Virginia Paycheck Calculator 2026
Enter your pay and your VA-4 exemptions to see what lands in your bank account. Virginia taxes wages at rates from 2% to 5.75% — we show exactly how your employer withholds it.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,115.38 | $55,000.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$170.00 | −$4,420.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$131.15 | −$3,410.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$30.67 | −$797.50 |
| Virginia income tax · withheld | −$90.31 | −$2,348.06 |
| Take-home pay | $1,693.25 | $44,024.44 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $2,115.38 × 26 paychecks | $55,000.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $46,400.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $4,420.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $170.00 |
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 Virginia income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to Va. tax, for the year · this paycheck × 26 | $55,000.00 |
| Minus Va. standard deduction for withholding | −$8,750.00 |
| Minus personal and dependent exemptions · 1 × $930 | −$930.00 |
| Yearly taxable pay for withholding | $45,320.00 |
| Yearly Va. tax from the rate table · 2% / 3% / 5% / 5.75%, rounded to the dollar | $2,348.00 |
| Va. income tax this paycheck · ÷ 26 | $90.31 |
What comes out of a Virginia 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.
Virginia has a graduated income tax with four rates. Employers withhold it using the formula in Virginia Tax's withholding guide:
- Your pay subject to income tax — after a traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, as for federal tax — is turned into a yearly amount.
- The standard deduction for withholding, $8,750, is subtracted. Then $930 comes off for each personal and dependent exemption on your VA-4, and $800 for each age 65+ or blind exemption.
- What's left is taxed at 2% on the first $3,000, 3% from $3,000 to $5,000, 5% from $5,000 to $17,000, and 5.75% above $17,000.
- That yearly tax is divided by your number of paychecks.
Virginia has no employee-paid state payroll programs. Unemployment insurance is paid by employers, and no part of it is taken from your pay.
What's different about Virginia
One standard deduction for every paycheck
For withholding, the formula uses the same $8,750 standard deduction whether you're single or married. On your return, married couples filing jointly get $17,500, but each spouse's employer withholds on its own paycheck with $8,750. So your filing status on the federal W-4 does not change your Virginia withholding here.
Your VA-4 exemptions
The VA-4 is Virginia's version of the W-4. You claim 1 for yourself, 1 for your spouse if your spouse doesn't claim it on their own form, and 1 for each dependent. Each of these lowers your yearly taxable pay by $930. If you'll be 65 or older on January 1, or you are legally blind, you claim a separate exemption worth $800 each. If you never gave your employer a VA-4, it must withhold as if you claimed no exemptions — enter 0 above to match.
Where the top rate starts
The top 5.75% rate starts at $17,000 of taxable pay after deductions. Every dollar above that line is taxed at 5.75%; the lower rates only apply to the first $17,000.
Paydays and your last paycheck
Virginia law says hourly employees must be paid at least every two weeks or twice a month, and salaried employees at least once a month. Each payday you get a pay stub or online statement showing your rate, gross pay and each deduction. When you leave a job, your final wages are due on or before the day you would have been paid for that work.
Unpaid wages
You can file a wage complaint with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. Under state law, a claim must be brought within 3 years. A court can award the wages owed plus an equal amount in damages, and triple the wages if the employer broke the law knowingly.
Why your paycheck might differ from this
- Your W-4. Credits for children (Step 3), a checked Step 2 box, or extra withholding (Step 4c) change the federal amount a lot. Open "Tips, 401(k), health insurance and W-4 details" above to enter them.
- Benefits taken before tax. Health insurance through work usually lowers income tax and Social Security and Medicare. A traditional 401(k) lowers income tax only.
- Rounding. Payroll software may round each step, so a few cents of difference is normal.
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 Virginia calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026
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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
- Virginia Tax — Income Tax Withholding Guide for Employers (Rev. 05/25) — formula: $8,750 standard deduction, $930 per personal/dependent exemption, $800 per age 65+/blind exemption; rate table; worked example; no VA-4 → no exemptions
- Virginia Tax — Withholding Tables for Wages Paid after July 1, 2025 — same formula; standard deduction increase runs through taxable year 2026
- Code of Virginia § 58.1-320 — Individual income tax rates — 2% to $3,000; 3% to $5,000; 5% to $17,000; 5.75% above
- Virginia Tax — New Virginia tax laws — standard deduction stays $8,750 single / $17,500 joint for tax year 2026; increases from 2027
- Virginia Tax — Form VA-4, Employee's Virginia Income Tax Withholding Exemption Certificate (Rev. 04/26)
- Virginia Employment Commission — Are unemployment benefits or taxes deducted from my pay? — no part of the cost is deducted from earnings
- Virginia Department of Labor and Industry — Virginia minimum wage rate increasing effective January 1, 2026 — $12.77 from January 1, 2026; tipped employees at least $2.13 cash wage, with tips bringing total to the minimum wage
- Code of Virginia § 40.1-28.10 — Minimum wages — $12.77 in 2026, $13.75 from January 1, 2027, $15.00 from January 1, 2028
- Code of Virginia § 40.1-29.2 — Overtime — follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act
- Code of Virginia § 40.1-29 — Time and medium of payment; final pay; pay statements; wage claims
Questions
What are the Virginia income tax rates in 2026?
2% on the first $3,000 of taxable income, 3% up to $5,000, 5% up to $17,000, and 5.75% above that.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in Virginia?
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, $26.38 of Virginia income tax, leaving $859.04. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in Virginia?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,308.76 after tax per paycheck — $34,027.66 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What happens if I didn't fill out a VA-4?
Your employer must withhold Virginia tax as if you claimed no exemptions, which means more is withheld.
Does Virginia take anything else out of my paycheck?
No other state payroll tax. Unemployment insurance is paid by employers only.
When do I get my last paycheck in Virginia?
On or before the day you would have been paid for that work if you had stayed.