The plain-English guide to how Virginia taxes you, plus a calculator that estimates your income, sales, and property tax. No jargon, no signup. Switch to California anytime to compare.
Estimate only, not tax advice. These are simplified Virginia numbers for tax year 2025, meant to help you understand how the system works. They skip credits, local variation, and your specific situation. For anything that matters, check with a tax professional or the official source.
We estimate sales-taxable spending at 25% of income. Rent, groceries, and most services aren't taxed.
The plain-English version. No jargon, no IRS-speak.
Virginia has four brackets: 2%, 3%, 5%, and 5.75%. The top 5.75% rate kicks in at just $17,000 of taxable income, so almost everyone with a full-time job pays the top rate on most of their income. It works out to a roughly flat 5.75% for typical earners, with a small break on the first $17,000.
Unlike the federal system and most states, Virginia does not widen the brackets for married couples. A single filer and a married couple hit the 5.75% rate at the exact same $17,000.
Those thresholds ($3k / $5k / $17k) have not changed since 1990 and are not adjusted for inflation. As wages rise, more of everyone's income lands in the top bracket: bracket creep by design. The legislature does occasionally raise the standard deduction to offset it.
For 2025 the standard deduction is $8,750 single / $17,500 married filing jointly (recently raised). On top of that you subtract a $930 exemption for each filer and dependent. Social Security benefits are not taxed by Virginia at all.
Most of Virginia charges 5.3%. Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are 6.0%, and the Williamsburg area is 7.0%. Groceries and basic hygiene products get a reduced 1% rate.
There is no statewide property tax. Your county or city sets the rate, averaging about 0.78% of home value. Bills are much lower than California in dollar terms because Virginia home values are lower.
Virginia is one of the states that taxes vehicles every year (the "car tax"), assessed locally on your car's value. The state subsidizes the first $20,000 of value, but you will still get a bill each year you own a car.
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