N-CSR 1 a_mataxexemptinc.htm PUTNAM MASSACHUSETTS TAX EXEMPT INCOME FUND a_mataxexemptinc.htm


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES



Investment Company Act file number: (811-04518)
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund
Address of principal executive offices: 100 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Name and address of agent for service: Stephen Tate, Vice President
100 Federal Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Copy to:         Bryan Chegwidden, Esq.
Ropes & Gray LLP
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 292-1000
Date of fiscal year end: May 31, 2022
Date of reporting period: June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022



Item 1. Report to Stockholders:

The following is a copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940:




Message from the Trustees

July 12, 2022

Dear Fellow Shareholder:

Financial markets in the first half of 2022 have tested the patience of investors. High inflation and rising interest rates have clouded the outlook for the U.S. economy. The Russia-Ukraine War has disrupted global energy markets, while pandemic-driven lockdowns in China have slowed global growth.

These issues, which are important to monitor and may persist for some time, are likely shorter term in nature than your long-term financial goals. History has shown that markets eventually recover from downturns. At Putnam, dedicated and experienced investors are working for you. They are evaluating risks while trying to achieve strong performance for your fund. Learn more in the interview with your fund manager(s) in the following pages.

Thank you for investing with Putnam.




Municipal bonds finance important public projects, such as schools, roads, and hospitals. The bonds are backed by the issuing city, town, or other government entity or by revenues collected from usage fees.

However, unlike U.S. Treasuries or corporate bonds, the interest paid on municipal bonds is generally free from federal income taxes. Moreover, Massachusetts residents generally pay no state income taxes on distributions paid from municipal bonds issued in the Bay State. That can make municipal bonds particularly attractive to investors subject to higher personal income tax rates.


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Sources: Putnam, Bloomberg Index Services Limited, as of 5/31/22. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Yields for U.S. Treasuries, investment-grade corporates, and municipal bonds are represented by the average “yield to worst” — a calculation of the lowest possible yield generated without defaulting — of the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Index, an unmanaged index of U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, nominal debt issued by the U.S. Treasury; the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Bond Index, an unmanaged index of U.S. dollar-denominated, investment-grade, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds; and the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index, an unmanaged index of long-term, fixed-rate, investment-grade tax-exempt bonds, respectively. You cannot invest directly in an index. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Interest-rate risk is greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Income from municipal bonds may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. Annual after-tax income is based on a 40.80% federal income tax rate. This rate reflects the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and includes the 3.80% Medicare surtax. The income data is based on a hypothetical $100,000 investment.


Source: Moody’s Investors Service, Annual U.S. Municipal Bond Defaults and Recoveries, Five-Year Average Cumulative Default Rates, 1970–2020 (July 2021). Most recent data available.

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Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. Share price, principal value, and return will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance of class A shares assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Fund returns in the bar chart do not reflect a sales charge of 4.00%; had they, returns would have been lower. See below and pages 9–12 for additional performance information. For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower. To obtain the most recent month-end performance, visit putnam.com.

All Bloomberg indices are provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

Lipper peer group average is provided by Lipper, a Refinitiv company.


This comparison shows your fund’s performance in the context of broad market indexes for the 12 months ended 5/31/22. See above and pages 9–12 for additional fund performance information. Index descriptions can be found on pages 15–16.

All Bloomberg indices are provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

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Paul, how was the market environment for municipal bonds during the 12-month period ended May 31, 2022?

Municipal bonds began the period on solid ground, supported by positive supply/demand technicals, low interest rates, and strong economic growth. In the second half of the period, market conditions became more challenging. Investors feared that persistently high inflation might prompt the Federal Reserve to pare back pro-growth monetary policies faster than expected. Inflation concerns were stoked by supply chain disruptions, rising labor costs, and higher commodity prices. Geopolitical and economic uncertainties surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 also unnerved investors.

At their March 2022 meeting, Fed policymakers raised their benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and signaled their intent to take further measures to curb the highest inflation in 40 years. The markets began pricing in a higher probability that the Fed would raise interest rates more aggressively. At their May 2022 meeting, Fed officials raised their key rate by half a percentage point, the largest hike in 22 years. The Fed also announced that

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Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 5/31/22. Cash and net other assets, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Summary information may differ from the information in the portfolio schedule notes included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the timing of matured security transactions, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.


Credit qualities are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 5/31/22. A bond rated BBB or higher (SP-3 or higher, for short-term debt) is considered investment grade. This chart reflects the highest security rating provided by one or more of Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. Ratings may vary over time Cash and net other assets, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, and short-term securities in the portfolio. The fund itself has not been rated by an independent rating agency.

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it would begin reducing bond holdings on its balance sheet on June 1, 2022.

Given surging inflation and the Fed’s hawkish messaging, municipal bond prices fell, and their yields rose as the markets began pricing in the faster pace of monetary policy normalization. Short-term yields rose more than longer-term yields, and the entire yield curve flattened amid the bearish market sentiment. Credit spreads, which are the difference in yield between higher- and lower-rated municipal bonds, widened.

As investors sought cash, municipal bond funds sold holdings to generate liquidity to meet redemptions. This exerted further downward pressure on prices, resulting in increasingly difficult market technicals [supply/demand dynamics] for the asset class.

For the 12-month period, the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index [the fund’s benchmark] returned –6.79%. Municipal bonds outperformed U.S. Treasuries and the broader U.S. fixed income markets. Shorter-term municipal bonds outperformed longer-term cohorts. From a credit perspective, investment-grade municipal bonds held up better than higher-yielding, lower-rated bonds in the risk-off environment.

What is your current assessment of the health of Massachusetts’s municipal bond market?

Massachusetts has budgeted to end fiscal year [FY] 2022 with $5.8 billion in its rainy-day fund. But tax receipts are vastly exceeding expectations, up 22% year over year through March 2022. In our view, surplus revenues will likely be used to add to reserves, broaden Covid-19-relief efforts, and offer tax breaks to lower-income residents in the FY 2023 budget. Massachusetts maintains high debt levels relative to other states, but this is partially due to its oversized role in funding local projects. The Commonwealth’s relatively wealthy tax base and stable institutional economy mitigate weak pension funding levels to some degree. In our view, the 58% ratio as of FY 2021 should improve to 60%–70% during its next valuation.

How did the fund perform during the reporting period?

For the 12 months ended May 31, 2022, the fund underperformed its benchmark but outperformed the –8.05% average return of its Lipper peer group, Massachusetts Municipal Debt Funds. The fund also outperformed the –8.01% return of the median fund ranked within its Lipper peer group. [Median is the midpoint in a series of values laid out in numerical order.]

What strategies or holdings influenced the fund’s performance during the reporting period?

With the significant sell-off in fixed income in early 2022, we believed municipal bonds had become more attractive. We extended the portfolio’s duration, a measure of the fund’s interest-rate sensitivity. At period-end, the fund’s duration was slightly long relative to the average level of its Lipper peer group.

At period-end, the fund held an overweight exposure to bonds rated A and BBB relative to the benchmark. The fund was slightly underweight in high-yield bonds relative to its Lipper peers at period-end due to our view that the Fed’s aggressive tightening cycle could result in slower U.S. economic growth. While credit spreads widened over the period, they were not excessively wide versus longer-term averages. From a sector- or industry-positioning perspective, we favored higher education, continuing-care retirement community, and charter school bonds compared with the fund’s Lipper peer group.

The fund remained underweight in its exposure to uninsured Puerto Rico municipal debt relative to its Lipper peer group. At period-end, the fund had no holdings in bonds issued by Puerto Rico. However, we have become

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somewhat more optimistic about the U.S. territory’s credit fundamentals. In March 2022, Puerto Rico ended its nearly five-year bankruptcy with a plan to restructure its debt, resume payments to bondholders, and restore its public pension system. We continue to monitor Puerto Rico debt for potential investment opportunities.

How did you use derivatives during the period?

We utilized total return swap contracts to hedge or gain exposure to interest-rate and term structure risk and to hedge or gain exposure to inflation.

What is your outlook for the municipal bond market as we head into the second half of 2022?

So far in 2022, market technical factors have generated headwinds for the asset class as positive seasonal factors waned and fund flows turned negative. Although technicals remain challenged, credit fundamentals are strong and valuations are fair, in our view.

We expect volatility and uncertainty to remain elevated in the near term as stubbornly high inflation, a hawkish Fed, and the war in Ukraine continue to put pressure on the global landscape. However, the increased income from higher yields can help provide a cushion against negative returns and rising interest rates, in our view. Future returns look more promising for longer-term investors, in our opinion.

Thank you, Paul, for your time and insights today.

The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of Putnam Management and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice.

Please note that the holdings discussed in this report may not have been held by the fund for the entire period. Portfolio composition is subject to review in accordance with the fund’s investment strategy and may vary in the future. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.

Statements in the Q&A concerning the fund’s performance or portfolio composition relative to those of the fund’s Lipper peer group may reference information produced by Lipper Inc. or through a third party.


This chart shows how the fund’s top weightings have changed over the past six months. Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets. Current period summary information may differ from the information in the portfolio schedule notes included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the timing of matured security transactions, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.

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Your fund’s performance

This section shows your fund’s performance, price, and distribution information for periods ended May 31, 2022, the end of its most recent fiscal year. In accordance with regulatory requirements for mutual funds, we also include performance information as of the most recent calendar quarter-end and expense information taken from the fund’s current prospectus. Performance should always be considered in light of a fund’s investment strategy. Data represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. More recent returns may be less or more than those shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance information does not reflect any deduction for taxes a shareholder may owe on fund distributions or on the redemption of fund shares. For the most recent month-end performance, please visit the Individual Investors section at putnam.com or call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581. Class R6 and Y shares are not available to all investors. See the Terms and definitions section in this report for definitions of the share classes offered by your fund.

Annualized fund performance Total return for periods ended 5/31/22

  Life of fund  10 years  5 years  3 years  1 year 
Class A (10/23/89)           
Before sales charge  4.88%  1.84%  1.23%  –0.04%  –7.94% 
After sales charge  4.75  1.42  0.40  –1.39  –11.62 
Class B (7/15/93)           
Before CDSC  4.68  1.33  0.63  –0.64  –8.41 
After CDSC  4.68  1.33  0.26  –1.60  –12.93 
Class C (8/19/03)           
Before CDSC  4.67  1.22  0.46  –0.78  –8.61 
After CDSC  4.67  1.22  0.46  –0.78  –9.51 
Class R6 (5/22/18)           
Net asset value  4.99  2.08  1.50  0.22  –7.58 
Class Y (1/2/08)           
Net asset value  4.99  2.08  1.48  0.21  –7.68 

 

Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. After-sales-charge returns for class A shares reflect the deduction of the maximum 4.00% sales charge levied at the time of purchase. Class B share returns after contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) reflect the applicable CDSC, which is 5% in the first year, declining over time to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter. Class C share returns after CDSC reflect a 1% CDSC for the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Class R6 and Y shares have no initial sales charge or CDSC. Performance for class B, C, and Y shares before their inception is derived from the historical performance of class A shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and the higher operating expenses for such shares, except for class Y shares, for which 12b-1 fees are not applicable. Performance for class R6 shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class Y shares and has not been adjusted for the lower investor servicing fees applicable to class R6 shares; had it, returns would have been higher.

For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower.

Class B and C share performance reflects conversion to class A shares after eight years.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 9 

 


Comparative annualized index returns For periods ended 5/31/22

  Life of fund  10 years  5 years  3 years  1 year 
Bloomberg Municipal           
Bond Index  5.24%  2.54%  1.78%  0.50%  –6.79% 
Lipper Massachusetts           
Municipal Debt Funds           
category average*  4.77  1.70  0.89  –0.40  –8.05 

 

Index and Lipper results should be compared with fund performance before sales charge, before CDSC, or at net asset value.

All Bloomberg indices are provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited. Lipper peer group average is provided by Lipper, a Refinitiv company.

* Over the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and life-of-fund periods ended 5/31/22, there were 35, 34, 30, 27, and 8 funds, respectively, in this Lipper category.


Past performance does not indicate future results. At the end of the same time period, a $10,000 investment in the fund’s class B and C shares would have been valued at $11,416 and $11,285, respectively, and no contingent deferred sales charges would apply. A $10,000 investment in the fund’s class R6 and Y shares would have been valued at $12,291 and $12,284, respectively.

