| New Hampshire | $17.12 | $35,606 | $7.25 | +$2,052 a year |
| New York | $16.22 | $33,745 | $16.00 | +$191 a year |
| Rhode Island | $16.44 | $34,205 | $16.00 | +$651 a year |
| Vermont | $16.66 | $34,646 | $14.42 | +$1,092 a year |
How the federal tax on $41,600 ($20 an hour) is worked out
Taxable income is $41,600 minus the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100) = $25,500. Each slice is taxed at its own rate:
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $12,400 | $1,240 |
| 12% | $13,100 | $1,572 |
| Total | $25,500 | $2,812 |
How the Massachusetts income tax on $41,600 ($20 an hour) is worked out
Taxable income is $41,600 of Massachusetts wages minus $4,400 in exemptions = $37,200.
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | $37,200 | $1,860 |
| Total | $37,200 | $1,860 |
Common questions
How much is $20 an hour after taxes in Massachusetts?
About $16.13 for every hour you work, or $33,554 a year at 40 hours a week ($41,600 gross). Taxes take about 19.3% of your pay, for a single filer in 2026 with no pre-tax deductions.
How much is $20 an hour a week after taxes in Massachusetts?
About $645 a week at 40 hours, from $800 gross. Paid every two weeks, each paycheck is about $1,291.
How much is $20 an hour a month after taxes in Massachusetts?
About $2,796 a month at 40 hours a week, from $3,467 gross.
Is $20 an hour good pay in Massachusetts?
$20 an hour is 1.3 times Massachusetts's minimum wage of $15.00 an hour. It's about the 19th percentile of hourly pay in Massachusetts (BLS, May 2025) — roughly 19 in 100 workers earn less. The median hourly wage for all jobs in Massachusetts is $30.57. After taxes and local prices, $33,554 a year buys about what $31,728 would at national-average prices.
Is Massachusetts a high-tax state for $20 an hour?
It ranks 50th of 51 among the 50 states and D.C. for take-home on $20 an hour. The most you'd keep is $35,606 a year, in 8 places including Florida, North Dakota, New Hampshire; the least, $32,757 in Oregon.
More hourly rates
Other hourly rates in Massachusetts
- $16 an hour in Massachusetts
- $17 an hour in Massachusetts
- $18 an hour in Massachusetts
- $19 an hour in Massachusetts
- $21 an hour in Massachusetts
- $22 an hour in Massachusetts
- $23 an hour in Massachusetts
- $24 an hour in Massachusetts
$20 an hour in every state · $40,000 a year in Massachusetts · $45,000 a year in Massachusetts · Massachusetts paycheck calculator · All pay conversions
Sources and method
Our 2026 engine applies IRS Publication 15-T withholding, Social Security and Medicare, Massachusetts's income tax rules and Massachusetts's employee payroll programs (methodology). Local income taxes are not included. Minimum wages: U.S. Department of Labor. Wage distribution and jobs: BLS OEWS May 2025. Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities.
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- State Minimum Wage Laws — U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- Regional Price Parities by State — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Accessed October 14, 2026.