District of Columbia Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Your hourly rate and hours in, your take-home pay out. Overtime is paid at 1.5× your rate; tips you report are taxed like wages.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,600.00 | $41,600.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$108.15 | −$2,812.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$99.20 | −$2,579.20 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$23.20 | −$603.20 |
| District of Columbia income tax · withheld | −$78.38 | −$2,037.88 |
| Take-home pay | $1,291.07 | $33,567.72 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $1,600.00 × 26 paychecks | $41,600.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $33,000.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $2,812.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $108.15 |
IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A — the percentage method payroll software uses for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Your employer's figure can differ by a few cents because of rounding.
How the District of Columbia income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to D.C. tax, for the year · this paycheck × 26, after pre-tax 401(k) and benefits | $41,600.00 |
| Minus D-4 allowances · 1 × $4,300 | −$4,300.00 |
| Yearly taxable pay for withholding · no standard deduction in D.C. withholding | $37,300.00 |
| Yearly D.C. tax from the rate schedule · 4% to 10.75% | $2,038.00 |
| D.C. income tax this paycheck · ÷ 26 | $78.38 |
Hourly pay in District of Columbia
The D.C. minimum wage is $18.40 an hour from July 1, 2026, up from $17.95. It goes up each July 1 in line with local consumer prices.
Tipped workers. The base wage for tipped employees is $10.30 an hour from July 1, 2026, up from $10.00. Your wage plus tips must reach at least $18.40 an hour.
Overtime. You must be paid at least 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.
Paydays. Hourly workers must be paid at least twice a month.
Because hours change from week to week, your withholding changes too: a week with lots of overtime is withheld as if you earned that much every week, so more comes out. It usually evens out when you file your return.
What comes out of a District of Columbia paycheck
- Federal income tax withholding — worked out from your pay and your Form W-4, using the IRS tables for 2026.
- Social Security — 6.2% of your pay, up to $184,500 of pay in 2026. Above that, it stops for the rest of the year.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000 in the year.
The District has a graduated income tax with seven rates. The Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) has not printed withholding tables since federal tax changes in 2018. Its latest withholding notice tells employers to use the D.C. tax rate schedule and the federal allowance amount for the year. This calculator follows that method:
- Your pay subject to income tax — after a traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance — is turned into a yearly amount.
- For each allowance on your Form D-4, $4,300 comes off. That is the federal allowance amount for 2026. No standard deduction is taken in D.C. withholding.
- What's left is taxed at 4% on the first $10,000, 6% up to $40,000, 6.5% up to $60,000, 8.5% up to $250,000, 9.25% up to $500,000, 9.75% up to $1,000,000, and 10.75% above that.
- That yearly tax is divided by your number of paychecks.
Payroll software may round a little differently, so your stub can be off by a few cents.
No other D.C. payroll tax comes out of your pay. Paid family leave is funded by employers at 0.75% of wages, and unemployment insurance is paid by employers too — D.C. law says it can't be deducted from your wages.
Tips and overtime in 2026
New federal deductions apply for 2025 through 2028: up to $25,000 for qualified tips, and up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) for the extra "half" of time-and-a-half overtime. Both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
These are deductions on your tax return. Your employer still takes Social Security and Medicare out of tips and overtime, and still withholds income tax unless you tell it otherwise. If you expect to claim them, you can put the expected amount in Step 4(b) of your W-4 (and in the Step 4(b) box above) so less income tax is withheld during the year.
Other District of Columbia calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026 · Hourly to salary · Salary to hourly
Other states: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- IRS — tips and overtime deductions
- D.C. Code § 47-1806.03 — Tax on residents and estates and trusts; rates — (a)(11), taxable years after Dec. 31, 2021: 4% to $10,000; 6% to $40,000; 6.5% to $60,000; 8.5% to $250,000; 9.25% to $500,000; 9.75% to $1,000,000; 10.75% above
- D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue — OTR Tax Notice 2022-08, District of Columbia Withholding for Tax Year 2022 — no withholding tables after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; use the D.C. tax rate schedule and the federal allowance amount for the year; lump sums at 10.75%
- D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue — 2017 FR-230 Income Tax Withholding Instructions and Tables — percentage method: allowances × allowance amount subtracted from wages, then the rate table; the standard deduction is not used in withholding; D-4A for nonresidents
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — 2026 withholding allowance amount $4,300 (Worksheet 1A, line 1k)
- D.C. Code § 47-1812.08 — Withholding of tax — employers withhold using a method similar to IRC § 3402; employees give a withholding exemption certificate (D-4)
- D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue — Form D-4A, Certificate of Nonresidence in the District of Columbia — nonresidents file D-4A so no D.C. tax is withheld; nonresident = permanent home outside D.C. all year and fewer than 183 days living in D.C.; file a D-4 on becoming a resident
- D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue — Withholding Tax Forms — Form D-4 and D-4A listed (under review as of checking)
- D.C. Department of Employment Services — District of Columbia Minimum Wage Increase (2026 notice) — $17.95 → $18.40 an hour and tipped base wage $10.00 → $10.30 on July 1, 2026 (CPI adjustment)
- D.C. Department of Employment Services — 2026 Minimum Wage Poster — $18.40 from July 1, 2026; tipped $10.30 from July 1, 2026; overtime 1.5× over 40 hours a week
- D.C. Department of Employment Services — Office of Wage-Hour Compliance — enforces minimum wage and tipped wage laws; wage claims; (202) 671-1880
- D.C. Code § 32-541.03 — Universal paid leave contributions — a covered employer contributes 0.75% of each covered employee's wages
- D.C. Department of Employment Services — Office of Paid Family Leave, Employer Information — 0.75% employer tax rate throughout 2026
- D.C. Code § 51-103 — Unemployment contributions — contributions paid by the employer and not deducted from employees' wages
- D.C. Code § 32-1302 — Payment of wages — at least twice each calendar month (bona fide executive, administrative and professional employees at least monthly); payday no more than 10 working days after the pay period ends
- D.C. Code § 32-1303 — Payment of wages upon discharge or resignation — discharged: by the next working day; quit: next regular payday or within 7 days, whichever is earlier
Questions
What are the D.C. income tax rates in 2026?
4% on the first $10,000 of taxable income, rising in steps to 10.75% on taxable income above $1,000,000.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in District of Columbia?
For a single filer paid every two weeks with nothing else on the W-4, a $1,000 paycheck has about $38.08 of federal income tax, $62.00 of Social Security and $14.50 of Medicare taken out, $42.38 of District of Columbia income tax, leaving $843.04. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in District of Columbia?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,291.07 after tax per paycheck — $33,567.72 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
I work in D.C. but live somewhere else. Is D.C. tax taken out?
No. D.C. taxes the wages of its residents. Give your employer Form D-4A to show you live outside the District. Your home state's tax rules then apply.
Does D.C. take anything else out of my paycheck?
No other D.C. payroll tax. Paid family leave and unemployment insurance are paid by employers.
When do I get my last paycheck in D.C.?
By the next working day if you are fired. If you quit, by your next regular payday or within 7 days, whichever is earlier.