All Bloomberg indices are provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.

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Fund price and distribution information For the 12-month period ended 5/31/22

Distributions  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Number  12  12  12  12  12 
Income1  $0.180462  $0.121605  $0.107576  $0.206145  $0.205509 
Capital gains2  —  —  —  —  — 
Total  $0.180462  $0.121605  $0.107576  $0.206145  $0.205509 
  Before  After  Net  Net  Net  Net 
  sales  sales  asset  asset  asset  asset 
Share value  charge  charge  value  value  value  value 
5/31/21  $10.07  $10.49  $10.05  $10.09  $10.09  $10.10 
5/31/22  9.10  9.48  9.09  9.12  9.13  9.13 
  Before  After  Net  Net  Net  Net 
Current rate  sales  sales  asset  asset  asset  asset 
(end of period)  charge  charge  value  value  value  value 
Current dividend rate3  2.31%  2.21%  1.72%  1.57%  2.56%  2.55% 
Taxable equivalent4  4.26  4.08  3.17  2.90  4.72  4.70 
Current 30-day             
SEC yield5  N/A  2.58  2.10  1.95  2.94  2.93 
Taxable equivalent4  N/A  4.76  3.87  3.60  5.42  5.41 

 

The classification of distributions, if any, is an estimate. Before-sales-charge share value and current dividend rate for class A shares, if applicable, do not take into account any sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge share value, current dividend rate, and current 30-day SEC yield, if applicable, are calculated assuming that the maximum sales charge (4.00% for class A shares) was levied at the time of purchase. Final distribution information will appear on your year-end tax forms.

1 For some investors, investment income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.

2 Capital gains, if any, are taxable for federal and, in most cases, state purposes.

3 Most recent distribution, including any return of capital and excluding capital gains, annualized and divided by share price before or after sales charge at period-end.

4 Assumes maximum 45.80% federal and state combined tax rate for 2022. Results for investors subject to lower tax rates would not be as advantageous.

5 Based only on investment income and calculated using the maximum offering price for each share class, in accordance with SEC guidelines.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 11 

 


Annualized fund performance as of most recent calendar quarter
Total return for periods ended 6/30/22

  Life of fund  10 years  5 years  3 years  1 year 
Class A (10/23/89)           
Before sales charge  4.80%  1.64%  0.85%  –0.88%  –10.10% 
After sales charge  4.67  1.23  0.03  –2.22  –13.70 
Class B (7/15/93)           
Before CDSC  4.60  1.14  0.23  –1.45  –10.57 
After CDSC  4.60  1.14  –0.14  –2.40  –14.98 
Class C (8/19/03)           
Before CDSC  4.59  1.01  0.09  –1.62  –10.66 
After CDSC  4.59  1.01  0.09  –1.62  –11.55 
Class R6 (5/22/18)           
Net asset value  4.91  1.88  1.10  –0.63  –9.75 
Class Y (1/2/08)           
Net asset value  4.91  1.87  1.08  –0.64  –9.84 

 

See the discussion following the fund performance table on page 9 for information about the calculation of fund performance.

Your fund’s expenses

As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees, distribution fees (12b-1 fees), and other expenses. Using the following information, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You may also pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial representative.

Expense ratios

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Total annual operating expenses for the fiscal           
year ended 5/31/21  0.80%  1.40%  1.55%  0.54%  0.55% 
Annualized expense ratio for the six-month           
period ended 5/31/22*  0.80%  1.40%  1.55%  0.54%  0.55% 

 

Fiscal year expense information in this table is taken from the most recent prospectus, is subject to change, and may differ from that shown for the annualized expense ratio and in the financial highlights of this report.

Expenses are shown as a percentage of average net assets.

* Expense ratios for each class are for the fund’s most recent fiscal half year. As a result of this, ratios may differ from expense ratios based on one-year data in the financial highlights.

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Expenses per $1,000

The following table shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in each class of the fund from 12/1/21 to 5/31/22. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $3.83  $6.69  $7.40  $2.58  $2.63 
Ending value (after expenses)  $918.20  $915.30  $914.90  $919.60  $919.60 

 

* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 5/31/22. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.

† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the period (182); and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year (365).

Estimate the expenses you paid

To estimate the ongoing expenses you paid for the six months ended 5/31/22, use the following calculation method. To find the value of your investment on 12/1/21, call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581.


Compare expenses using the SEC’s method

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the following table shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return. You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total costs) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.

  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class R6  Class Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $4.03  $7.04  $7.80  $2.72  $2.77 
Ending value (after expenses)  $1,020.94  $1,017.95  $1,017.20  $1,022.24  $1,022.19 

 

* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 5/31/22. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.

† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the six-month period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the six-month period (182); and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year (365).

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 13 

 


Consider these risks before investing

The value of investments in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political, or financial market conditions; investor sentiment and market perceptions; government actions; geopolitical events or changes; and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry, or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings.

The fund’s performance will be closely tied to the economic and political conditions in Massachusetts, and can be more volatile than the performance of a more geographically diversified fund. To the extent the fund invests in securities of issuers located outside of Massachusetts, the fund may also be exposed to the risks affecting other states. Capital gains, if any, are taxed at the federal and, in most cases, state levels. For some investors, investment income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.

Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Bond investments may be more susceptible to downgrades or defaults during economic downturns or other periods of economic stress. Interest-rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Unlike bonds, funds that invest in bonds have fees and expenses. Tax-exempt bonds may be issued under the Internal Revenue Code only by limited types of issuers for limited types of projects. As a result, the fund’s investments may be focused in certain market segments and be more vulnerable to fluctuations in the values of the securities it holds than a more broadly invested fund. Interest the fund receives might be taxable.

Our investment techniques, analyses, and judgments may not produce the outcome we intend. The investments we select for the fund may not perform as well as other securities that we do not select for the fund. We, or the fund’s other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the fund. You can lose money by investing in the fund.

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Terms and definitions

Important terms

Total return shows how the value of the fund’s shares changed over time, assuming you held the shares through the entire period and reinvested all distributions in the fund.

Before sales charge, or net asset value, is the price, or value, of one share of a mutual fund, without a sales charge. Before-sales-charge figures fluctuate with market conditions. They are calculated by dividing the net assets of each class of shares by the number of outstanding shares in the class.

After sales charge is the price of a mutual fund share plus the maximum sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge performance figures shown here assume the 4.00% maximum sales charge for class A shares.

Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) is generally a charge applied at the time of the redemption of class B or C shares and assumes redemption at the end of the period. Your fund’s class B CDSC declines over time from a 5% maximum during the first year to 1% during the sixth year. After the sixth year, the CDSC no longer applies. The CDSC for class C shares is 1% for one year after purchase.

Share classes

Class A shares are generally subject to an initial sales charge and no CDSC (except on certain redemptions of shares bought without an initial sales charge).

Class B shares are closed to new investments and are only available by exchange from class B shares of another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment. They are not subject to an initial sales charge and may be subject to a CDSC.

Class C shares are not subject to an initial sales charge and are subject to a CDSC only if the shares are redeemed during the first year.

Class R6 shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are generally only available to employer-sponsored retirement plans, corporate and institutional clients, and clients in other approved programs.

Class Y shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are generally only available to corporate and institutional clients and clients in other approved programs.

Fixed income terms

Current rate is the annual rate of return earned from dividends or interest of an investment. Current rate is expressed as a percentage of the price of a security, fund share, or principal investment.

Yield curve is a graph that plots the yields of bonds with equal credit quality against their differing maturity dates, ranging from shortest to longest. It is used as a benchmark for other debt, such as mortgage or bank lending rates.

Comparative indexes

Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index of long-term, fixed-rate, investment-grade tax-exempt bonds.

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. investment-grade fixed income securities.

ICE BofA (Intercontinental Exchange Bank of America) U.S. 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index that seeks to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury bills available in the marketplace.

S&P 500® Index is an unmanaged index of common stock performance.

Indexes assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not account for fees. Securities and performance of a fund and an index will differ. You cannot invest directly in an index.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 15 

 


BLOOMBERG®  is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (collectively “Bloomberg”). Bloomberg or Bloomberg’s licensors own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg Indices. Neither Bloomberg nor Bloomberg’s licensors approve or endorse this material, or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information herein, or make any warranty, express or implied, as to the results to be obtained therefrom, and to the maximum extent allowed by law, neither shall have any liability or responsibility for injury or damages arising in connection therewith.

ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE BofA”), used with permission. ICE BofA permits use of the ICE BofA indices and related data on an “as is” basis; makes no warranties regarding same; does not guarantee the suitability, quality, accuracy, timeliness, and/or completeness of the ICE BofA indices or any data included in, related to, or derived therefrom; assumes no liability in connection with the use of the foregoing; and does not sponsor, endorse, or recommend Putnam Investments, or any of its products or services.

Lipper, a Refinitiv company, is a third-party industry-ranking entity that ranks mutual funds. Its rankings do not reflect sales charges. Lipper rankings are based on total return at net asset value relative to other funds that have similar current investment styles or objectives as determined by Lipper. Lipper may change a fund’s category assignment at its discretion. Lipper category averages reflect performance trends for funds within a category.

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Other information for shareholders

Proxy voting

Putnam is committed to managing our mutual funds in the best interests of our shareholders. The Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures, as well as information regarding how your fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2021, are available in the Individual Investors section of putnam.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website, www.sec.gov. If you have questions about finding forms on the SEC’s website, you may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain the Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures at no charge by calling Putnam’s Shareholder Services at 1-800-225-1581.

Fund portfolio holdings

The fund will file a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT within 60 days of the end of such fiscal quarter. Shareholders may obtain the fund’s Form N-PORT on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Prior to its use of Form N-PORT, the fund filed its complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q, which is available online at www.sec.gov.

Trustee and employee fund ownership

Putnam employees and members of the Board of Trustees place their faith, confidence, and, most importantly, investment dollars in Putnam mutual funds. As of May 31, 2022, Putnam employees had approximately $488,000,000 and the Trustees had approximately $71,000,000 invested in Putnam mutual funds. These amounts include investments by the Trustees’ and employees’ immediate family members as well as investments through retirement and deferred compensation plans.

Liquidity risk management program

Putnam, as the administrator of the fund’s liquidity risk management program (appointed by the Board of Trustees), presented the most recent annual report on the program to the Trustees in April 2022. The report covered the structure of the program, including the program documents and related policies and procedures adopted to comply with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and reviewed the operation of the program from January 2021 through December 2021. The report included a description of the annual liquidity assessment of the fund that Putnam performed in November 2021. The report noted that there were no material compliance exceptions identified under Rule 22e-4 during the period. The report included a review of the governance of the program and the methodology for classification of the fund’s investments. The report also included a discussion of liquidity monitoring during the period, including during the market liquidity challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact those challenges had on the liquidity of the fund’s investments. Putnam concluded that the program has been operating effectively and adequately to ensure compliance with Rule 22e-4.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 17 

 


Important notice regarding Putnam’s privacy policy

In order to conduct business with our shareholders, we must obtain certain personal information such as account holders’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. Using this information, we are able to maintain accurate records of accounts and transactions.

It is our policy to protect the confidentiality of our shareholder information, whether or not a shareholder currently owns shares of our funds. In particular, it is our policy not to sell information about you or your accounts to outside marketing firms. We have safeguards in place designed to prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems and procedures to protect personal information from unauthorized use.

Under certain circumstances, we must share account information with outside vendors who provide services to us, such as mailings and proxy solicitations. In these cases, the service providers enter into confidentiality agreements with us, and we provide only the information necessary to process transactions and perform other services related to your account. Finally, it is our policy to share account information with your financial representative, if you’ve listed one on your Putnam account.

18 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Audited financial statements

These sections of the report, as well as the accompanying Notes, preceded by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, constitute the fund’s audited financial statements.

The fund’s portfolio lists all the fund’s investments and their values as of the last day of the reporting period. Holdings are organized by asset type and industry sector, country, or state to show areas of concentration and diversification.

Statement of assets and liabilities shows how the fund’s net assets and share price are determined. All investment and non-investment assets are added together. Any unpaid expenses and other liabilities are subtracted from this total. The result is divided by the number of shares to determine the net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares. (For funds with preferred shares, the amount subtracted from total assets includes the liquidation preference of preferred shares.)

