Paycheck Calculator Virginia
Virginia's brackets look graduated, but the top rate of 5.75% starts at just $17,000 of taxable income — nearly every full-time worker lives there. On a $75,000 salary, a single filer takes home about $58,094 a year in 2026. Enter your salary below and see the full split.
Virginia's 2026 tax brackets
Virginia has used the same four brackets since 1990 — they have never been indexed for inflation. Before they apply, you subtract the standard deduction, which is $8,750 for a single filer and $17,500 for a couple in 2026, plus a $930 personal exemption per filer. The calculator combines those into one $9,680 (single) or $19,360 (joint) shelter. The brackets are identical for every filing status:
| Bracket | Rate applies to taxable income |
|---|---|
| 2% | up to $3,000 |
| 3% | $3,001 – $5,000 |
| 5% | $5,001 – $17,000 |
| 5.75% | over $17,000 |
Take-home pay at common Virginia salaries
Single filer, no 401(k) or health premiums, 2026 figures:
| Salary | Federal tax | FICA | VA tax | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $2,061 | $40,294 |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $3,498 | $58,094 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $4,936 | $74,244 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $7,811 | $105,980 |
What makes a Virginia paycheck different
The strange thing about Virginia's "graduated" tax is how fast it stops graduating. The lower brackets cover just $17,000 of taxable income — a rounding error on a modern salary. Past that, every extra dollar pays 5.75%, so in practice Virginia behaves like a flat-tax state with a small discount at the bottom. Because the thresholds were set in 1990 and never indexed, bracket creep has quietly done the work of several tax increases.
The second difference is what Virginia does not do: there is no local wage tax anywhere in the Commonwealth. Counties and cities raise money from real estate and personal property — the infamous car tax — instead of your paycheck. If you moved from Maryland, Pennsylvania or Ohio, the missing county line on your stub is real, not an error.
Third, the deduction story. Virginia's standard deduction has been raised in steps in recent years, reaching $8,750 single and $17,500 joint for 2026, and it is scheduled to rise further in 2027. It is still barely half the federal deduction, which is why your Virginia taxable income ends up thousands higher than your federal taxable income even on identical pay.
Northern Virginia adds a commuter wrinkle: work in DC and DC cannot tax your wages (only DC residents pay DC income tax), so Virginia taxes them instead. Work in Maryland and the two states have reciprocity — you file and pay only in Virginia. Either way, a NoVA paycheck usually carries exactly one state tax line.
Mistakes Virginia workers make
- Reading 5.75% as their effective rate. The lower brackets and the $9,680 combined shelter pull the real rate down — about 4.7% of gross on a $75,000 salary. Budgeting at the marginal rate overstates the damage.
- Assuming the brackets adjust for inflation. They do not and never have. A cost-of-living raise in Virginia quietly pushes more of your pay into the top bracket's territory, unlike the federal system, which indexes every year.
- Looking for a county tax that does not exist. Virginia localities tax property, not wages. If your stub shows a local income tax line, you are probably looking at a job based in another state — or a Maryland/DC commuter situation.
An example you can check
Take a $75,000 salary, single filer, no 401(k). Federal tax comes to $7,670. Social Security takes $4,650 and Medicare $1,088. Virginia tax: taxable income is $75,000 − $9,680 = $65,320, and the brackets produce $3,498. Take-home: $58,094 a year, $2,234.39 every two weeks.
File jointly on a $95,000 household salary and the deduction doubles: federal tax $7,040, FICA $7,268, state tax $4,092, take-home $76,601, or $2,946.18 per check. Now add a 6% 401(k) and $3,000 of health premiums to the single $75,000 case. Federal tax falls to $6,020, state tax to $3,067, and you keep $52,905 while banking $4,500 for retirement. Watch what barely moved: FICA. Your 401(k) dodges income tax, never payroll tax.
Frequently asked questions
What is Virginia's standard deduction for 2026?
How much state tax does Virginia take on $100,000?
Does Virginia have local or county income taxes?
I live in Virginia but work in DC or Maryland. Where do I pay?
Why does Virginia's top rate start so low?
More paycheck calculators
Or use the national paycheck calculator to switch between states, or browse all twenty states from the paycheck hub.
Sources & methodology
The 2026 federal and Virginia figures in this calculator come from official tax sources — Virginia Tax's published standard deduction amounts and rate schedule for tax year 2026, at tax.virginia.gov — and are documented on our methodology page. To see where each line lands on a real stub, read how to read your pay stub and what is taken from your gross pay.