This free Virginia paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It covers federal income tax, Virginia state tax, Social Security and Medicare. Virginia looks graduated on paper, running from 2% to 5.75%. In practice almost everyone pays the top rate on the bulk of their income. That is because 5.75% kicks in at just $17,000 of taxable income.
Unlike Maryland next door, Virginia has no county or city income taxes. Arlington, Richmond and Virginia Beach paychecks carry identical state deductions. The calculator uses the 2026 standard deduction of $8,750 for single filers. That number has an expiration date worth knowing about, covered below.
How Virginia taxes your paycheck in 2026
Virginia's brackets run 2%, 3%, 5% and 5.75%. Graduated means the rate climbs as your income climbs. The top rate starts at only $17,000 of taxable income. That threshold has not moved in decades and applies to every filing status, single or married. The result is basically a 5.75% flat tax with a small discount on the first $17,000. On a $60,000 salary, the graduated structure saves you barely anything versus a true flat 5.75%.
What actually shields your income is the standard deduction. It is $8,750 for single filers and heads of household, and $17,500 for joint filers in 2026. Each person also gets a $930 exemption. Together they keep the first $9,680 of a single filer's income out of Virginia tax entirely.
There are no local income taxes anywhere in Virginia. There are also no state payroll premiums for disability or family leave. So a Virginia stub is short: federal tax, Virginia tax, Social Security, Medicare, and whatever benefits you chose.
The 2027 sunset: why this deduction may shrink
Virginia's generous standard deduction is temporary law. Unless the General Assembly extends it, the deduction is scheduled to shrink after 2026. It would drop from $8,750 single and $17,500 joint back to $3,000 and $6,000 in 2027. That would push roughly $5,750 more of a single filer's income into the 5.75% bracket. The cost is about $330 a year in extra tax with no change in your salary.
Extensions have passed before and may pass again. Do not bank on it when you plan. Your VA-4 form tells your employer how much tax to take out. If you set it or your budget off this year's numbers, put a note in your calendar for January 2027. Then check whether the deduction survived.
This calculator uses the confirmed 2026 amounts. It will be updated for 2027 whichever way the legislature goes.
Commuters, DC reciprocity and what a VA paycheck looks like
Northern Virginia runs on cross-border commutes, and the tax rules cooperate. Virginia has reciprocity deals with DC, Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky. Reciprocity means you pay income tax only to the state you live in. So a Virginia resident working in DC pays only Virginia tax. There is no DC return and no double tax taken out. DC rates climb well past Virginia's 5.75%. Living on the Virginia side of the Potomac is a real tax decision, not just a housing one.
In practice a single filer on $60,000 keeps just under 80% of gross pay in Virginia. That is a point or two better than a Montgomery County, Maryland resident on the same salary. The reason is simple: Maryland stacks a roughly 3% county tax on top and Virginia stacks nothing.
Pre-tax savings work the standard way. 401(k) contributions skip federal and Virginia income tax but still pay FICA, the Social Security and Medicare tax. HSA money taken from your paycheck skips all three, because Virginia follows the federal HSA rule. Use the calculator fields above to see both at your own salary.
Virginia paycheck FAQ
- How much is $60,000 after taxes in Virginia?
- A single filer on $60,000 with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $47,754 a year in 2026. That is roughly $1,837 per biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate is about 20.4%. That covers federal income tax, Virginia state tax, Social Security and Medicare. Virginia charges no county or city income tax, so the figure holds statewide.
- How much is $100,000 after taxes in Virginia?
- A single filer on $100,000 with no pre-tax deductions keeps about $74,244 a year in 2026. That is roughly $2,856 per biweekly paycheck. The total tax rate is about 25.8%. Virginia's top rate of 5.75% starts at just $17,000 of taxable income. Nearly all of this salary is taxed at that rate.
- Is Virginia basically a flat-tax state?
- Close to it. Virginia's top 5.75% rate starts at just $17,000 of taxable income, for every filing status. So the bulk of a typical salary is taxed at 5.75%. The graduated 2%, 3% and 5% bands below that save you only a small fixed amount. The standard deduction does more work than the brackets do.
- What happens to Virginia's standard deduction in 2027?
- Unless the legislature extends it, the deduction shrinks in 2027. It goes from $8,750 single and $17,500 joint down to $3,000 and $6,000. That is roughly $330 a year more tax for a typical single filer, with no change in pay. This calculator uses the confirmed 2026 amounts and will update when 2027 is settled.
- I live in Virginia and work in DC — do I pay DC taxes?
- No, you do not. Reciprocity means Virginia residents working in DC pay only Virginia income tax. The same holds if you work in Maryland, West Virginia or Kentucky. Make sure your employer takes out tax for Virginia, not for the place you work. Otherwise you spend filing season chasing a refund you should never have paid.
Sources
All sources accessed and figures verified August 2026.