Statement of operations shows the fund’s net investment gain or loss. This is done by first adding up all the fund’s earnings — from dividends and interest income — and subtracting its operating expenses to determine net investment income (or loss). Then, any net gain or loss the fund realized on the sales of its holdings — as well as any unrealized gains or losses over the period — is added to or subtracted from the net investment result to determine the fund’s net gain or loss for the fiscal period.

Statement of changes in net assets shows how the fund’s net assets were affected by the fund’s net investment gain or loss, by distributions to shareholders, and by changes in the number of the fund’s shares. It lists distributions and their sources (net investment income or realized capital gains) over the current reporting period and the most recent fiscal year-end. The distributions listed here may not match the sources listed in the Statement of operations because the distributions are determined on a tax basis and may be paid in a different period from the one in which they were earned.

Financial highlights provide an overview of the fund’s investment results, per-share distributions, expense ratios, net investment income ratios, and portfolio turnover in one summary table, reflecting the five most recent reporting periods. In a semiannual report, the highlights table also includes the current reporting period.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 19 

 


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of
Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund:

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the fund’s portfolio, of Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund (the “Fund”) as of May 31, 2022, the related statement of operations for the year ended May 31, 2022, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended May 31, 2022, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of May 31, 2022, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended May 31, 2022 and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of May 31, 2022, by correspondence with the custodian, transfer agent and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of May 31, 2022 by correspondence with the custodian, transfer agent and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
July 12, 2022

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Putnam Investments family of funds since at least 1957. We have not been able to determine the specific year we began serving as auditor.

20 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


The fund’s portfolio 5/31/22

Key to holding’s abbreviations

AGC Assured Guaranty Corporation 
AGM Assured Guaranty Municipal Corporation 
AMBAC AMBAC Indemnity Corporation 
G.O. Bonds General Obligation Bonds 
NATL National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation 
SGI Syncora Guarantee, Incorporated 
U.S. Govt. Coll. U.S. Government Collateralized 
VRDN Variable Rate Demand Notes, which are floating-rate securities with long-term maturities that carry coupons that reset and are payable upon demand either daily, weekly or monthly. The rate shown is the current interest rate at the close of the reporting period. Rates are set by remarketing agents and may take into consideration market supply and demand, credit quality and the current SIFMA Municipal Swap Index rate, which was 0.79% as of the close of the reporting period. 

 


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* Rating** Principal amount Value
Alaska (1.1%)
AK State Indl. Dev. & Export Auth. Rev. Bonds, (Tanana Chiefs Conference), Ser. A        
5.00%, 10/1/32 A+/F   $1,000,000 $1,100,309
5.00%, 10/1/31 A+/F   1,500,000 1,664,172
2,764,481
American Samoa (0.5%)
American Samoa Econ. Dev. Auth. 144A Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 9/1/38 Ba3   1,000,000 1,101,555
1,101,555
Guam (3.2%)
Territory of GU, Govt. Bus. Privilege Tax Rev. Bonds, Ser. F, 4.00%, 1/1/36 Ba1   3,000,000 2,836,625
Territory of GU, Govt. G.O. Bonds, 5.00%, 11/15/31 Ba1   1,020,000 1,059,383
Territory of GU, Govt. Hotel Occupancy Tax Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 11/1/40 Ba1   825,000 861,110
Territory of GU, Govt. Wtr. Wks. Auth. Wtr. & Waste Wtr. Syst. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 1/1/50 A−   1,500,000 1,648,125
Territory of GU, Port Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. B        
5.00%, 7/1/35 A   400,000 432,072
5.00%, 7/1/34 A   200,000 216,263
5.00%, 7/1/30 A   465,000 506,750
5.00%, 7/1/29 A   400,000 438,129
Territory of GU, Pwr. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 10/1/34 (Prerefunded 10/1/22) Baa2   200,000 202,318
8,200,775
Illinois (1.1%)
IL State G.O. Bonds        
5.50%, 7/1/38 Baa1   1,325,000 1,355,946
Ser. B, 5.00%, 10/1/32 Baa1   1,300,000 1,374,937
2,730,883
Indiana (1.4%)
Whiting, Env. Fac. Mandatory Put Bonds (6/5/26), (BP Products North America, Inc.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 12/1/44 A2   3,300,000 3,526,915
3,526,915


Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 21


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Louisiana (0.4%)
St. Tammany Parish Hosp. Svcs. Dist. No. 1
Rev. Bonds, (St. Tammany Parish Hosp.), Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/33		 AA−/F   $1,000,000 $1,083,570
1,083,570
Massachusetts (87.3%)
Berkshire Wind Pwr. Cooperative Corp. Rev. Bonds, (Berkshire Wind (Green Bonds)), Ser. 2, 5.00%, 7/1/29 A   1,000,000 1,117,111
Lowell, Collegiate Charter School Rev. Bonds, 5.00%, 6/15/54 BB−/P   1,620,000 1,628,189
MA Bay Trans. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/37 (Prerefunded 7/1/22) AAA   5,000,000 5,011,618
MA Bay Trans. Auth. Sales Tax Rev. Bonds        
5.00%, 7/1/45 AA   2,000,000 2,196,886
Ser. A-2, 5.00%, 7/1/44 AA   2,400,000 2,603,726
Ser. A-2, 5.00%, 7/1/43 AA   4,960,000 5,387,329
MA Dev. Fin. Agcy. National Charter School Revolving Loan Fund Rev. Bonds, (Equitable School Revolving Fund, LLC), 4.00%, 11/1/46 A   1,500,000 1,499,781
MA State G.O. Bonds        
Ser. E, 5.00%, 11/1/50 Aa1   2,500,000 2,855,060
Ser. D, 5.00%, 7/1/48 Aa1   9,500,000 10,820,733
Ser. A, 5.00%, 3/1/41 Aa1   1,000,000 1,038,238
Ser. I, 5.00%, 12/1/35 Aa1   3,000,000 3,301,051
Ser. A, 5.00%, 1/1/35 Aa1   1,285,000 1,439,734
Ser. E, 4.00%, 4/1/46 Aa1   3,000,000 3,033,452
4.00%, 5/1/35 Aa1   3,000,000 3,028,679
MA State College Bldg. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A        
4.00%, 5/1/52 Aa2   500,000 507,903
4.00%, 5/1/47 Aa2   250,000 255,250
4.00%, 5/1/42 Aa2   250,000 258,934
4.00%, 5/1/41 Aa2   250,000 260,576
4.00%, 5/1/40 Aa2   400,000 419,340
4.00%, 5/1/39 Aa2   385,000 406,014
4.00%, 5/1/38 Aa2   365,000 387,307
4.00%, 5/1/37 Aa2   250,000 265,825
4.00%, 5/1/36 Aa2   250,000 267,376
MA State Dept. Trans. Metro. Hwy. Syst. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A        
5.00%, 1/1/37 A+   1,000,000 1,125,100
5.00%, 1/1/35 A+   2,000,000 2,255,903
5.00%, 1/1/34 A+   2,000,000 2,259,038
MA State Dev. Fin. Agcy. Rev. Bonds        
(Loomis Communities), Ser. A, U.S. Govt. Coll., 6.00%, 1/1/33 (Prerefunded 7/1/23) AAA/P   150,000 156,981
(WGBH Edl. Foundation), Ser. A, AMBAC, 5.75%, 1/1/42 AA−   5,000,000 6,587,580
(Milford Regl. Med. Ctr.), Ser. F, 5.625%, 7/15/36 BB   500,000 512,093
(Simmons College), Ser. H, SGI, 5.25%, 10/1/33 AA   1,100,000 1,225,990
(Wheaton College), Ser. I, 5.00%, 1/1/53 Baa1   3,000,000 3,165,392
(Orchard Cove, Inc.), 5.00%, 10/1/49 BBB/F   700,000 734,776


22 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Massachusetts cont.
MA State Dev. Fin. Agcy. Rev. Bonds        
(Wellforce Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/44 BBB+   $500,000 $536,828
(Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering), Ser. E, 5.00%, 11/1/43 A2   2,500,000 2,566,862
(Carleton-Willard Homes, Inc.), 5.00%, 12/1/42 A−   525,000 556,672
(Partners Healthcare Syst.), Ser. Q, 5.00%, 7/1/41 Aa3   2,000,000 2,102,127
(Dexter Southfield), 5.00%, 5/1/41 BBB+   2,000,000 2,102,693
(Bentley U.), 5.00%, 7/1/40 A2   1,250,000 1,316,770
(Emerson College), Ser. A, 5.00%, 1/1/40 BBB+   1,570,000 1,649,339
(Orchard Cove, Inc.), 5.00%, 10/1/39 BBB/F   250,000 265,312
(Atrius Hlth. Oblig. Group), Ser. A, 5.00%, 6/1/39 (Prerefunded 6/1/29) BBB   2,500,000 2,879,339
(Franklin W. Olin College), Ser. E, 5.00%, 11/1/38 A2   1,000,000 1,028,540
(Tufts U.), Ser. Q, 5.00%, 8/15/38 Aa3   500,000 531,049
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/38 Baa2   340,000 363,306
(UMass Memorial Hlth. Care Oblig. Group), Ser. K, 5.00%, 7/1/38 BBB+   1,000,000 1,055,455
(Wentworth Inst. Tech.), 5.00%, 10/1/37 Baa1   655,000 685,072
(Caregroup), Ser. I, 5.00%, 7/1/37 A   500,000 529,098
(Foxborough Regl. Charter), Ser. B, 5.00%, 7/1/37 BBB−   1,120,000 1,158,096
(Lowell Gen. Hosp.), Ser. G, 5.00%, 7/1/37 BBB+   1,630,000 1,640,188
(MCPHS U.), Ser. H, 5.00%, 7/1/37 AA   450,000 477,676
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/37 Baa2   605,000 647,440
(Broad Inst.), 5.00%, 4/1/37 Aa3   1,000,000 1,105,184
(Fisher College), 5.00%, 4/1/37 BBB+   835,000 872,504
(Dana-Farber Cancer Inst.), Ser. N, 5.00%, 12/1/36 A1   1,100,000 1,161,632
(Brandeis U.), Ser. S-1, 5.00%, 10/1/36 A1   765,000 858,084
(Caregroup), Ser. I, 5.00%, 7/1/36 A   935,000 990,063
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/36 Baa2   600,000 639,527
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/36 Baa2   450,000 482,657
Ser. O, 5.00%, 12/1/35 A1   385,000 419,613
(Beth Israel Lahey Hlth. Oblig. Group), Ser. K, 5.00%, 7/1/35 A   500,000 546,236
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/35 Baa2   470,000 504,923
Ser. O, 5.00%, 12/1/34 A1   425,000 465,210
(Brandeis U.), Ser. S-1, 5.00%, 10/1/34 A1   1,745,000 1,961,543
(Emmanuel College), Ser. A, 5.00%, 10/1/34 Baa2   1,075,000 1,130,916
(Baystate Med. Oblig. Group), Ser. N, 5.00%, 7/1/34 A+   1,000,000 1,029,352
(Beth Israel Lahey Hlth. Oblig. Group), Ser. K, 5.00%, 7/1/34 A   1,000,000 1,093,781
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/34 Baa2   675,000 720,988
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/34 Baa2   550,000 591,573
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.), 5.00%, 6/1/34 AA−   1,000,000 1,121,189
Ser. O, 5.00%, 12/1/33 A1   150,000 164,972
(Beth Israel Lahey Hlth. Oblig. Group), Ser. K, 5.00%, 7/1/33 A   665,000 728,656
(Suffolk U.), 5.00%, 7/1/33 Baa2   800,000 863,543
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.), 5.00%, 6/1/33 AA−   900,000 1,010,677
(Intl. Charter School), 5.00%, 4/15/33 BBB−   750,000 774,486
(CareGroup Oblig. Group), Ser. J2, 5.00%, 7/1/32 A   2,765,000 3,009,042


Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 23


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Massachusetts cont.
MA State Dev. Fin. Agcy. Rev. Bonds        
(MCPHS U.), Ser. H, 5.00%, 7/1/32 AA   $300,000 $322,732
(South Shore Hosp., Inc.), Ser. I, 5.00%, 7/1/32 Baa2   1,600,000 1,688,522
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.), 5.00%, 6/1/32 AA−   660,000 741,636
Ser. O, 5.00%, 12/1/31 A1   250,000 277,822
(Northeastern U.), 5.00%, 10/1/31 A1   500,000 504,223
(UMass Memorial Hlth. Care Oblig. Group), Ser. L, 5.00%, 7/1/31 BBB+   1,345,000 1,444,782
(Broad Institute, Inc. (The)), 5.00%, 4/1/31 Aa3   1,420,000 1,581,430
(Salem Cmnty. Corp.), 5.00%, 1/1/31 BB+/P   490,000 502,351
(Lesley U.), 5.00%, 7/1/30 A−   1,000,000 1,074,467
(Salem Cmnty. Corp.), 5.00%, 1/1/30 BB+/P   465,000 477,672
(Dexter Southfield), 5.00%, 5/1/26 BBB+   740,000 793,336
(Springfield College), Ser. A, 4.00%, 6/1/56 BBB   2,000,000 1,835,758
(Suffolk U.), 4.00%, 7/1/51 Baa2   750,000 708,808
(Loomis Oblig. Group), Ser. 21, 4.00%, 1/1/51 BBB   100,000 95,247
(Merrimack College), Ser. B, 4.00%, 7/1/50 BBB−   1,825,000 1,724,420
(Southcoast Hlth. Syst. Oblig. Group), Ser. G, 4.00%, 7/1/46 Baa1   850,000 829,318
(Williams College), Ser. S, 4.00%, 7/1/46 Aa1   4,550,000 4,606,107
(Wellforce Obligated Group), Ser. C, AGM, 4.00%, 10/1/45 AA   4,705,000 4,716,455
(Suffolk U.), Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/45 Baa2   1,700,000 1,643,966
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst.), 4.00%, 9/1/44 A2   3,250,000 3,218,178
(Carleton-Willard Homes, Inc.), 4.00%, 12/1/42 A−   485,000 485,315
(Merrimack College), Ser. B, 4.00%, 7/1/42 BBB−   450,000 439,140
(Lasell U.), 4.00%, 7/1/40 BB+   2,160,000 2,012,062
(Bentley U.), Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/39 A2   1,400,000 1,412,913
(Bentley U.), Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/38 A2   700,000 709,420
(Bentley U.), Ser. A, 4.00%, 7/1/37 A2   1,000,000 1,015,380
(Partners Healthcare Syst., Inc.), Ser. S-1, 4.00%, 7/1/36 Aa3   2,500,000 2,553,899
(Loomis Oblig. Group), Ser. 21, 4.00%, 1/1/36 BBB   385,000 387,496
(Partners Healthcare Syst., Inc.), Ser. S, 4.00%, 7/1/35 Aa3   1,025,000 1,046,942
(Wellesley College), Ser. L, 4.00%, 7/1/34 Aa1   860,000 900,970
(WGBH Edl. Foundation), Ser. B, AGC, zero %, 1/1/29 AA   2,000,000 1,647,855
(WGBH Edl. Foundation), Ser. B, AGC, zero %, 1/1/28 AA   2,000,000 1,709,881
MA State Dev. Fin. Agcy. 144A Rev. Bonds        
(Milford Regl. Med. Ctr. Oblig. Group), 5.00%, 7/15/46 BB   1,000,000 1,037,035
(Linden Ponds, Inc. Fac.), 5.00%, 11/15/38 A/F   2,100,000 2,230,453
(NewBridge on the Charles, Inc.), 5.00%, 10/1/37 BB+/F   1,000,000 1,056,634
(Loomis Oblig. Group), 4.00%, 1/1/51 ## BBB   520,000 453,131
(Loomis Oblig. Group), 4.00%, 1/1/36 ## BBB   395,000 377,361
(Loomis Oblig. Group), 4.00%, 1/1/31 ## BBB   1,000,000 982,762
(Loomis Oblig. Group), 4.00%, 1/1/26 ## BBB   755,000 765,210


24 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund


MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Massachusetts cont.
MA State Dev. Fin. Agcy. VRDN (Boston U.), Ser. U-6C, 0.60%, 10/1/42 VMIG 1   $1,000,000 $1,000,000
MA State Edl. Fin. Auth. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. J, 5.625%, 7/1/28 AA   205,000 205,232
(Ed. Loan — Issue 1), 5.00%, 1/1/27 AA   2,750,000 2,885,975
5.00%, 1/1/24 AA   500,000 517,583
MA State Hsg. Fin. Agcy. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. A, 5.10%, 12/1/30 Aa2   720,000 726,211
Ser. 171, 4.00%, 12/1/44 Aa1   70,000 70,931
Ser. SF-169, 4.00%, 12/1/44 Aa1   120,000 121,362
(Single Fam.), Ser. 178, 3.50%, 6/1/42 Aa1   350,000 354,074
Ser. C-1, 3.30%, 12/1/59 Aa2   7,625,000 6,389,393
Ser. A, 3.25%, 12/1/27 Aa2   1,870,000 1,871,841
MA State Port Auth. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. D, 5.00%, 7/1/51 Aa2   2,000,000 2,264,204
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/47 Aa2   3,000,000 3,179,868
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/42 Aa2   1,275,000 1,359,085
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/40 Aa2   2,500,000 2,729,944
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/35 Aa2   1,500,000 1,615,992
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/33 Aa2   775,000 827,015
Ser. A, 5.00%, 7/1/32 Aa2   755,000 806,412
Ser. C, 5.00%, 7/1/30 Aa2   2,500,000 2,775,526
MA State Port Auth. Special Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Bosfuel Corp.), Ser. A        
5.00%, 7/1/28 A1   210,000 233,046
5.00%, 7/1/26 A1   115,000 125,001
4.00%, 7/1/44 A1   3,500,000 3,496,360
MA State School Bldg. Auth. Dedicated Sales Tax Rev. Bonds, Ser. A        
5.00%, 2/15/44 AA   1,035,000 1,148,060
5.00%, 11/15/42 AA+   2,000,000 2,152,806
MA State Tpk. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, NATL        
zero %, 1/1/29 A+   1,000,000 831,984
zero %, 1/1/28 A+   1,320,000 1,137,878
MA State Trans. Fund Rev. Bonds, (Rail Enhancement & Accelerated Bridge Program)        
5.00%, 6/1/48 Aa1   2,095,000 2,333,659
Ser. A, 5.00%, 6/1/38 Aa1   3,000,000 3,274,910
MA State Wtr. Resource Auth. Rev. Bonds        
Ser. B, 5.00%, 8/1/40 (Prerefunded 8/1/26) Aa1   1,500,000 1,675,196
(Green Bond), Ser. C, 5.00%, 8/1/40 (Prerefunded 8/1/26) Aa1   3,000,000 3,350,393
MA State Wtr. Resource Auth. VRDN, Ser. A-3, 0.68%, 8/1/37 VMIG 1   5,525,000 5,525,000
North Reading, G.O. Bonds, 5.00%, 5/15/35 Aa2   3,750,000 3,756,729
U. of MA Bldg. Auth. Rev. Bonds, Ser. 1, 5.00%, 11/1/52 Aa2   3,000,000 3,309,334
222,413,271


Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 25



MUNICIPAL BONDS AND NOTES (98.4%)* cont. Rating** Principal amount Value
Nebraska (1.0%)
Central Plains Energy Project Gas Supply Mandatory Put Bonds (8/1/25), 4.00%, 12/1/49 Aa1   $2,500,000 $2,574,976
2,574,976
Ohio (1.4%)
OH State Higher Edl. Fac. Comm. Rev. Bonds, (Otterbein Homes Oblig. Group)        
4.00%, 7/1/39 ## A   875,000 832,866
4.00%, 7/1/36 ## A   435,000 421,480
4.00%, 7/1/35 ## A   425,000 413,613
4.00%, 7/1/32 ## A   375,000 371,512
4.00%, 7/1/29 ## A   770,000 772,974
Warren Cnty., Hlth. Care Fac. Rev. Bonds, (Otterbein Homes Oblig. Group), 5.00%, 7/1/32 A   750,000 779,072
3,591,517
Texas (0.7%)
Harris Cnty., Cultural Ed. Fac. Fin. Corp. Thermal Utility Rev. Bonds, (TECO)        
4.00%, 11/15/34 AA   700,000 740,357
4.00%, 11/15/32 AA   1,100,000 1,166,682
1,907,039
Virgin Islands (0.3%)
Matching Fund Special Purpose Securitization Corp. Rev. Bonds, Ser. A, 5.00%, 10/1/30 BB/P   640,000 663,558
663,558
Total municipal bonds and notes (cost $258,709,637) $250,558,540

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (2.6%)* Principal amount/
shares		 Value
Putnam Short Term Investment Fund Class P 0.83% L Shares 4,668,595 $4,668,595
U.S. Treasury Bills 0.660%, 6/28/22 $1,000,000 999,462
U.S. Treasury Bills 0.562%, 6/21/22 # 400,000 399,868
U.S. Treasury Bills 0.494%, 6/16/22 500,000 499,878
U.S. Treasury Bills 0.404%, 6/7/22 # 100,000 99,992
Total short-term investments (cost $6,667,877) $6,667,795

TOTAL INVESTMENTS
Total investments (cost $265,377,514) $257,226,335
Notes to the fund’s portfolio
Unless noted otherwise, the notes to the fund’s portfolio are for the close of the fund’s reporting period, which ran from June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022 (the reporting period). Within the following notes to the portfolio, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC and references to “ASC 820” represent Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.
* Percentages indicated are based on net assets of $254,647,336.


26 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund



** The Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s or Fitch ratings indicated are believed to be the most recent ratings available at the close of the reporting period for the securities listed. Ratings are generally ascribed to securities at the time of issuance. While the agencies may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and the ratings do not necessarily represent what the agencies would ascribe to these securities at the close of the reporting period. Securities rated by Fitch are indicated by “/F.” Securities rated by Putnam are indicated by “/P.” The Putnam rating categories are comparable to the Standard & Poor’s classifications. If a security is insured, it will usually be rated by the ratings organizations based on the financial strength of the insurer. Ratings are not covered by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. For further details regarding security ratings, please see the Statement of Additional Information.
# This security, in part or in entirety, was pledged and segregated with the broker to cover margin requirements for futures contracts at the close of the reporting period. Collateral at period end totaled $70,979 and is included in Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities (Notes 1 and 8).
## Forward commitment, in part or in entirety (Note 1).
L Affiliated company (Note 5). The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period.
At the close of the reporting period, the fund maintained liquid assets totaling $6,022,772 to cover certain derivative contracts and the settlement of certain securities.
Unless otherwise noted, the rates quoted in Short-term investments security descriptions represent the weighted average yield to maturity.
144A after the name of an issuer represents securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers.
On Mandatory Put Bonds, the rates shown are the current interest rates at the close of the reporting period and the dates shown represent the next mandatory put dates. Rates are set by remarketing agents and may take into consideration market supply and demand, credit quality and the current SIFMA Municipal Swap Index, 1 Month US LIBOR or 3 Month US LIBOR rates, which were 0.79%, 1.12% and 1.61%, respectively, as of the close of the reporting period.
The dates shown parenthetically on prerefunded bonds represent the next prerefunding dates.
The dates shown on debt obligations are the original maturity dates.
The fund had the following sector concentrations greater than 10% at the close of the reporting period (as a percentage of net assets):
Education 22.3%
Health care 18.2
State debt 13.1
Transportation 10.6

FUTURES CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 5/31/22
Number of
contracts		 Notional
amount		 Value Expiration
date		 Unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra 30 yr (Short) 7 $1,090,250 $1,090,250 Sep-22 $16,719
Unrealized appreciation 16,719
Unrealized (depreciation) —
Total $16,719


Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 27



OTC TOTAL RETURN SWAP CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 5/31/22
Swap counterparty/
Notional amount		 Value Upfront
premium
received
(paid)		 Termination
date		 Payments
received (paid)
by fund		 Total return
received by
or paid by fund		 Unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
Citibank, N.A.
  $3,100,000 $197,594 $— 7/5/22 — 0.88% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 5 Year rate — At maturity $(197,594)
  775,000 174,249 — 7/5/22 — 1.79% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 30 Year rate — At maturity 174,250
  2,100,000 7,650 — 7/6/22 — 2.23% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 5 Year rate — At maturity 7,650
  525,000 12,210 — 7/6/22 — 2.80% minus Municipal Market Data Index AAA municipal yields 30 Year rate — At maturity 12,210
Upfront premium received — Unrealized appreciation 194,110
Upfront premium (paid) — Unrealized (depreciation) (197,594)
Total $— Total $(3,484)
ASC 820 establishes a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of the fund’s investments. The three levels are defined as follows:

Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices for identical securities in active markets.

Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s net assets as of the close of the reporting period:

Valuation inputs
Investments in securities: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Municipal bonds and notes $— $250,558,540 $—
Short-term investments — 6,667,795 —
Totals by level $— $257,226,335 $—
Valuation inputs
Other financial instruments: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Futures contracts $16,719 $— $—
Total return swap contracts — (3,484) —
Totals by level $16,719 $(3,484) $—


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


28 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund


Statement of assets and liabilities 5/31/22

ASSETS   
Investment in securities, at value (Notes 1 and 8):   
Unaffiliated issuers (identified cost $260,708,919)  $252,557,740 
Affiliated issuers (identified cost $4,668,595) (Note 5)  4,668,595 
Interest and other receivables  3,682,557 
Receivable for shares of the fund sold  231,928 
Receivable for investments sold  175,347 
Receivable for variation margin on futures contracts (Note 1)  15,968 
Unrealized appreciation on OTC swap contracts (Note 1)  194,110 
Prepaid assets  14,227 
Total assets  261,540,472 
 
LIABILITIES   
Payable for investments purchased  143 
Payable for purchases of delayed delivery securities (Note 1)  6,019,288 
Payable for shares of the fund repurchased  251,520 
Payable for compensation of Manager (Note 2)  92,273 
Payable for custodian fees (Note 2)  4,857 
Payable for investor servicing fees (Note 2)  27,057 
Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  76,835 
Payable for administrative services (Note 2)  940 
Payable for distribution fees (Note 2)  75,498 
Distributions payable to shareholders  65,332 
Unrealized depreciation on OTC swap contracts (Note 1)  197,594 
Other accrued expenses  81,799 
Total liabilities  6,893,136 
 
Net assets  $254,647,336 
 
REPRESENTED BY   
Paid-in capital (Unlimited shares authorized) (Notes 1 and 4)  $264,160,041 
Total distributable earnings (Note 1)  (9,512,705) 
Total — Representing net assets applicable to capital shares outstanding  $254,647,336 
 
COMPUTATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND OFFERING PRICE   
Net asset value and redemption price per class A share   
($161,670,905 divided by 17,763,529 shares)  $9.10 
Offering price per class A share (100/96.00 of $9.10)*  $9.48 
Net asset value and offering price per class B share ($279,782 divided by 30,792 shares)**  $9.09 
Net asset value and offering price per class C share ($6,011,380 divided by 659,309 shares)**  $9.12 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R6 share   
($1,385,922 divided by 151,863 shares)  $9.13 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class Y share   
($85,299,347 divided by 9,342,001 shares)  $9.13 

 

*On single retail sales of less than $100,000. On sales of $100,000 or more the offering price is reduced.

**Redemption price per share is equal to net asset value less any applicable contingent deferred sales charge.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 29 

 


Statement of operations Year ended 5/31/22

INVESTMENT INCOME   
Interest (including interest income of $10,061 from investments in affiliated issuers) (Note 5)  $7,948,642 
Total investment income  7,948,642 
 
EXPENSES   
Compensation of Manager (Note 2)  1,287,401 
Investor servicing fees (Note 2)  171,971 
Custodian fees (Note 2)  13,080 
Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  11,598 
Distribution fees (Note 2)  568,096 
Administrative services (Note 2)  8,010 
Other  158,861 
Total expenses  2,219,017 
Expense reduction (Note 2)  (240) 
Net expenses  2,218,777 
 
Net investment income  5,729,865 
 
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS)   
Net realized gain (loss) on:   
Securities from unaffiliated issuers (Notes 1 and 3)  86,707 
Futures contracts (Note 1)  834,139 
Swap contracts (Note 1)  (2,313,430) 
Total net realized loss  (1,392,584) 
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:   
Securities from unaffiliated issuers  (28,796,455) 
Futures contracts  23,498 
Swap contracts  149,512 
Total change in net unrealized depreciation  (28,623,445) 
 
Net loss on investments  (30,016,029) 
 
Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations  $(24,286,164) 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

30 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Statement of changes in net assets

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS  Year ended 5/31/22  Year ended 5/31/21 
Operations     
Net investment income  $5,729,865  $5,675,812 
Net realized gain (loss) on investments  (1,392,584)  1,990,033 
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)     
of investments  (28,623,445)  8,061,498 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting     
from operations  (24,286,164)  15,727,343 
Distributions to shareholders (Note 1):     
From ordinary income     
Taxable net investment income     
Class A  (42,361)  (54,320) 
Class B  (77)  (162) 
Class C  (1,563)  (3,165) 
Class R6  (315)  (251) 
Class Y  (21,810)  (21,814) 
From tax-exempt net investment income     
Class A  (3,576,014)  (3,833,696) 
Class B  (4,441)  (7,992) 
Class C  (77,518)  (130,445) 
Class R6  (28,898)  (20,986) 
Class Y  (2,047,995)  (1,646,422) 
Increase (decrease) from capital share transactions (Note 4)  (31,687,800)  24,279,285 
Total increase (decrease) in net assets  (61,774,956)  34,287,375 
 
NET ASSETS     
Beginning of year  316,422,292  282,134,917 
End of year  $254,647,336  $316,422,292 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 31 

 


Financial highlights
(For a common share outstanding throughout the period)

  INVESTMENT OPERATIONS LESS DISTRIBUTIONS RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
                      Ratio   
      Net realized                of net investment   
  Net asset value,    and unrealized  Total from  From      Total return  Net assets,  Ratio of expenses  income (loss)   
  beginning  Net investment  gain (loss)  investment  net investment  Total  Net asset value,  at net asset value  end of period  to average  to average  Portfolio 
Period ended­  of period­  income (loss)  on investments­  operations­  income­  distributions  end of period­  (%)a  (in thousands)  net assets (%)b  net assets (%)  turnover (%) 
Class A                         
May 31, 2022­  $10.07­  .18­  (.97)  (.79)  (.18)  (.18)  $9.10­  (7.94)  $161,671­  .79­  1.81­  16­ 
May 31, 2021  9.73­  .19­  .34­  .53­  (.19)  (.19)  10.07­  5.45­  210,726­  .80­  1.85­  11­ 
May 31, 2020  9.68­  .22­  .06­  .28­  (.23)  (.23)  9.73­  2.89­  200,240­  .79­  2.32­  22­ 
May 31, 2019  9.45­  .26­  .24­  .50­  (.27)  (.27)  9.68­  5.39­  181,596­  .79­  2.76­  22­ 
May 31, 2018  9.64­  .28­  (.19)  .09­  (.28)  (.28)  9.45­  .97­  174,578­  .79­  2.89­  22­ 
Class B                         
May 31, 2022­  $10.05­  .12­  (.96)  (.84)  (.12)  (.12)  $9.09­  (8.41)  $280­  1.39­  1.20­  16­ 
May 31, 2021  9.72­  .13­  .33­  .46­  (.13)  (.13)  10.05­  4.73­  465­  1.40­  1.26­  11­ 
May 31, 2020  9.67­  .16­  .06­  .22­  (.17)  (.17)  9.72­  2.26­  894­  1.41­  1.71­  22­ 
May 31, 2019  9.44­  .20­  .24­  .44­  (.21)  (.21)  9.67­  4.73­  1,288­  1.42­  2.14­  22­ 
May 31, 2018  9.62­  .22­  (.18)  .04­  (.22)  (.22)  9.44­  .45­  1,629­  1.42­  2.26­  22­ 
Class C                         
May 31, 2022­  $10.09­  .11­  (.97)  (.86)  (.11)  (.11)  $9.12­  (8.61)  $6,011­  1.54­  1.06­  16­ 
May 31, 2021  9.75­  .11­  .34­  .45­  (.11)  (.11)  10.09­  4.66­  7,883­  1.55­  1.12­  11­ 
May 31, 2020  9.70­  .15­  .05­  .20­  (.15)  (.15)  9.75­  2.11­  15,818­  1.56­  1.56­  22­ 
May 31, 2019  9.47­  .19­  .23­  .42­  (.19)  (.19)  9.70­  4.56­  18,764­  1.57­  1.98­  22­ 
May 31, 2018  9.66­  .20­  (.18)  .02­  (.21)  (.21)  9.47­  .19­  20,487­  1.57­  2.11­  22­ 
Class R6                         
May 31, 2022­  $10.09­  .20­  (.95)  (.75)  (.21)  (.21)  $9.13­  (7.58)  $1,386­  .53­  2.09­  16­ 
May 31, 2021  9.76­  .21­  .33­  .54­  (.21)  (.21)  10.09­  5.60­  1,171­  .54­  2.10­  11­ 
May 31, 2020  9.71­  .25­  .05­  .30­  (.25)  (.25)  9.76­  3.13­  797­  .55­  2.55­  22­ 
May 31, 2019  9.48­  .29­  .24­  .53­  (.30)  (.30)  9.71­  5.67­  697­  .56­  2.98­  22­ 
May 31, 2018 †­  9.41­  —­c  .08­  .08­  (.01)  (.01)  9.48­  .83*  10­  .02*  .08*  22­ 
Class Y                         
May 31, 2022­  $10.10­  .20­  (.96)  (.76)  (.21)  (.21)  $9.13­  (7.68)  $85,299­  .54­  2.07­  16­ 
May 31, 2021  9.76­  .21­  .34­  .55­  (.21)  (.21)  10.10­  5.69­  96,177­  .55­  2.10­  11­ 
May 31, 2020  9.71­  .25­  .05­  .30­  (.25)  (.25)  9.76­  3.12­  64,387­  .56­  2.54­  22­ 
May 31, 2019  9.48­  .28­  .24­  .52­  (.29)  (.29)  9.71­  5.61­  53,517­  .57­  2.97­  22­ 
May 31, 2018  9.66­  .30­  (.18)  .12­  (.30)  (.30)  9.48­  1.30­  43,129­  .57­  3.11­  22­ 

 

* Not annualized.

† For the period May 22, 2018 (commencement of operations) to May 31, 2018.

a Total return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not reflect the effect of sales charges.

b Includes amounts paid through expense offset and/or brokerage service arrangements, if any (Note 2). Also excludes acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.

c Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

32 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund  Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 33 

 


Notes to financial statements 5/31/22

Within the following Notes to financial statements, references to “State Street” represent State Street Bank and Trust Company, references to “the SEC” represent the Securities and Exchange Commission, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC and references to “OTC”, if any, represent over-the-counter. Unless otherwise noted, the “reporting period” represents the period from June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022.

Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund (the fund) is a Massachusetts business trust, which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as a diversified, open-end management investment company. The goal of the fund is to seek as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax and Massachusetts personal income tax as Putnam Management believes is consistent with preservation of capital. The fund invests mainly in bonds that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax and Massachusetts personal income tax (but that may be subject to federal alternative minimum tax (AMT)), are investment-grade in quality, and have intermediate- to long-term maturities (i.e., three years or longer). Under normal circumstances, Putnam Management invests at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in tax-exempt investments. Tax-exempt investments are issued by or for states, territories or possessions of the United States or by their political subdivisions, agencies, authorities or other government entities, and the income from these investments is exempt from both federal and Massachusetts personal income tax. This investment policy cannot be changed without the approval of the fund’s shareholders. Interest income from private activity bonds may be subject to federal AMT for individuals. These investments are not included for the purpose of complying with the 80% investment policy. Putnam Management may consider, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

The fund offers class A, class B, class C, class R6 and class Y shares. Purchases of class B shares are closed to new and existing investors except by exchange from class B shares of another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment. Class A shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 4.00%. Class A shares generally are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, and class R6 and class Y shares are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. Class B shares, which convert to class A shares after approximately eight years, are not subject to a front-end sales charge and are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge if those shares are redeemed within six years of purchase. Class C shares are subject to a one-year 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge and generally convert to class A shares after approximately eight years. The expenses for class A, class B and class C shares may differ based on the distribution fee of each class, which is identified in Note 2. Class R6 and class Y shares, which are sold at net asset value, are generally subject to the same expenses as class A, class B and class C shares, but do not bear a distribution fee, and in the case of class R6 shares, bear a lower investor servicing fee, which is identified in Note 2. Class R6 and class Y shares are not available to all investors.

