Virginia Quarterly Tax Estimator 2026

Virginia Tax Overview for Estimated Payments

Virginia has a four-bracket progressive income tax with rates of 2%, 3%, 5%, and 5.75%. In practice, Virginia functions as a near-flat 5.75% state for nearly all workers, because the top bracket begins at just $17,000 of taxable income — a threshold set decades ago and never inflation-adjusted. A worker earning $30,000 gross crosses this threshold immediately after the standard deduction, meaning the vast majority of full-time workers pay 5.75% on nearly all their taxable income. Virginia's standard deduction of $8,750 for single filers is moderate. No Virginia city charges a local income tax on wages — Virginia Beach, Richmond, Norfolk, and Alexandria workers all pay only the statewide rate.

Here's what a single Virginia filer keeps in 2026. On a $50,000 salary, take-home is approximately $40,051 per year ($3,338/month) after federal, FICA, and state taxes. At $80,000, take-home is approximately $60,739 ($5,062/month), with the state taking $3,839. At $100,000, you keep about $73,659 ($6,138/month), with $4,989 going to Virginia. At $150,000, take-home is approximately $105,318 ($8,777/month), with the state taking $7,864. Virginia's effective rate for most earners is close to the full 5.75% top rate.

Compared to neighboring North Carolina (flat 3.99%), a Virginia worker at $80,000 takes home approximately $1,156 less per year. Against Maryland (4.75% state + county taxes up to 3.2%), Virginia suburban workers pay less combined than most Maryland workers. Against West Virginia (top 4.82% but with lower threshold), Virginia workers pay slightly more. Against Tennessee (no income tax), a Virginia worker at $80,000 pays $3,839 more per year — the cost of Virginia's state income tax.

Watch out: Virginia's $17,000 top bracket threshold is the central quirk of the state's income tax. It creates an unusual situation where a worker earning $25,000 and one earning $250,000 face essentially the same marginal rate of 5.75% on most of their income, despite being in very different financial situations. Virginia has repeatedly discussed bracket reform but hasn't enacted it. The practical implication: there's no income-based planning opportunity with Virginia taxes the way there might be in states with meaningful bracket progression — virtually all taxable income above a very modest amount is taxed at the top rate.