Allowances play no part in Montana withholding. The state’s certificate, Form MW-4, asks for a filing status, any extra amount to withhold and any exemption that applies, and nothing else. Your employer then reads the tax straight from the printed tables in Montana’s employer guide, using gross pay for the period and the table for your status. Each table has a band of pay that is not taxed, then two rates, and the result is rounded to the nearest dollar.
This year’s tables reflect a state law, House Bill 337, that lowered Montana’s top rate and widened its brackets. The point where the top rate starts is much higher for married couples filing jointly than for single filers, with heads of household in between.
Montana does not accept the federal W-4 for state withholding, so the MW-4 is the form that counts. Couples where both spouses work tick line 2, which puts each paycheck on the single tables. That stops two salaries from each getting the full married band, which would leave the couple underwithheld. Extra withholding on line 3 includes the result of the form’s multiple jobs worksheet. Its guide gives no rule for an employee with no MW-4 on file, so the calculator follows your federal filing status unless you set the Montana field yourself.
The exemptions on the form are narrow: enrolled tribal members living and working on their tribe’s reservation, certain Reserve and National Guard pay, and qualifying military spouses. A separate line covers residents of North Dakota, who have no Montana tax withheld under the two states’ reciprocal agreement. Commuters from Idaho or Wyoming do not get that treatment, and Wyoming residents have no home-state tax to credit it against. Montana has no city or county income taxes and no state payroll levy, so the state line is the only addition to federal tax, Social Security and Medicare on a Montana stub.
How Montana taxes your paycheck
State income tax withholding
On the tax return, Montana taxes income in brackets, and the rate on the highest bracket is 5.65%. Employers' withholding tables use the same rates, so the highest slice of pay is withheld at 5.65% too. The withholding figures here follow Montana's own instructions for employers.
For a single filer paid every two weeks, Montana withholds 2.2% of a $30,000 salary and 4.7% of $150,000:
| Salary | Montana tax withheld | Share of pay |
|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $650 | 2.2% |
| $50,000 | $1,586 | 3.2% |
| $75,000 | $2,886 | 3.8% |
| $100,000 | $4,290 | 4.3% |
| $150,000 | $7,124 | 4.7% |
City and county taxes
No Montana city or county withholds income tax from wages, so state income tax is the only Montana line on your pay stub.
Living in one state and working in another
Montana has a reciprocal agreement with North Dakota. A North Dakota resident who works in Montana has only North Dakota tax withheld after giving the employer the exemption form.
For a job in any other state, Montana withholds as well but subtracts the other state's tax first, so the two are not added in full. Enter both states in the calculator to see it; the guide to reciprocity agreements covers the rest.
Montana take-home pay by salary
Net pay per paycheck at each salary, single with no 401(k), benefits or extra withholding, living and working in Montana. It runs from $985.96 every two weeks on $30,000 to $4,102.58 on $150,000. For a 401(k), health premiums or a different filing status, use the calculator above.
| Salary | Weekly | Every two weeks | Twice a month | Monthly | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $492.47 | $985.96 | $1,068.20 | $2,136.42 | $25,635 |
| $40,000 | $638.01 | $1,277.00 | $1,383.00 | $2,766.00 | $33,202 |
| $50,000 | $783.52 | $1,568.05 | $1,698.78 | $3,396.59 | $40,769 |
| $60,000 | $929.04 | $1,859.07 | $2,013.58 | $4,027.17 | $48,336 |
| $75,000 | $1,129.48 | $2,257.94 | $2,445.36 | $4,891.70 | $58,706 |
| $90,000 | $1,315.40 | $2,631.81 | $2,850.04 | $5,701.08 | $68,427 |
| $100,000 | $1,439.70 | $2,880.38 | $3,119.17 | $6,240.33 | $74,890 |
| $125,000 | $1,749.68 | $3,500.36 | $3,790.31 | $7,582.63 | $91,009 |
| $150,000 | $2,051.29 | $4,102.58 | $4,444.29 | $8,888.58 | $106,667 |
Hourly pay after tax in Montana
At 40 hours a week, $25.00 an hour comes to $813.42 in a weekly paycheck and $42,272 over the year, which is $20.32 for each hour worked. Overtime, tips and a different schedule change these figures: switch the calculator to its Hourly tab to enter them.
| Hourly wage | Weekly paycheck | Year | Per hour after tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $510.02 | $26,547 | $12.76 |
| $20.00 | $661.72 | $34,410 | $16.54 |
| $25.00 | $813.42 | $42,272 | $20.32 |
| $30.00 | $964.12 | $50,135 | $24.10 |
| $40.00 | $1,231.41 | $64,007 | $30.77 |
| $50.00 | $1,489.81 | $77,470 | $37.25 |
Worked example: the median wage in Montana
The median annual wage in Montana is $48,740: half of all jobs pay more and half pay less, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for May 2025 (all occupations; survey date May 31, 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, with no 401(k) or benefits, that salary works out like this.
| Line | Each paycheck | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,874.62 | $48,740.00 |
| Federal income tax | $141.11 | $3,668.84 |
| Social Security | $116.23 | $3,021.97 |
| Medicare | $27.18 | $706.68 |
| Montana income tax | $59.00 | $1,534.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,531.10 | $39,808.51 |
You keep 81.7% of gross pay. Of the $8,931 withheld, federal income tax is the largest part at $3,669, followed by Social Security at $3,022.
Montana paycheck questions
How much is $48,740 a year after taxes in Montana?
Paid every two weeks as a single filer with no pre-tax deductions, $48,740 a year in Montana leaves $39,809 after tax, or $1,531.10 a paycheck. Federal income tax takes $3,669 and Social Security and Medicare $3,729; Montana income tax takes $1,534. $48,740 is the median annual wage for all jobs in Montana in the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey for May 2025.
What is the top income tax rate in Montana on a paycheck?
On the tax return, Montana taxes income in brackets, and the rate on the highest bracket is 5.65%. Employers' withholding tables use the same rates, so the highest slice of pay is withheld at 5.65% too. At the median wage, Montana withholds 3.1% of gross pay.
I live in another state and work in Montana. Which state withholds?
Montana has a reciprocal agreement with North Dakota. A North Dakota resident who works in Montana has only North Dakota tax withheld after giving the employer the exemption form.
What is $75,000 a year biweekly in Montana?
$2,257.94 a paycheck, single, with no 401(k) or other deductions. Paid twice a month it is $2,445.36, and monthly $4,891.70. Over the year that is $58,706.
Sources
Rules checked . How we calculate.