2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Virginia

$10 an Hour in Virginia — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $10/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $20,800. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Virginia state income tax, your take-home pay is $8.76/hr. In Virginia's high cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Virginia.

Gross Annual
$20,800
Net Annual
$18,229
Net Monthly
$1,519
Net Hourly
$8.76

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $10.00 $1.24 $8.76
Daily (8 hrs) $80.00 $9.89 $70.11
Weekly (40 hrs) $400.00 $49.45 $350.55
Biweekly $800.00 $98.89 $701.11
Monthly $1,733.33 $214.27 $1,519.07
Annual $20,800 $2,571 $18,229

Full Tax Breakdown — Virginia, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $10/hr × 2,080 hrs $20,800
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $4,700
Federal Income Tax 2.3% −$470.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,289.60
Medicare (1.45%) −$301.60
Virginia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$8,000
Virginia State Income Tax 2.5% −$510.00
Total Tax 12.4% effective −$2,571.20
Net Take-Home $18,229

How Does Virginia Compare?

See how $10/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $204.40 $1,545/mo $18,534 Florida None $1,562/mo $18,739 New York $512.00 $1,519/mo $18,227 Texas None $1,562/mo $18,739 Washington None $1,562/mo $18,739
Open Full Calculator for Virginia — $10/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$10/hr = $20,800/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$20,800 salary in Virginia — full breakdown $20,800 after tax in Virginia $20,800 salary to hourly Virginia paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Virginia

$11/hr in Virginia$12/hr in Virginia$13/hr in Virginia

Same Rate, Other States

$10/hr in Alabama$10/hr in Alaska$10/hr in Arizona$10/hr in Arkansas$10/hr in California$10/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Virginia

✗ Difficult — $10/hr falls short in Virginia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/mo — over the 30% rule (87% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Virginia: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $18,229 ($31,771 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$8.4/hr

Working at $10/hr in Virginia

Virginia's standard deduction of $8,000 provides meaningful shielding at lower incomes. Northern Virginia's costs are high — Arlington 1BR rents average $2,100+/month. Richmond, Hampton Roads, and western Virginia are considerably more affordable.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 172 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Richmond (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 0.7x Virginia's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Virginia is 12.4% -- federal income tax accounts for 2.3%, FICA 7.6%, and Virginia state tax 2.5%.

Virginia's economy is heavily influenced by the federal government — Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria) hosts the Pentagon, CIA, NSA, and thousands of defense contractors. Amazon HQ2 in Arlington has accelerated tech growth. Outside NoVA, Richmond has a growing finance and healthcare sector; Hampton Roads has a major military and defense presence.

Virginia has a progressive income tax with rates from 2% to 5.75%. The standard deduction is $8,000 for single filers. NoVA workers benefit from Virginia's rates while working near DC's salaries — a significant advantage over Maryland residents who also pay county income taxes.

Virginia's minimum wage is $13.50/hr (2026).

Monthly Budget on $10/hr in Virginia

Based on $1,519/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Virginia's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,500 $18,000 98.7%
Food (groceries + dining) $182 $2,184 12.0%
Transportation $152 $1,824 10.0%
Utilities $91 $1,092 6.0%
Healthcare $76 $912 5.0%
Entertainment $76 $912 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $152 $1,824 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-710 $-8,520 -46.7%

⚠ This budget is underwater — rent alone exceeds the 30% guideline in Virginia at $10/hr. Consider roommates, lower-cost areas, or targeting a higher wage to reach balance.

Overtime Pay — $10/hr in Virginia

At time-and-a-half ($15.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Virginia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~16.4%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $75 $63 $3,150
10 hrs/week $150 $125 $6,250
20 hrs/week $300 $251 $12,550

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $10/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $8.76 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 5 hrs 5.8 hrs
Week of groceries $120 12 hrs 13.7 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 79.9 hrs 91.2 hrs
1 month rent (Richmond) $1,500 150 hrs 171.2 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 1000 hrs 1141.1 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 4800 hrs 5477.1 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

10 an hour -- is it a good wage in Virginia?

10/hr in Virginia gives you $18,229/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Virginia. Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 10 an hour after taxes in Virginia?

10/hr in Virginia = $18,229/year or $1,519/month net. Effective rate: 12.4%.

How does 10/hr go further -- Virginia or Texas?

10/hr in Virginia has similar purchasing power to ~8.4/hr in Texas.

What does 10/hr look like as a monthly budget in Virginia?

On $1,519/month in Virginia: rent $1,500, food $182, transport $152, savings $152, surplus ~$0.

How much does overtime add at 10/hr in Virginia?

At 1.5x (15.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$3,150/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$6,250/year.