Supplement dated 4-20-12 to the current Class A, Class B and Class C Shares Prospectus

In the “Your account – Sales charge reductions and waivers” section, under the “Waivers for certain investors” subsection, the following bulleted paragraphs modify the existing corresponding bulleted paragraphs, as follows:

• terminating participants rolling over (directly or within 60 days after distribution) assets held in a pension, profit sharing or other plan qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, or described in Section 457(b) of the Code, that is funded by certain John Hancock group annuity contracts, to a John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds, such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined in the SAI) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock Personal Financial Services (PFS) Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center

• participants rolling over (directly or within 60 days after distribution) from a terminating pension, profit sharing or other plan qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, or described in Section 457(b) of the Code (the assets of which, immediately prior to its termination, were held in certain John Hancock group annuity contracts but are now transferred from such contracts and held either: (i) in trust by a distribution processing organization; or (ii) in a custodial IRA or custodial Roth IRA sponsored by an authorized third party trust company and made available through John Hancock), to a John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds, such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined in the SAI) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock PFS Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center

• former employees/associates of John Hancock, its affiliates or agencies rolling over (directly or indirectly within 60 days after distribution) to a new John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA from the John Hancock Employee Investment-Incentive Plan (TIP), John Hancock Savings Investment Plan (SIP) or the John Hancock Pension Plan and such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined in the SAI) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock PFS Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center

The following bulleted paragraph is added to the “Waivers for certain investors” subsection, as follows:

• participants actively enrolled in a John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (RPS) plan account rolling over or transferring assets into a new John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds through the John Hancock PFS Group (to the extent such assets are otherwise prohibited from rolling over or transferring into such participant’s John Hancock RPS plan account), including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center

You should read this Supplement in conjunction with the Prospectus and retain it for future reference.

Supplement dated 4-20-12 to the current Statement of Additional Information for

John Hancock Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund and
John Hancock New York Tax-Free Income Fund,
each a series of John Hancock Tax-Exempt Series Fund

In the “INITIAL SALES CHARGE ON CLASS A SHARES” section, the following bulleted paragraphs modify the existing corresponding bulleted paragraphs in the subsection “Without Sales Charge” as follows:

• Terminating participants rolling over (directly or within 60 days after distribution) assets held in a pension, profit sharing or other plan qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, or described in Section 457(b) of the Code, that is funded by certain John Hancock group annuity contracts, to a John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds, such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined herein) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock Personal Financial Services (PFS) Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center.

• Participants rolling over (directly or within 60 days after distribution) from a terminating pension, profit sharing or other plan qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code or described in Section 457(b) of the Code (the assets of which, immediately prior to its termination, were held in certain John Hancock group annuity contracts but are now transferred from such contracts and held either: (i) in trust by a distribution processing organization; or (ii) in a custodial IRA or custodial Roth IRA sponsored by an authorized third party trust company and made available through John Hancock) to a John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds, such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined herein) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock PFS Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center.

• Former employees/associates of John Hancock, its affiliates or agencies rolling over (directly or indirectly within 60 days after distribution) to a new John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA from the John Hancock Employee Investment-Incentive Plan (TIP), John Hancock Savings Investment Plan (SIP) or the John Hancock Pension Plan and such participants and their Immediate Family (as defined herein) subsequently establishing or rolling over assets into a new John Hancock account through the John Hancock PFS Group, including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center.

The following bulleted paragraph is added to the “Without Sales Charge” subsection, as follows:

• Participants actively enrolled in a John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (RPS) plan account rolling over or transferring assets into a new John Hancock custodial IRA or John Hancock custodial Roth IRA that invests in John Hancock funds through the John Hancock PFS Group (to the extent such assets are otherwise prohibited from rolling over or transferring into the John Hancock RPS plan account), including subsequent investments into such accounts and which are held directly at John Hancock funds or at the PFS Financial Center.

You should read this Supplement in conjunction with the Statement of Additional Information and retain it for future reference.