What are Virginia's income tax brackets for 2026?

Virginia has four income tax brackets: 2% on the first $3,000, 3% on $3,001–$5,000, 5% on $5,001–$17,000, and 5.75% on income above $17,000. These brackets are the same for all filing statuses. The top 5.75% rate kicks in at a relatively low threshold compared to most states.

Does Virginia have a personal exemption?

Yes. Virginia allows a personal exemption of $930 per person. Single filers get one exemption ($930), while married filing jointly filers get two ($1,860). This is subtracted from your income along with the standard deduction before calculating state tax.

Does Virginia have a local income tax?

No. Unlike Maryland or Ohio, Virginia does not impose any local or county income taxes. The only state-level income tax you pay is the Virginia income tax (2%–5.75%). This makes Virginia's tax structure simpler than neighboring states with local tax add-ons.

How does Virginia's tax compare to neighboring states like Maryland and North Carolina?

Virginia's top rate of 5.75% is lower than Maryland's top rate of 5.75% plus local taxes (which can add 2.25%–3.2%). North Carolina has a flat 4.5% rate, making it cheaper for higher earners. On an $80,000 salary, Virginia state tax is roughly $3,829 vs about $4,500+ in Maryland (with locals) and $3,150 in North Carolina.

Virginia Paycheck Calculator 2026

Virginia's top 5.75% rate kicks in at just $17,001. See your take-home pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes.

Calculate your Virginia take-home pay after all taxes

Gross annual salary

Pay frequency

Filing status

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Virginia's top 5.75% rate kicks in at just $17,001 of taxable income. But with an $8,000 standard deduction and $930 personal exemption, most workers earning $80K pay about 4.8% in VA state tax. No local income tax applies.

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How to Use This Calculator

Tab "Take-Home Pay"

Enter your gross annual salary, pay frequency, and filing status. The calculator applies 2026 federal income tax brackets, Virginia state income tax brackets (2%–5.75%), and FICA taxes (Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200K). Virginia has no SDI or local income tax. Expand "More options" to add pre-tax 401(k) contributions and health insurance premiums. The result shows your net take-home per paycheck plus a full annual summary.

Tab "Tax Breakdown"

This tab shows a visual pie chart of where every dollar of your salary goes: federal tax, VA state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and take-home pay. It calculates how many cents of each dollar you actually keep and your combined effective tax rate. Use this to understand your true tax burden as a Virginia resident.

Tab "Compare Filing Status"

See your take-home pay calculated side-by-side as Single, Married Filing Jointly, and Head of Household. The comparison table shows federal tax, VA state tax, FICA, and net take-home for each status. The best option is highlighted in green so you can instantly see which filing status saves you the most money.

The Formulas

Federal Income Tax (2026 brackets):
Taxable income = Gross salary − Pre-tax deductions − Standard deduction
Single: $15,750 · MFJ: $31,500 · HoH: $23,500
Tax = Sum of (taxable income in each bracket × bracket rate)
Brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%

Virginia State Income Tax (2026 rates):
VA taxable income = Gross − Pre-tax deductions − VA standard deduction − Personal exemption
Standard deduction: $8,000 (single) / $16,000 (MFJ)
Personal exemption: $930 per person (1 single, 2 MFJ)
Tax = Sum of (VA taxable in each bracket × rate)
Brackets: 2% ($0–$3,000), 3% ($3,001–$5,000), 5% ($5,001–$17,000), 5.75% ($17,001+)
Same brackets apply to all filing statuses

FICA Taxes:
Social Security = 6.2% × min(Gross salary, $184,500)
Medicare = 1.45% × Gross salary
Additional Medicare = 0.9% × max(0, Gross − $200,000)

Take-Home Pay:
Net = Gross − Federal tax − VA tax − SS − Medicare − Pre-tax deductions
Per paycheck = Net ÷ Number of pay periods

Virginia conforms to the federal OBBBA provisions for overtime and tips. This means the federal deductions for overtime premium pay and cash tips (2025–2028) also reduce your Virginia taxable income, unlike states such as California that have decoupled from OBBBA.

Example

$80,000 Salary — Single, Biweekly, No 401(k)

Gross annual salary$80,000

VA standard deduction$8,000

VA personal exemption$930

VA taxable income$71,070

Federal income tax$9,049

VA state income tax$3,829

Social Security (6.2%)$4,960

Medicare (1.45%)$1,160

Total deductions$18,998

Annual take-home$61,002

Biweekly paycheck$2,346

On an $80,000 salary in Virginia, you keep about 76.3 cents of every dollar. Your combined effective tax rate is 23.7%. The largest chunk goes to federal income tax ($9,049), followed by Social Security ($4,960) and VA state tax ($3,829). Virginia has no SDI or local income tax, making its overall tax burden lower than Maryland or New York. Adding a 6% 401(k) contribution would reduce your federal and VA taxable income by $4,800, saving roughly $1,100 in taxes but reducing your per-paycheck take-home by about $143.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Virginia's income tax rate?▼

Virginia has a progressive income tax with four brackets: 2% on the first $3,000, 3% on $3,001 to $5,000, 5% on $5,001 to $17,000, and 5.75% on all income above $17,000. Unlike most states, Virginia uses the same brackets for all filing statuses. On an $80,000 salary (single), you would pay approximately $3,829 in VA state income tax, which works out to an effective state rate of about 4.8%.

Does Virginia have a local or county income tax?▼

No. Virginia does not impose any local, city, or county income taxes. This is a significant advantage over neighboring Maryland, where local income taxes add 2.25% to 3.2% on top of the state rate. In Virginia, the only income tax you pay at the state level is the Virginia income tax (2%–5.75%). This simplifies your tax situation and makes Virginia more affordable than Maryland for many workers, especially those commuting in the Northern Virginia/D.C. metro area.

What is Virginia's standard deduction and personal exemption?▼

Virginia's standard deduction is $8,000 for single filers and $16,000 for married filing jointly. On top of that, Virginia allows a personal exemption of $930 per person — so single filers get $930 and MFJ filers get $1,860. Both are subtracted from your gross income before applying the state tax brackets. For example, on an $80,000 salary (single), your VA taxable income is $80,000 − $8,000 − $930 = $71,070.

How does Virginia compare to Maryland and North Carolina for taxes?▼

On an $80,000 salary (single), Virginia state tax is roughly $3,829. Maryland charges a similar top state rate (5.75%) but also has local income taxes that add 2.25%–3.2%, pushing the total state+local tax to around $4,500–$5,000. North Carolina has a flat 4.5% rate, resulting in about $3,150 in state tax — roughly $680 less than Virginia. If you work in the D.C. metro area, Virginia is typically cheaper than Maryland but more expensive than states with no income tax (like Florida or Texas) or flat low-rate states like North Carolina.

How can I reduce my Virginia paycheck taxes?▼

The most effective strategies include: (1) Maximize pre-tax 401(k) contributions, which reduce both federal and VA taxable income. The 2026 limit is $24,500 ($32,500 if age 50+). (2) Use an HSA if you have a high-deductible health plan ($4,400 self / $8,750 family). (3) Pre-tax health insurance premiums reduce your taxable wages. (4) Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for dependent care or healthcare. Note that FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) apply to gross wages and cannot be reduced through these deductions. Virginia conforms to federal OBBBA, so overtime and tip deductions reduce your VA state tax as well.

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