The Massachusetts minimum wage calculator gives you an exact, instant breakdown of gross earnings at any hourly rate — preset to the current state minimum of $15.00 per hour. Enter your hours per week and the tool computes your regular pay, overtime pay (at 1.5x for every hour past 40), your weekly total, a true monthly average, and an annualised figure. A second panel then shows how much more you earn compared with someone on the federal floor of $7.25/hr.
How it works
The calculation follows two rules that apply to virtually all Massachusetts employees.
Regular pay covers the first 40 hours of a workweek: multiply hours by the hourly wage. Overtime pay covers every hour beyond 40: those hours attract a rate of 1.5 times the regular wage under both the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §207) and Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151, Section 1A. The weekly gross is the sum of both.
The monthly figure uses the exact long-run average: weekly gross multiplied by 52 weeks divided by 12 months. This is more accurate than multiplying by 4 or 4.33 because it correctly accounts for the fact that some calendar months contain more than four full weeks.
The federal comparison uses the same formula applied to the $7.25/hr federal minimum, then subtracts to show the annual premium Massachusetts workers receive from the higher state floor.
Key formula: Annual gross = (min(hours, 40) × wage + max(0, hours − 40) × wage × 1.5) × 52
Worked example
A full-time retail worker in Boston earns the Massachusetts minimum of $15.00/hr and works 40 hours per week:
- Regular pay: 40h × $15.00 = $600.00/week
- Overtime: none
- Monthly gross: $600.00 × 52 ÷ 12 = $2,600.00
- Annual gross: $600.00 × 52 = $31,200.00
- vs federal minimum ($7.25 × 40h × 52): $15,080.00
- Premium over federal minimum: +$16,120.00/year
Now add five hours of overtime in that same week (total 45 hours):
- Regular pay: 40h × $15.00 = $600.00
- Overtime pay: 5h × $22.50 (1.5×) = $112.50
- Weekly gross: $712.50
- Annual equivalent (if sustained every week): $37,050.00
| Scenario | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA min, 20h/wk | $300.00 | $1,300.00 | $15,600.00 |
| MA min, 35h/wk | $525.00 | $2,275.00 | $27,300.00 |
| MA min, 40h/wk | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200.00 |
| MA min, 45h/wk (5h OT) | $712.50 | $3,087.50 | $37,050.00 |
| $18.00/hr, 40h/wk | $720.00 | $3,120.00 | $37,440.00 |
| Federal min, 40h/wk | $290.00 | $1,256.67 | $15,080.00 |
Massachusetts law requires employers to post the current minimum wage notice in a prominent location. Workers who believe they have been underpaid can file a wage complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office or contact the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. All calculations here are gross — taxes, benefits, and deductions are outside scope.