In the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts that may include agreements to indemnify another party under given circumstances. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be, but have not yet been, made against the fund. However, the fund’s management team expects the risk of material loss to be remote.

The fund has entered into contractual arrangements with an investment adviser, administrator, distributor, shareholder servicing agent and custodian, who each provide services to the fund. Unless expressly stated otherwise, shareholders are not parties to, or intended beneficiaries of these contractual arrangements, and these contractual arrangements are not intended to create any shareholder right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the fund.

Under the fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, any claims asserted against or on behalf of the Putnam Funds, including claims against Trustees and Officers, must be brought in state and federal courts located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Note 1: Significant accounting policies

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The preparation of financial statements is in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events after the Statement of assets and liabilities date through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements.

34 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses and expenses of the fund are borne pro-rata based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of the fund, except that each class bears expenses unique to that class (including the distribution fees applicable to such classes). Each class votes as a class only with respect to its own distribution plan or other matters on which a class vote is required by law or determined by the Trustees. If the fund were liquidated, shares of each class would receive their pro-rata share of the net assets of the fund. In addition, the Trustees declare separate dividends on each class of shares.

Security valuation Portfolio securities and other investments are valued using policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have formed a Pricing Committee to oversee the implementation of these procedures and have delegated responsibility for valuing the fund’s assets in accordance with these procedures to Putnam Management. Putnam Management has established an internal Valuation Committee that is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the pricing policies of the fund and reporting to the Pricing Committee.

Tax-exempt bonds and notes are generally valued on the basis of valuations provided by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. Such services use information with respect to transactions in bonds, quotations from bond dealers, market transactions in comparable securities and various relationships between securities in determining value. These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2.

Market quotations are not considered to be readily available for certain debt obligations (including short-term investments with remaining maturities of 60 days or less) and other investments; such investments are valued on the basis of valuations furnished by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees or dealers selected by Putnam Management. Such services or dealers determine valuations for normal institutional-size trading units of such securities using methods based on market transactions for comparable securities and various relationships, generally recognized by institutional traders, between securities (which consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities and ratings). These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2. Securities quoted in foreign currencies, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate.

Investments in open-end investment companies (excluding exchange-traded funds), if any, which can be classified as Level 1 or Level 2 securities, are valued based on their net asset value. The net asset value of such investment companies equals the total value of their assets less their liabilities and divided by the number of their outstanding shares.

To the extent a pricing service or dealer is unable to value a security or provides a valuation that Putnam Management does not believe accurately reflects the security’s fair value, the security will be valued at fair value by Putnam Management in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Trustees. Certain investments, including certain restricted and illiquid securities and derivatives, are also valued at fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees. These valuations consider such factors as significant market or specific security events such as interest rate or credit quality changes, various relationships with other securities, discount rates, U.S. Treasury, U.S. swap and credit yields, index levels, convexity exposures, recovery rates, sales and other multiples and resale restrictions. These securities are classified as Level 2 or as Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.

To assess the continuing appropriateness of fair valuations, the Valuation Committee reviews and affirms the reasonableness of such valuations on a regular basis after considering all relevant information that is reasonably available. Such valuations and procedures are reviewed periodically by the Trustees. The fair value of securities is generally determined as the amount that the fund could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of such securities over a reasonable period of time. By its nature, a fair value price is a good faith estimate of the value of a security in a current sale and does not reflect an actual market price, which may be different by a material amount.

Security transactions and related investment income Security transactions are recorded on the trade date (the date the order to buy or sell is executed). Gains or losses on securities sold are determined on the identified cost basis.

Interest income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, if any, and including amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts on debt securities, is recorded on the accrual basis.

Securities purchased or sold on a forward commitment or delayed delivery basis may be settled at a future date beyond customary settlement time; interest income is accrued based on the terms of the securities. Losses may arise due to changes in the fair value of the underlying securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 35 

 


Futures contracts The fund uses futures contracts for hedging treasury term structure risk and for yield curve positioning.

The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of futures contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments, if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. With futures, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund since futures are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.

Futures contracts are valued at the quoted daily settlement prices established by the exchange on which they trade. The fund and the broker agree to exchange an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the futures contract. Such receipts or payments are known as “variation margin.”

Futures contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.

Total return swap contracts The fund entered into OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts, which are arrangements to exchange a market-linked return for a periodic payment, both based on a notional principal amount, for hedging inflation, for gaining exposure to inflation and for hedging and gaining exposure to interest rate and term structure risk.

To the extent that the total return of the security, index or other financial measure underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, the fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty. OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts are marked to market daily based upon quotations from an independent pricing service or market maker. Any change is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss on OTC total return swaps. Daily fluctuations in the value of centrally cleared total return swaps are settled through a central clearing agent and are recorded in variation margin on the Statement of assets and liabilities and recorded as unrealized gain or loss. Payments received or made are recorded as realized gains or losses. Certain OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts may include extended effective dates. Payments related to these swap contracts are accrued based on the terms of the contract. The fund could be exposed to credit or market risk due to unfavorable changes in the fluctuation of interest rates or in the price of the underlying security or index, the possibility that there is no liquid market for these agreements or that the counterparty may default on its obligation to perform. The fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty risk or central clearing risk is the fair value of the contract. This risk may be mitigated for OTC total return swap contracts by having a master netting arrangement between the fund and the counterparty and for centrally cleared total return swap contracts through the daily exchange of variation margin. There is minimal counterparty risk with respect to centrally cleared total return swap contracts due to the clearinghouse guarantee fund and other resources that are available in the event of a clearing member default. Risk of loss may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

OTC and/or centrally cleared total return swap contracts outstanding, including their respective notional amounts at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.

Master agreements The fund is a party to ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.) Master Agreements (Master Agreements) with certain counterparties that govern OTC derivative and foreign exchange contracts entered into from time to time. The Master Agreements may contain provisions regarding, among other things, the parties’ general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral requirements, events of default and early termination. With respect to certain counterparties, in accordance with the terms of the Master Agreements, collateral pledged to the fund is held in a segregated account by the fund’s custodian and, with respect to those amounts which can be sold or repledged, is presented in the fund’s portfolio.

Collateral pledged by the fund is segregated by the fund’s custodian and identified in the fund’s portfolio. Collateral can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. Government or related agencies or other securities as agreed to by the fund and the applicable counterparty. Collateral requirements are determined based on the fund’s net position with each counterparty.

36 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Termination events applicable to the fund may occur upon a decline in the fund’s net assets below a specified threshold over a certain period of time. Termination events applicable to counterparties may occur upon a decline in the counterparty’s long-term and short-term credit ratings below a specified level. In each case, upon occurrence, the other party may elect to terminate early and cause settlement of all derivative and foreign exchange contracts outstanding, including the payment of any losses and costs resulting from such early termination, as reasonably determined by the terminating party. Any decision by one or more of the fund’s counterparties to elect early termination could impact the fund’s future derivative activity.

At the close of the reporting period, the fund had a net liability position of $3,484 on open derivative contracts subject to the Master Agreements. There was no collateral pledged by the fund at period end for these agreements.

Interfund lending The fund, along with other Putnam funds, may participate in an interfund lending program pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC. This program allows the fund to borrow from other Putnam funds that permit such transactions. Interfund lending transactions are subject to each fund’s investment policies and borrowing and lending limits. Interest earned or paid on the interfund lending transaction will be based on the average of certain current market rates. During the reporting period, the fund did not utilize the program.

Lines of credit The fund participates, along with other Putnam funds, in a $317.5 million unsecured committed line of credit and a $235.5 million unsecured uncommitted line of credit, both provided by State Street. Borrowings may be made for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests and trade settlements. Interest is charged to the fund based on the fund’s borrowing at a rate equal to 1.25% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the committed line of credit and 1.30% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the uncommitted line of credit. A closing fee equal to 0.04% of the committed line of credit and 0.04% of the uncommitted line of credit has been paid by the participating funds. In addition, a commitment fee of 0.21% per annum on any unutilized portion of the committed line of credit is allocated to the participating funds based on their relative net assets and paid quarterly. During the reporting period, the fund had no borrowings against these arrangements.

Federal taxes It is the policy of the fund to distribute all of its income within the prescribed time period and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies. It is also the intention of the fund to distribute an amount sufficient to avoid imposition of any excise tax under Section 4982 of the Code.

The fund is subject to the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 740 Income Taxes (ASC 740). ASC 740 sets forth a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The fund did not have a liability to record for any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. No provision has been made for federal taxes on income, capital gains or unrealized appreciation on securities held nor for excise tax on income and capital gains. Each of the fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.

Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, the fund will be permitted to carry forward capital losses incurred for an unlimited period and the carry forwards will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. At May 31, 2022, the fund had the following capital loss carryovers available, to the extent allowed by the Code, to offset future net capital gain, if any:

  Loss carryover   
Short-term  Long-term  Total 
$1,609,223  $—  $1,609,223 

 

Distributions to shareholders Income dividends are recorded daily by the fund and are paid monthly. Distributions from capital gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. The amount and character of income and gains to be distributed are determined in accordance with income tax regulations which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. For the reporting period, there were no material temporary or permanent differences. Reclassifications are made to the fund’s capital accounts to reflect income and gains available for distribution (or available capital loss carryovers) under income tax regulations. At the close of the reporting period, the fund reclassified $7,417 to increase undistributed net investment income and $7,417 to increase accumulated net realized loss.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 37 

 


Tax cost of investments includes adjustments to net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) which may not necessarily be final tax cost basis adjustments, but closely approximate the tax basis unrealized gains and losses that may be realized and distributed to shareholders. The tax basis components of distributable earnings and the federal tax cost as of the close of the reporting period were as follows:

Unrealized appreciation  $3,465,325 
Unrealized depreciation  (11,635,173) 
Net unrealized depreciation  (8,169,848) 
Undistributed ordinary income  19,167 
Undistributed tax-exempt income  312,532 
Capital loss carryforward  (1,609,223) 
Cost for federal income tax purposes  $265,409,418 

 

Note 2: Management fee, administrative services and other transactions

The fund pays Putnam Management a management fee (based on the fund’s average net assets and computed and paid monthly) at annual rates that may vary based on the average of the aggregate net assets of all open-end mutual funds sponsored by Putnam Management (excluding net assets of funds that are invested in, or that are invested in by, other Putnam funds to the extent necessary to avoid “double counting” of those assets). Such annual rates may vary as follows:

0.590%  of the first $5 billion,  0.390%  of the next $50 billion, 
0.540%  of the next $5 billion,  0.370%  of the next $50 billion, 
0.490%  of the next $10 billion,  0.360%  of the next $100 billion and 
0.440%  of the next $10 billion,  0.355%  of any excess thereafter. 

 

For the reporting period, the management fee represented an effective rate (excluding the impact from any expense waivers in effect) of 0.422% of the fund’s average net assets.

Putnam Management has contractually agreed, through September 30, 2023, to waive fees and/or reimburse the fund’s expenses to the extent necessary to limit the cumulative expenses of the fund, exclusive of brokerage, interest, taxes, investment-related expenses, extraordinary expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and payments under the fund’s investor servicing contract, investment management contract and distribution plans, on a fiscal year-to-date basis to an annual rate of 0.20% of the fund’s average net assets over such fiscal year-to-date period. During the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were not reduced as a result of this limit.

Putnam Investments Limited (PIL), an affiliate of Putnam Management, is authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund as determined by Putnam Management from time to time. PIL did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management were to engage the services of PIL, Putnam Management would pay a quarterly sub-management fee to PIL for its services at an annual rate of 0.40% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund managed by PIL.

The fund reimburses Putnam Management an allocated amount for the compensation and related expenses of certain officers of the fund and their staff who provide administrative services to the fund. The aggregate amount of all such reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.

Custodial functions for the fund’s assets are provided by State Street. Custody fees are based on the fund’s asset level, the number of its security holdings and transaction volumes.

