Va Paycheck Calculator
Virginia’s income tax looks progressive on paper and works like a flat tax in practice. The four brackets have not moved since 2004, so the top rate of 5.75% kicks in at just $17,000 of taxable income, which means almost every working Virginian pays it on most of their pay. This calculator shows your real per-paycheck numbers: enter your annual salary and filing status to get federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Virginia tax broken out per check and per year, with the state’s $8,750 standard deduction and $930 personal exemption handled properly. Comparing offers across state lines? Our Massachusetts salary calculator runs the same honest 2026 math for a flat-tax state.
Quick Answer
An $85,000 salary in Virginia (single filer, biweekly) nets $2,482.85 per paycheck: $379.62 federal tax, $202.69 Social Security, $47.40 Medicare, and $156.67 Virginia state tax. Annual take-home is $64,554.10. The Virginia line is $4,073.40 a year, an effective state rate of 4.79%, because the 5.75% top bracket starts at just $17,000 of taxable income. Enter your salary above.
- The brackets are frozen in time. Virginia's four brackets have not changed since 2004 and are not indexed for inflation, so the 5.75% top rate hits at $17,000.
- The standard deduction is now indexed. For 2026 it is $8,750 single / $17,500 joint, up from last year, plus a $930 personal exemption per filer.
- No local income tax. Virginia cities and counties cannot levy income tax, though the DC and Maryland commuter rules still matter.
- Nearly flat in practice. Because the first three brackets cover only $17,000, most workers pay close to 5.75% on the bulk of their income.
Virginia's compressed brackets, explained
The whole Virginia system fits in one small table, and that is exactly the problem. The first three brackets cover only the first $17,000 of taxable income, a figure set when that was a much bigger salary. Everyone above it, which is nearly every full-time worker, pays 5.75% on every additional dollar:
| Taxable income | Rate | Tax at top of bracket |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $3,000 | 2% | $60 |
| $3,001 to $5,000 | 3% | $120 |
| $5,001 to $17,000 | 5% | $720 |
| Over $17,000 | 5.75% | $720 + 5.75% of the excess |
The brackets are marginal, but with only $720 of tax collected before the top rate, the marginal and effective rates converge fast. On $50,000 of taxable income the Virginia tax is $2,617.50, an effective rate of 5.24%. Before the brackets apply, you subtract Virginia's standard deduction ($8,750 single / $17,500 joint for 2026) and the $930 personal exemption per filer, which is why the calculator's Virginia taxable income is lower than the salary you enter.
How the paycheck math works
Virginia withholding starts from your federal adjusted gross income, then applies the state's own deduction and exemption before running the four brackets. The calculator follows that same sequence:
Check the tool with the worked example: $85,000 salary, single, biweekly. Virginia taxable income is $85,000 minus $8,750 minus $930 = $75,320. The bracket math gives $720 on the first $17,000 plus 5.75% on the remaining $58,320, which is $3,353.40, for $4,073.40 of Virginia tax. Federal tax on $68,900 of taxable income is $9,870. FICA is $6,502.50. Net per check: ($85,000 minus $20,445.90) divided by 26 = $2,482.85.
What rival Virginia calculators get wrong
The best-known Virginia tool, WorldSalaries, does honest 2026 bracket math but only reports annual averages, never a per-paycheck view, and it buries the Virginia-specific deduction mechanics. Generic paycheck calculators tend to apply the brackets to gross salary without subtracting the $8,750 standard deduction or the $930 exemption, which overstates Virginia tax by roughly $550 a year for a single filer. Several also still use the old $8,500/$17,000 standard deduction figures instead of the indexed 2026 amounts. None of the top results explain the reciprocity trap for DC and Maryland commuters: Virginia has agreements with both, so you owe tax where you live, not where you work, but only if the right withholding certificate is on file. This calculator models the deduction and exemption correctly, uses the 2026 indexed figures, and gives you the per-check breakdown WorldSalaries skips. If a raise is on the table, our salary raise calculator shows the new net per check, and the gross-up paycheck calculator works backward from the take-home pay you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
2% to $3,000, 3% to $5,000, 5% to $17,000, and 5.75% on everything above $17,000. The brackets have not changed since 2004 and are identical for all filing statuses.
Single filer, biweekly: about $379.62 federal, $202.69 Social Security, $47.40 Medicare, and $156.67 Virginia tax, leaving $2,482.85 net per check.
$8,750 for single filers and $17,500 for married filing jointly. The amounts were increased and indexed for inflation under the FY 2025-2026 budget bill.
No. Virginia cities and counties do not levy income taxes. Commuters to DC or Maryland should still check reciprocity so tax is withheld for the right jurisdiction.
Because the 5.75% top bracket starts at just $17,000 of taxable income, almost every full-time worker pays that rate on most of their income. The lower brackets only shelter the first $17,000.
Virginia, under the DC-Virginia reciprocity agreement. Give your DC employer Form D-4A so DC withholding stops and Virginia withholding starts; otherwise you will file in both places to sort it out.
No. Virginia fully exempts military retirement pay from state income tax, and Social Security benefits are exempt as well. This calculator covers wage income only.
$930 per taxpayer and per dependent ($1,860 for a joint return), subtracted from income before the brackets apply. Filers 65 or older or who are blind get an additional $800 exemption.
North Carolina's flat 3.99% rate is meaningfully lower than Virginia's effective ~5.75% for most workers. Tennessee has no wage income tax at all. Virginia's advantages are no local income tax and the military retirement exemption.
Divide the annual salary by 26. An $85,000 salary is $3,269.23 gross per biweekly check. Our annual to biweekly salary calculator covers every pay frequency.
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References
- Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Procedure 2025-32: 2026 inflation adjustments (federal brackets and standard deduction figures). Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Tax Foundation. 2026 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets (Virginia 2% to 5.75% schedule). Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Virginia Department of Taxation. Individual Income Tax (Accessed October 18, 2026).
- VisaVerge. Virginia 2026 State Income Tax Brackets and Standard Deduction Updates ($8,750/$17,500 indexed deduction, $930 exemption). Accessed October 18, 2026.
- IRS. Tax Withholding Estimator (Accessed October 18, 2026).
- LegalClarity. DC vs Virginia Income Tax Rates, Brackets and Reciprocity (reciprocity rules, Form D-4A). Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Social Security Administration. 2026 Social Security Changes Fact Sheet ($184,500 wage base). Accessed October 18, 2026. Note: SSA blocks automated bots; the page loads normally in browsers.
- Internal Revenue Service. Topic 551: Standard Deduction. Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes. Accessed October 18, 2026.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What is a debt-to-income ratio? Accessed October 18, 2026.