Many retirees move to New Mexico believing it taxes retirement income heavily, but recent law changes exempt Social Security for most households. This calculator estimates your New Mexico state income tax across Social Security, pensions, and 401(k)/IRA withdrawals so you can plan realistically.
How it works
The tool builds taxable income from your sources, then applies the rules:
social security taxable = 0 if AGI under threshold, else full benefit
senior exemption = up to 8,000 per person if age 65+
taxable income = pension + 401k withdrawals + taxable SS
− senior exemption
state tax = graduated brackets (1.7% to 5.9%)
The Social Security exemption threshold is 100,000 dollars of AGI for single filers and 150,000 dollars for married filing jointly. Below it, benefits are fully excluded; above it, they are included as ordinary income.
Example and notes
A married couple, both 65, with 40,000 dollars of Social Security, a 20,000 dollar pension, and 15,000 dollars of 401(k) withdrawals has AGI under 150,000, so their Social Security is fully exempt. After the senior exemptions their taxable income is around 19,000 dollars, taxed in the low brackets. The result is a few hundred dollars of state tax — far less than many newcomers expect. Always confirm with current New Mexico Taxation and Revenue guidance, as thresholds adjust over time.