Putnam Investor Services, Inc., an affiliate of Putnam Management, provides investor servicing agent functions to the fund. Putnam Investor Services, Inc. received fees for investor servicing for class A, class B, class C and class Y shares that included (1) a per account fee for each direct and underlying non-defined contribution account (retail account) of the fund; (2) a specified rate of the fund’s assets attributable to defined contribution plan accounts; and (3) a specified rate based on the average net assets in retail accounts. Putnam Investor Services, Inc. has agreed that the aggregate investor servicing fees for each fund’s retail and defined contribution accounts for these share classes will not exceed an annual rate of 0.25% of the fund’s average assets attributable to such accounts.

Class R6 shares paid a monthly fee based on the average net assets of class R6 shares at an annual rate of 0.05%.

38 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


During the reporting period, the expenses for each class of shares related to investor servicing fees were as follows:

Class A  $111,066  Class R6  693 
Class B  206  Class Y  55,912 
Class C  4,094  Total  $171,971 

 

The fund has entered into expense offset arrangements with Putnam Investor Services, Inc. and State Street whereby Putnam Investor Services, Inc.’s and State Street’s fees are reduced by credits allowed on cash balances. For the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were reduced by $240 under the expense offset arrangements.

Each Independent Trustee of the fund receives an annual Trustee fee, of which $211, as a quarterly retainer, has been allocated to the fund, and an additional fee for each Trustees meeting attended. Trustees also are reimbursed for expenses they incur relating to their services as Trustees.

The fund has adopted a Trustee Fee Deferral Plan (the Deferral Plan) which allows the Trustees to defer the receipt of all or a portion of Trustees fees payable on or after July 1, 1995. The deferred fees remain invested in certain Putnam funds until distribution in accordance with the Deferral Plan.

The fund has adopted an unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (the Pension Plan) covering all Trustees of the fund who have served as a Trustee for at least five years and were first elected prior to 2004. Benefits under the Pension Plan are equal to 50% of the Trustee’s average annual attendance and retainer fees for the three years ended December 31, 2005. The retirement benefit is payable during a Trustee’s lifetime, beginning the year following retirement, for the number of years of service through December 31, 2006. Pension expense for the fund is included in Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of operations. Accrued pension liability is included in Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees have terminated the Pension Plan with respect to any Trustee first elected after 2003.

The fund has adopted distribution plans (the Plans) with respect to the following share classes pursuant to Rule 12b–1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The purpose of the Plans is to compensate Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC, for services provided and expenses incurred in distributing shares of the fund. The Plans provide payments by the fund to Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership at an annual rate of up to the following amounts (Maximum %) of the average net assets attributable to each class. The Trustees have approved payment by the fund at the following annual rate (Approved %) of the average net assets attributable to each class. During the reporting period, the class-specific expenses related to distribution fees were as follows:

  Maximum %  Approved %  Amount 
Class A  0.35%  0.25%  $492,336 
Class B  1.00%  0.85%  3,119 
Class C  1.00%  1.00%  72,641 
Total      $568,096 

 

For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received net commissions of $7,929 from the sale of class A shares and received $516 and no monies in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of class B and class C shares, respectively.

A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of class A shares. For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received no monies on class A redemptions.

Note 3: Purchases and sales of securities

During the reporting period, the cost of purchases and the proceeds from sales, excluding short-term investments, were as follows:

  Cost of purchases  Proceeds from sales 
Investments in securities (Long-term)  $44,513,317  $67,202,918 
U.S. government securities (Long-term)  —  — 
Total  $44,513,317  $67,202,918 

 

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 39 

 


The fund may purchase or sell investments from or to other Putnam funds in the ordinary course of business, which can reduce the fund’s transaction costs, at prices determined in accordance with SEC requirements and policies approved by the Trustees. During the reporting period, purchases or sales of long-term securities from or to other Putnam funds, if any, did not represent more than 5% of the fund’s total cost of purchases and/or total proceeds from sales.

Note 4: Capital shares

At the close of the reporting period, there were an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest authorized. Transactions, including, if applicable, direct exchanges pursuant to share conversions, in capital shares were as follows:

  YEAR ENDED 5/31/22  YEAR ENDED 5/31/21 
Class A  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  770,980  $7,454,994  2,783,767  $27,686,330 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  315,556  3,072,635  331,166  3,299,365 
  1,086,536  10,527,629  3,114,933  30,985,695 
Shares repurchased  (4,255,460)  (40,366,896)  (2,761,419)  (27,506,379) 
Net increase (decrease)  (3,168,924)  $(29,839,267)  353,514  $3,479,316 
 
  YEAR ENDED 5/31/22  YEAR ENDED 5/31/21 
Class B  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  —  $—  —  $— 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  408  3,978  765  7,602 
  408  3,978  765  7,602 
Shares repurchased  (15,869)  (157,558)  (46,561)  (461,251) 
Net decrease  (15,461)  $(153,580)  (45,796)  $(453,649) 
 
  YEAR ENDED 5/31/22  YEAR ENDED 5/31/21 
Class C  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  134,976  $1,339,168  201,385  $2,008,852 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  7,166  69,685  10,903  108,752 
  142,142  1,408,853  212,288  2,117,604 
Shares repurchased  (264,455)  (2,579,953)  (1,053,033)  (10,481,773) 
Net decrease  (122,313)  $(1,171,100)  (840,745)  $(8,364,169) 
 
  YEAR ENDED 5/31/22  YEAR ENDED 5/31/21 
Class R6  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  42,775  $429,252  39,739  $396,941 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  3,004  29,213  2,126  21,237 
  45,779  458,465  41,865  418,178 
Shares repurchased  (9,960)  (96,085)  (7,491)  (74,754) 
Net increase  35,819  $362,380  34,374  $343,424 

 

40 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


  YEAR ENDED 5/31/22  YEAR ENDED 5/31/21 
Class Y  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  3,520,564  $33,995,407  4,250,994  $42,515,072 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  183,603  1,790,492  149,595  1,495,868 
  3,704,167  35,785,899  4,400,589  44,010,940 
Shares repurchased  (3,885,372)  (36,672,132)  (1,474,130)  (14,736,577) 
Net increase (decrease)  (181,205)  $(886,233)  2,926,459  $29,274,363 

 

Note 5: Affiliated transactions

Transactions during the reporting period with any company which is under common ownership or control were as follows:

          Shares 
          outstanding 
          and fair 
  Fair value as  Purchase  Sale  Investment  value as 
Name of affiliate  of 5/31/21  cost  proceeds  income  of 5/31/22 
Short-term investments           
Putnam Short Term           
Investment Fund*  $4,961,799  $74,203,322  $74,496,526  $10,061  $4,668,595 
Total Short-term           
investments  $4,961,799  $74,203,322  $74,496,526  $10,061  $4,668,595 

 

* Management fees charged to Putnam Short Term Investment Fund have been waived by Putnam Management. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period.

Note 6: Market, credit and other risks

In the normal course of business, the fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the contracting party to the transaction to perform (credit risk). The fund may be exposed to additional credit risk that an institution or other entity with which the fund has unsettled or open transactions will default. The fund focuses a majority of its investments in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and may be affected by economic and political developments in that Commonwealth.

On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced its intention to cease compelling banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator of LIBOR, ceased publication of most LIBOR settings on a representative basis at the end of 2021 and is expected to cease publication of a majority of U.S. dollar LIBOR settings on a representative basis after June 30, 2023. In addition, global regulators have announced that, with limited exceptions, no new LIBOR-based contracts should be entered into after 2021. LIBOR has historically been a common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments and borrowing arrangements. Actions by regulators have resulted in the establishment of alternative reference rates to LIBOR in most major currencies. Various financial industry groups have been planning for the transition away from LIBOR, but there are obstacles to converting certain longer-term securities and transactions to new reference rates. Markets are developing slowly and questions around liquidity in these rates and how to appropriately adjust these rates to mitigate any economic value transfer at the time of transition remain a significant concern. Neither the effect of the transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. It could also lead to a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments and reduce the effectiveness of related transactions, such as hedges. While some LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate-setting methodology, not all may have such provisions and there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur at any time.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 41 

 


Beginning in January 2020, global financial markets have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant volatility resulting from the spread of a virus known as Covid–19. The outbreak of Covid–19 has resulted in travel and border restrictions, quarantines, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, and general market uncertainty. The effects of Covid–19 have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, the global economy, the economies of certain nations, and individual issuers, all of which may negatively impact the fund’s performance.

Note 7: Summary of derivative activity

The volume of activity for the reporting period for any derivative type that was held during the period is listed below and was based on an average of the holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter:

Futures contracts (number of contracts)  90 
OTC total return swap contracts (notional)  $12,600,000 
Centrally cleared total return swap contracts (notional)  $8,700,000 

 

The following is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period:

Fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period   
  ASSET DERIVATIVES LIABILITY DERIVATIVES
Derivatives not         
accounted for as  Statement of    Statement of   
hedging instruments  assets and    assets and   
under ASC 815  liabilities location  Fair value  liabilities location  Fair value 
  Receivables, Net       
  assets — Unrealized       
Interest rate contracts  appreciation  $210,829*  Payables  $197,594 
Total    $210,829    $197,594 

 

* Includes cumulative appreciation of futures contracts as reported in the fund’s portfolio. Only current day’s variation margin is reported within the Statement of assets and liabilities.

The following is a summary of realized and change in unrealized gains or losses of derivative instruments in the Statement of operations for the reporting period (Note 1):

Amount of realized gain or (loss) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments   
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging       
instruments under ASC 815  Futures  Swaps  Total 
Interest rate contracts  $834,139  $(2,313,430)  $(1,479,291) 
Total  $834,139  $(2,313,430)  $(1,479,291) 
 
Change in unrealized appreciation or (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) 
on investments       
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging       
instruments under ASC 815  Futures  Swaps  Total 
Interest rate contracts  $23,498  $149,512  $173,010 
Total  $23,498  $149,512  $173,010 

 

42 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Note 8: Offsetting of financial and derivative assets and liabilities

The following table summarizes any derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements, at the end of the reporting period, that are subject to an enforceable master netting agreement or similar agreement. For securities lending transactions or borrowing transactions associated with securities sold short, if any, see Note 1. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to the master netting agreements in the Statement of assets and liabilities.

    JPMorgan   
  Citibank, N.A.  Securities LLC  Total 
Assets:       
OTC Total return swap contracts*#  $194,110  $—  $194,110 
Futures contracts§  —  15,968  15,968 
Total Assets  $194,110  $15,968  $210,078 
Liabilities:       
OTC Total return swap contracts*#  197,594  —  197,594 
Futures contracts§  —  —  — 
Total Liabilities  $197,594  $—  $197,594 
Total Financial and Derivative Net Assets  $(3,484)  $15,968  $12,484 
Total collateral received (pledged)†##  $—  $—   
Net amount  $(3,484)  $15,968   
Controlled collateral received (including       
TBA commitments)**  $—  $—  $— 
Uncontrolled collateral received  $—  $—  $— 
Collateral (pledged) (including TBA commitments)**  $—  $—  $— 

 

* Excludes premiums, if any. Included in unrealized appreciation and depreciation on OTC swap contracts on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

** Included with Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

† Additional collateral may be required from certain brokers based on individual agreements.

# Covered by master netting agreement (Note 1).

##Any over-collateralization of total financial and derivative net assets is not shown. Collateral may include amounts related to unsettled agreements.

§ Includes current day’s variation margin only as reported on the Statement of assets and liabilities, which is not collateralized. Cumulative appreciation/(depreciation) for futures contracts is represented in the table listed after the fund’s portfolio. Collateral pledged for initial margin on futures contracts, which is not included in the table above, amounted to $70,979.

Note 9: New accounting pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2020 -04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) — Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The amendments in ASU 2020 -04 provide optional temporary financial reporting relief from the effect of certain types of contract modifications due to the planned discontinuation of LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates as of the end of 2021. The discontinuation of LIBOR was subsequently extended to June 30, 2023. ASU 2020 -04 is effective for certain reference rate-related contract modifications that occur during the period March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Management expects that the adoption of the guidance will not have a material impact on the fund’s financial statements.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 43 

 


Federal tax information (Unaudited)

The fund has designated 98.86% of dividends paid from net investment income during the reporting period as tax exempt for federal income tax purposes.

