2026 · Massachusetts · H-1B
A single H-1B worker who is a resident alien all of 2026 keeps $105,821 of $150,000 in Massachusetts: $24,734 of federal income tax, $11,475 of Social Security and Medicare, $7,280 of Massachusetts income tax and $690 of Paid Family & Medical Leave.
2026 figures, last updated .
Estimated 2026 take-home pay
$105,821
Out of $150,000 a year before tax.
Income
H-1B pay
$150,000
Taxes
Federal income tax
$24,734
Social Security & Medicare (FICA)
$11,475
Massachusetts income tax
$7,280
Paid Family & Medical Leave
$690
Total tax
$44,179
Take-home
Take-home pay
$105,821
Federal (Form 1040)
Wages $150,000 − pre-tax payroll $0 = $150,000 (W-2 box 1)
= adjusted gross income $150,000 − deduction $16,100 = taxable $133,900
FICA
FICA wages $150,000: Social Security $9,300, Medicare $2,175.
Massachusetts
Starting income $150,000 − exemption $4,400 = taxable $145,600 → tax $7,280
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (brackets, standard deductions, child tax credit), Notice 2025-67 and Rev. Proc. 2025-19 (401(k), IRA, HSA limits), SSA 2026 wage base, Publication 519, and each state's revenue department.
FICA from the first H-1B day
Married? File jointly
About Massachusetts
Estimate for 2026 W-2 wages in one state for the whole year. It is not tax advice and not your withholding. Not included: self-employment tax on 1099 pay (15.3%, which H-4 EAD freelancers owe), the dependent care and other credits, state child credits, other income, catch-up contributions, and a spouse's 401(k).
A single H-1B worker who is a resident alien all of 2026 keeps $105,821 of $150,000 in Massachusetts: $24,734 of federal income tax, $11,475 of Social Security and Medicare, $7,280 of Massachusetts income tax and $690 of Paid Family & Medical Leave. Filing jointly with a spouse who has no income, the same salary keeps $115,435.
| Single | Married filing jointly, spouse with no income | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $24,734 | $15,340 |
| Social Security and Medicare | $11,475 | $11,475 |
| Massachusetts income tax | $7,280 | $7,060 |
| Paid Family & Medical Leave | $690 | $690 |
| Take-home a year | $105,821 | $115,435 |
| A month | $8,818 | $9,620 |
| Every two weeks | $4,070 | $4,440 |
| Share of pay taken | 29.5% | 23.0% |
Figures last updated .
What a single H-1B worker, a resident all year, keeps from each salary in 2026, with every tax worked out.
| State | $80,000 | $100,000 | $120,000 | $150,000 | $180,000 | $200,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $80,000 in MA | $100,000 in MA | $120,000 in MA | $150,000 | $180,000 in MA | $200,000 in MA |
$150,000 on H-1B in California, Texas, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona or Minnesota.
The student exemption ends with F-1 status: 7.65% Social Security and Medicare comes out of H-1B pay from the first day, even in a nonresident year.
A full year on H-1B makes you a resident alien: the same brackets as a citizen, the $16,100 standard deduction, $32,200 filing jointly.
An October 1 start leaves 92 days in H-1B status, so within your five student years you stay a nonresident for that year. OPT months stay FICA-free.
Residency and status changes
F-1 to H-1B: how to file your first tax return after the switch
When your residency starts after a change from F-1 to H-1B in tax year 2026: the day count, the three common cases, the first-year choice, dual-status returns, Form 8843 and Social Security tax.
OPT, CPT and work
Switching from F-1 to H-1B in 2026: your tax checklist
What to check before your H-1B starts, on your first H-1B paycheck, on December 31 and in the 2027 filing season, with a worked October 1 example.
OPT, CPT and work
OPT vs STEM OPT vs H-1B: take-home pay on the same salary (2026)
Estimated 2026 take-home pay on one salary from OPT to STEM OPT to H-1B, and the two things that change it: tax residency and Social Security and Medicare tax.
Residency and status changes
F-1 to H-1B and married: can a joint return lower your 2026 tax?
The IRS choices behind a joint 2026 Form 1040 after an H-1B start, how a start by July 2 or on October 1 changes the route, and an example where the joint return costs $8,072 less.
Residency and status changes
H-1B with a spouse in India or abroad: can you file a joint return?
The three 2026 filing statuses for an H-1B resident whose nonresident spouse lives in India or another country, a worked example on $100,000, and what the joint-return choice costs in later years.
Residency and status changes
What is a dual-status tax return? When F-1 students need one
On a 2026 dual-status return, your status on December 31 decides which form is the return, and the $16,100 standard deduction is lost even for the resident months.
Residency and status changes
Do resident or nonresident aliens pay more tax in 2026?
A resident alien gets the $16,100 standard deduction but pays 7.65% Social Security and Medicare tax. We ran the same 2026 wages both ways in four states.
About $105,821 a year in 2026, or $8,818 a month, for a single H-1B worker who is a resident alien all year with no pre-tax deductions. That is $150,000 less $24,734 of federal income tax, $11,475 of Social Security and Medicare, $7,280 of Massachusetts income tax and $690 of Paid Family & Medical Leave.
$11,475 a year: H-1B pay has Social Security and Medicare from the first day, like a US worker's. Social Security is 6.2% of pay up to $184,500 and Medicare 1.45%.
Filing jointly with a spouse who has no income, the same salary keeps $115,435, $9,614 more than single, mostly from the larger standard deduction and wider brackets.
Then you may be a resident for only part of the year, and the months before it count differently: an F-1 student's OPT months keep their Social Security and Medicare exemption if you were still a nonresident alien. Set the start month in the calculator above.
What $150,000 on H-1B keeps in other states, and the calculator for the rest.
Which return to file after the switch from F-1, how the 183 days are counted, and when Social Security starts. F1TaxReturn prepares student returns; it does not prepare Form 1040 or dual-status returns.
Read the guide