MD · payroll profile

Maryland

Everything an out-of-state employer needs before running a Maryland payroll: what to withhold, which form the employee signs, whether reciprocity applies, and who to register with.

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Personal income tax
Graduated to 6.5%
Reciprocal agreements
4 states
SUI wage base 2026
$8,500
Local income taxes
Yes

Income tax withholding

Imposes wage income tax Yes
Rate structure Graduated, top marginal rate 6.5%
Withholding certificate MW507
Employee's Maryland Withholding Exemption Certificate
Accepts federal Form W-4 No
Convenience-of-the-employer rule No
Nonresident withholding threshold From the first dollar
Withholding required from the first dollar of Maryland-source wages; no de minimis day or dollar safe harbor.
Local income taxes Yes
EVERY Maryland county and Baltimore City imposes a local income tax, collected together with the state tax through payroll withholding at combined state+local rates. Nonresidents working in Maryland who are not covered by reciprocity pay a special nonresident rate (state rate plus a statutory nonresident surcharge) in lieu of a county rate.

Reciprocity

Maryland exempts residents of 4 states from Maryland withholding, provided the employee files MW507 with the employer.

Maryland's reciprocal partners are the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia -- corroborated by Pennsylvania Form REV-419 (which lists MD), Virginia Tax's reciprocity page (which lists MD), and West Virginia TSD-381 (which lists MD). CAUTION: the 2026 MW507 exemption checkbox as fetched lists only District of Columbia, Virginia and West Virginia by name; confirm with the Comptroller how a Pennsylvania resident claims the exemption on the current MW507 before configuring payroll.

States that exempt Maryland residents

A Maryland resident working in these states files that state's certificate and is taxed only by Maryland.

Unemployment insurance and paid leave

Taxable wage base 2026 $8,500
2025 base was $8,500.
New employer rate 2.6%
Experience rate range 0.3% – 7.5%
Experience-rating method benefit ratio
Employee UI contribution No
Paid family / medical leave No
Maryland FAMLI was delayed again: payroll contributions are now scheduled to begin January 1, 2027 and benefits no later than January 3, 2028. NOTHING is withheld or owed during 2026.

Employer registration

Tax agency
Comptroller of Maryland
UI agency
Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance

Sources

marylandcomptroller.gov · tax.virginia.gov · tax.wv.gov · oui.doleta.gov · oui.doleta.gov · oui.doleta.gov · jacksonlewis.com

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This is a determination aid, not advice. StateSide encodes published state rules and applies them mechanically to the facts you enter. It does not know your entity structure, your nexus history, your equity compensation, or the dozens of exceptions that turn a clean rule into a judgement call. Every determination cites the state source it came from — verify against that source, and take anything consequential to a payroll tax professional before you act on it.