The Form 1099 that will be mailed to you in January 2023 will show the tax status of all distributions paid to your account in calendar 2022.

44 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 



Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 45 

 



* Mr. Reynolds is an “interested person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the fund and Putnam Investments. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Putnam Investments, as well as the President of your fund and each of the other Putnam funds.

The address of each Trustee is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

As of May 31, 2022, there were 100 funds in the Putnam fund complex, including 96 Putnam Funds and four funds in Putnam ETF Trust. Mses. Pillai and Murphy serve as Trustees of 76 Putnam Funds, and each other Trustee serves as Trustee of all Putnam Funds. In addition to serving as Trustees of the Putnam Funds, Dr. Hill, Mses. Domotorffy and Sutphen, and Mr. Ahamed serve as Trustees of Putnam ETF Trust.

Each Trustee serves for an indefinite term, until his or her resignation, retirement at age 75, removal, or death.

46 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Officers

In addition to Robert L. Reynolds, the other officers of the fund are shown below:

James F. Clark (Born 1974)  Alan G. McCormack (Born 1964) 
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer  Vice President and Derivatives Risk Manager 
Since 2016  Since 2022 
Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer,  Head of Quantitative Equities and Risk, 
Putnam Investments, and Chief Compliance Officer,  Putnam Investments 
Putnam Management 
Denere P. Poulack (Born 1968) 
Nancy E. Florek (Born 1957)  Assistant Vice President, Assistant Clerk, 
Vice President, Director of Proxy Voting and Corporate  and Assistant Treasurer 
Governance, Assistant Clerk, and Assistant Treasurer  Since 2004 
Since 2000 
Janet C. Smith (Born 1965) 
Michael J. Higgins (Born 1976)  Vice President, Principal Financial Officer, Principal 
Vice President, Treasurer, and Clerk  Accounting Officer, and Assistant Treasurer 
Since 2010  Since 2007 
  Head of Fund Administration Services, 
Jonathan S. Horwitz (Born 1955)  Putnam Investments and Putnam Management 
Executive Vice President, Principal Executive Officer,   
and Compliance Liaison  Stephen J. Tate (Born 1974) 
Since 2004  Vice President and Chief Legal Officer 
  Since 2021 
Richard T. Kircher (Born 1962)  General Counsel, Putnam Investments, 
Vice President and BSA Compliance Officer  Putnam Management, and Putnam Retail Management 
Since 2019   
Assistant Director, Operational Compliance, Putnam  Mark C. Trenchard (Born 1962) 
Investments and Putnam Retail Management  Vice President 
  Since 2002 
Martin Lemaire (Born 1984)  Director of Operational Compliance, Putnam 
Vice President and Derivatives Risk Manager  Investments and Putnam Retail Management 
Since 2022   
Risk Manager and Risk Analyst, Putnam Investments   
 
Susan G. Malloy (Born 1957)   
Vice President and Assistant Treasurer   
Since 2007   
Head of Accounting and Middle Office Services,   
Putnam Investments and Putnam Management   

 

The principal occupations of the officers for the past five years have been with the employers as shown above, although in some cases they have held different positions with such employers. The address of each officer is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 47 

 


Services for shareholders

Investor services

Systematic investment plan Tell us how much you wish to invest regularly — weekly, semimonthly, or monthly — and the amount you choose will be transferred automatically from your checking or savings account. There’s no additional fee for this service, and you can suspend it at any time. This plan may be a great way to save for college expenses or to plan for your retirement.

Please note that regular investing does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining market. Before arranging a systematic investment plan, consider your financial ability to continue making purchases in periods when prices are low.

Systematic exchange You can make regular transfers from one Putnam fund to another Putnam fund. There are no additional fees for this service, and you can cancel or change your options at any time.

Dividends PLUS You can choose to have the dividend distributions from one of your Putnam funds automatically reinvested in another Putnam fund at no additional charge.

Free exchange privilege You can exchange money between Putnam funds free of charge, as long as they are the same class of shares. A signature guarantee is required if you are exchanging more than $500,000. The fund reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange privilege.

Reinstatement privilege If you’ve sold Putnam shares or received a check for a dividend or capital gain, you may reinvest the proceeds with Putnam within 90 days of the transaction and they will be reinvested at the fund’s current net asset value — with no sales charge. However, reinstatement of class B shares may have special tax consequences. Ask your financial or tax representative for details.

Check-writing service You have ready access to many Putnam accounts. It’s as simple as writing a check, and there are no special fees or service charges. For more information about the check-writing service, call Putnam or visit our website.

Dollar cost averaging When you’re investing for long-term goals, it’s time, not timing, that counts. Investing on a systematic basis is a better strategy than trying to figure out when the markets will go up or down. This means investing the same amount of money regularly over a long period. This method of investing is called dollar cost averaging. When a fund’s share price declines, your investment dollars buy more shares at lower prices. When it increases, they buy fewer shares. Over time, you will pay a lower average price per share.

For more information

Visit the Individual Investors section at putnam.com A secure section of our website contains complete information on your account, including balances and transactions, updated daily. You may also conduct transactions, such as exchanges, additional investments, and address changes. Log on today to get your password.

Call us toll free at 1-800-225-1581 Ask a helpful Putnam representative or your financial advisor for details about any of these or other services, or see your prospectus.

48 Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund 

 


Fund information

Founded over 80 years ago, Putnam Investments was built around the concept that a balance between risk and reward is the hallmark of a well-rounded financial program. We manage funds across income, value, blend, growth, sustainable, asset allocation, absolute return, and global sector categories.

Investment Manager  Trustees  Richard T. Kircher 
Putnam Investment  Kenneth R. Leibler, Chair  Vice President and 
Management, LLC  Barbara M. Baumann, Vice Chair  BSA Compliance Officer 
100 Federal Street  Liaquat Ahamed   
Boston, MA 02110  Katinka Domotorffy  Martin Lemaire 
  Catharine Bond Hill  Vice President and 
Investment Sub-Advisor  Jennifer Williams Murphy  Derivatives Risk Manager 
Putnam Investments Limited  Marie Pillai 
16 St James’s Street  George Putnam, III  Susan G. Malloy 
London, England SW1A 1ER  Robert L. Reynolds  Vice President and 
Manoj P. Singh  Assistant Treasurer 
Marketing Services  Mona K. Sutphen 
Putnam Retail Management    Alan G. McCormack 
Limited Partnership  Officers  Vice President and 
100 Federal Street  Robert L. Reynolds  Derivatives Risk Manager 
Boston, MA 02110  President 
    Denere P. Poulack 
Custodian  James F. Clark  Assistant Vice President, 
State Street Bank  Vice President, Chief Compliance  Assistant Clerk, and 
and Trust Company  Officer, and Chief Risk Officer  Assistant Treasurer 
   
Legal Counsel  Nancy E. Florek  Janet C. Smith 
Ropes & Gray LLP  Vice President, Director of  Vice President, 
Proxy Voting and Corporate  Principal Financial Officer, 
Independent Registered  Governance, Assistant Clerk,  Principal Accounting Officer, 
Public Accounting Firm  and Assistant Treasurer  and Assistant Treasurer 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP   
  Michael J. Higgins  Stephen J. Tate 
  Vice President, Treasurer,  Vice President and 
  and Clerk  Chief Legal Officer 
   
  Jonathan S. Horwitz  Mark C. Trenchard 
  Executive Vice President,  Vice President 
Principal Executive Officer,   
  and Compliance Liaison   

 

This report is for the information of shareholders of Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund. It may also be used as sales literature when preceded or accompanied by the current prospectus, the most recent copy of Putnam’s Quarterly Performance Summary, and Putnam’s Quarterly Ranking Summary. For more recent performance, please visit putnam.com. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of a fund, which are described in its prospectus. For this and other information or to request a prospectus or summary prospectus, call 1-800-225-1581 toll free. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The fund’s Statement of Additional Information contains additional information about the fund’s Trustees and is available without charge upon request by calling 1-800-225-1581.



Item 2. Code of Ethics:
(a) The fund’s principal executive, financial and accounting officers are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment manager. As such they are subject to a comprehensive Code of Ethics adopted and administered by Putnam Investments which is designed to protect the interests of the firm and its clients. The Fund has adopted a Code of Ethics which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments with respect to all of its officers and Trustees who are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC. For this reason, the Fund has not adopted a separate code of ethics governing its principal executive, financial and accounting officers.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert:
The Funds’ Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee is comprised solely of Trustees who are “independent” (as such term has been defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in regulations implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Regulations”)). The Trustees believe that each member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also possesses a combination of knowledge and experience with respect to financial accounting matters, as well as other attributes, that qualifies him or her for service on the Committee. In addition, the Trustees have determined that each of Dr. Hill, Dr. Joskow, and Mr. Singh qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” (as such term has been defined by the Regulations) based on their review of his or her pertinent experience and education; in the case of Dr. Joskow, including his experience serving on the audit committees of several public companies and institutions and his education and experience as an economist who studies companies and industries, routinely using public company financial statements in his research. The SEC has stated, and the funds’ amended and restated agreement and Declaration of Trust provides, that the designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert pursuant to this Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not impose on such person any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such person as a member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee and the Board of Trustees in the absence of such designation or identification.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services:
The following table presents fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for services rendered to the fund by the fund’s independent auditor:


Fiscal year ended Audit Fees Audit-Related Fees Tax Fees All Other Fees
May 31, 2022 $49,199 $ — $7,296 $ —
May 31, 2021 $50,613 $ — $7,088 $ —

For the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022 and May 31, 2021, the fund’s independent auditor billed aggregate non-audit fees in the amounts of $336,247 and $316,388 respectively, to the fund, Putnam Management and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with Putnam Management that provides ongoing services to the fund.

Audit Fees represent fees billed for the fund’s last two fiscal years relating to the audit and review of the financial statements included in annual reports and registration statements, and other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

Audit-Related Fees represent fees billed in the fund’s last two fiscal years for services traditionally performed by the fund’s auditor, including accounting consultation for proposed transactions or concerning financial accounting and reporting standards and other audit or attest services not required by statute or regulation.

Tax Fees represent fees billed in the fund’s last two fiscal years for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice services. Tax planning and tax advice services include assistance with tax audits, employee benefit plans and requests for rulings or technical advice from taxing authorities.

Pre-Approval Policies of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee. The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee of the Putnam funds has determined that, as a matter of policy, all work performed for the funds by the funds’ independent auditors will be pre-approved by the Committee itself and thus will generally not be subject to pre-approval procedures.

The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also has adopted a policy to pre-approve the engagement by Putnam Management and certain of its affiliates of the funds’ independent auditors, even in circumstances where pre-approval is not required by applicable law. Any such requests by Putnam Management or certain of its affiliates are typically submitted in writing to the Committee and explain, among other things, the nature of the proposed engagement, the estimated fees, and why this work should be performed by that particular audit firm as opposed to another one. In reviewing such requests, the Committee considers, among other things, whether the provision of such services by the audit firm are compatible with the independence of the audit firm.

The following table presents fees billed by the fund’s independent auditor for services required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2–01 of Regulation S-X.


Fiscal year ended Audit-Related Fees Tax Fees All Other Fees Total Non-Audit Fees
May 31, 2022 $ — $328,951 $ — $ —
May 31, 2021 $ — $309,300 $ — $ —

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants
Not applicable

Item 6. Schedule of Investments:
The registrant’s schedule of investments in unaffiliated issuers is included in the report to shareholders in Item 1 above.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures For Closed-End Management Investment Companies:
Not applicable

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Investment Companies
Not Applicable

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers:
Not applicable

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders:
Not applicable

Item 11. Controls and Procedures:
(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded, based on their evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report, that the design and operation of such procedures are generally effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.

(b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting: Not applicable

Item 12. Disclosures of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies:
Not Applicable

Item 13. Exhibits:
(a)(1) The Code of Ethics of The Putnam Funds, which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments, is filed herewith

(a)(2) Separate certifications for the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith.

(b) The certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith.

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Accounting Officer

Date: July 28, 2022
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz
Jonathan S. Horwitz
Principal Executive Officer

Date: July 28, 2022
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Financial Officer

Date: July 28, 2022