Virginia paycheck calculator
Virginia taxes wages on a four-bracket schedule whose top rate starts at a low level of taxable income, so most full-time workers pay the top rate on much of their pay. Withholding uses a published formula built on your Form VA-4 exemptions, and no Virginia city or county adds an income tax.
Take-home per paycheck
$2,234
- Take-home per year
- $58,094
- Total taxes per year
- $16,906
- Effective tax rate
- 22.5%
- Marginal tax rate
- 35.4%
- Assumes 1 personal exemption on Form VA-4 (yourself and dependents) and none for age 65+ or blindness.
Take-home per paycheck: $2,234 every 2 weeks
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,885 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$295 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security | −$179 | −$4,650 |
| Medicare | −$42 | −$1,088 |
| State income tax | −$135 | −$3,498 |
| Take-home pay | $2,234 | $58,094 |
- Take-home pay$58,09477%
- Federal income tax$7,67010%
- Social Security & Medicare$5,7388%
- State & local taxes$3,4985%
How Virginia taxes your paycheck
- Up to 5.75%
- Four brackets from 2% to 5.75%; the top rate applies to taxable income over $17,000 for every filing status.
- None
- Virginia has no state payroll tax withheld from employees.
- None
- Virginia counties and cities do not levy local income taxes on wages, so state income tax is the only Virginia tax withheld. There is no employee-paid state disability or paid family leave tax.
- 5.75%
- Bonuses paid separately may be withheld at a flat 5.75% (Virginia's top rate) when tax is already withheld from regular pay; otherwise the employer adds the bonus to regular wages and withholds on the total.
Virginia income tax rates for 2026
These are the return rates. Your employer withholds using Virginia's withholding method (Formula for computing tax to be withheld (Virginia Employer Withholding Guide, Rev. 10/26)), which the calculator above follows.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $3,000 | 2% |
| $3,000 – $5,000 | 3% |
| $5,000 – $17,000 | 5% |
| Over $17,000 | 5.75% |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard deduction — Single | $8,750 |
| Standard deduction — Married filing jointly | $17,500 |
| Standard deduction — Married filing separately | $8,750 |
| Standard deduction — Head of household (Head of household files as Filing Status 1 (single) in Virginia.) | $8,750 |
| Personal exemption (you, spouse, each dependent) | $930 |
| Additional exemption for age 65 or older, or blind (each) | $800 |
$55,690 in Virginia
$55,690 is the median annual wage in Virginia (May 2025, BLS OEWS). A single filer paid every two weeks with no other income or deductions takes home $44,539 a year, or $1,713 per paycheck.
| Line | Every 2 weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,142 | $55,690 |
| Federal income tax | -$173 | -$4,503 |
| Social Security | -$133 | -$3,453 |
| Medicare | -$31 | -$808 |
| State income tax | -$92 | -$2,388 |
| Take-home pay | $1,713 | $44,539 |
How Virginia withholding is calculated
Virginia Tax publishes a formula for exact withholding. Your employer annualizes your pay for the period, subtracts the standard deduction and a fixed amount for each exemption on your Form VA-4, applies the rate schedule to what is left, and divides the annual tax by the number of paydays.
The withholding formula uses the single standard deduction for everyone, whatever your filing status. Married couples filing jointly get the larger standard deduction on their return, which is one reason many Virginia couples receive a refund.
Virginia Tax notes that the federal percentage method or a fixed percentage of federal withholding cannot produce correct Virginia withholding, because the state's deductions and exemptions differ from federal ones.
Filling in Form VA-4
Claim one exemption for yourself, one for your spouse if your spouse is not claimed on their own VA-4, and one for each dependent you will claim on your return. Extra exemptions are available if you or your spouse will be 65 or older or are legally blind, and those are worth slightly less than a personal exemption.
If you never turn in a VA-4, your employer must withhold as if you claimed no exemptions.
Pre-tax deductions
Virginia follows the federal definition of income subject to withholding. Traditional 401(k) and 403(b) deferrals, pre-tax health premiums and HSA contributions through a cafeteria plan are therefore left out of Virginia withholding wages, just as they are for federal withholding.
No local income tax or employee payroll taxes
Virginia localities, including Fairfax County, Arlington, Virginia Beach and Richmond, do not tax wages. They raise money through real estate, personal property and local sales taxes instead.
There is no employee-paid state disability or paid family leave tax, and Virginia unemployment tax is handled by employers through the Virginia Employment Commission.
What changed recently
- 2025: The 2025 General Assembly raised the standard deduction to $8,750 for single filers and $17,500 for married couples filing jointly for Taxable Years 2025 and 2026, and Virginia Tax issued new withholding tables and a new formula for wages paid after July 1, 2025. Source
- 2026: The 2026 General Assembly kept the standard deduction at the same level for Tax Year 2026 with increases starting in Tax Year 2027, and reinstated the eligible educator expense deduction starting with 2026 returns. Source
Questions people ask
What are Virginia's income tax brackets for 2026?
Virginia has four brackets that are the same for every filing status: 2% on the first $3,000 of taxable income, 3% on the next $2,000, 5% from $5,000 to $17,000, and 5.75% on everything over $17,000.
What is the Virginia standard deduction for 2026?
$8,750 for single filers (including head of household) and married filing separately, and $17,500 for married couples filing jointly. Virginia Tax confirmed these amounts stay the same for Tax Year 2026.
Does Northern Virginia have a local income tax?
No. Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria and every other Virginia county and city do not tax wages. Only state income tax is withheld.
How are bonuses taxed in Virginia?
If a bonus is paid on its own and your employer already withholds Virginia tax from your regular pay, it may withhold a flat 5.75% from the bonus. Otherwise it adds the bonus to your regular wages for the period and withholds on the combined amount.
How many exemptions should I claim on Form VA-4?
One for yourself, one for your spouse if your spouse does not claim themselves on their own VA-4, and one for each dependent. Add one each if you or your spouse will be 65 or older on January 1, or are legally blind. You cannot claim more than you will be allowed on your return without written permission from Virginia Tax.
Why is Virginia withholding different from what my federal W-4 suggests?
Virginia uses its own exemptions and standard deduction, so it ignores the federal W-4 steps entirely. You need to give your employer a separate Form VA-4.
Sources
- Income Tax Withholding Guide for Employers (Rev. 10/26) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Withholding Tables for Wages Paid after July 1, 2025 · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form VA-4 Employee's Virginia Income Tax Withholding Exemption Certificate (Rev. 04/26) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- 2025 Form 760 Resident Individual Income Tax Instructions · retrieved 2026-10-16
- New Virginia Tax Laws (published July 7, 2026) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 inflation-adjusted tax items · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Form 1040-ES (2026), Estimated Tax for Individuals · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 1-A (Form 1040) 2026, Additional Deductions (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Schedule 8812 (Form 1040) 2026, Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents (early-release draft) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts: Individuals and workers (tips, overtime, seniors, car loan interest) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Working Families Tax Cuts provisions (charitable deduction for non-itemizers, Section 70424) · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Child Tax Credit · retrieved 2026-10-16
- IR-2025-111: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026 · retrieved 2026-10-16
- Rev. Proc. 2025-19: 2026 HSA limits · retrieved 2026-10-16
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, median annual wage by state · retrieved 2026-10-16