2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Virginia

$15 an Hour in Virginia — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $15/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $31,200. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Virginia state income tax, your take-home pay is $12.58/hr. In Virginia's high cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Virginia.

Gross Annual
$31,200
Net Annual
$26,173
Net Monthly
$2,181
Net Hourly
$12.58

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $15.00 $2.42 $12.58
Daily (8 hrs) $120.00 $19.34 $100.66
Weekly (40 hrs) $600.00 $96.68 $503.32
Biweekly $1,200.00 $193.36 $1,006.64
Monthly $2,600.00 $418.94 $2,181.06
Annual $31,200 $5,027 $26,173

Full Tax Breakdown — Virginia, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $15/hr × 2,080 hrs $31,200
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $15,100
Federal Income Tax 5.0% −$1,564.00
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$1,934.40
Medicare (1.45%) −$452.40
Virginia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$8,000
Virginia State Income Tax 3.5% −$1,076.50
Total Tax 16.1% effective −$5,027.30
Net Take-Home $26,173

How Does Virginia Compare?

See how $15/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $422.38 $2,236/mo $26,827 Florida None $2,271/mo $27,249 New York $958.25 $2,191/mo $26,291 Texas None $2,271/mo $27,249 Washington None $2,271/mo $27,249
Open Full Calculator for Virginia — $15/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$15/hr = $31,200/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$31,200 salary in Virginia — full breakdown $31,200 after tax in Virginia $31,200 salary to hourly Virginia paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Virginia

$12/hr in Virginia$13/hr in Virginia$14/hr in Virginia$16/hr in Virginia$17/hr in Virginia$18/hr in Virginia

Same Rate, Other States

$15/hr in Alabama$15/hr in Alaska$15/hr in Arizona$15/hr in Arkansas$15/hr in California$15/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Virginia

✗ Difficult — $15/hr falls short in Virginia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/mo — over the 30% rule (58% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Virginia: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $26,173 ($23,827 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$12.6/hr

Working at $15/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 ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 120 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Richmond (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.1x Virginia's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Virginia is 16.1% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.0%, FICA 7.7%, and Virginia state tax 3.5%.

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 $15/hr in Virginia

Based on $2,181/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 68.8%
Food (groceries + dining) $262 $3,144 12.0%
Transportation $218 $2,616 10.0%
Utilities $131 $1,572 6.0%
Healthcare $109 $1,308 5.0%
Entertainment $109 $1,308 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $218 $2,616 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-366 $-4,392 -16.8%

⚠ This budget is underwater — rent alone exceeds the 30% guideline in Virginia at $15/hr. Consider roommates, lower-cost areas, or targeting a higher wage to reach balance.

Overtime Pay — $15/hr in Virginia

At time-and-a-half ($22.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Virginia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.2%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $113 $91 $4,550
10 hrs/week $225 $182 $9,100
20 hrs/week $450 $364 $18,200

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $15/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $12.58 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3.4 hrs 4 hrs
Week of groceries $120 8 hrs 9.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 53.3 hrs 63.5 hrs
1 month rent (Richmond) $1,500 100 hrs 119.3 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 666.7 hrs 794.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 3200 hrs 3814.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

15/hr in Virginia gives you $26,173/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 15 an hour after taxes in Virginia?

15/hr in Virginia = $26,173/year or $2,181/month net. Effective rate: 16.1%.

How does 15/hr go further -- Virginia or Texas?

15/hr in Virginia has similar purchasing power to ~12.6/hr in Texas.

What does 15/hr look like as a monthly budget in Virginia?

On $2,181/month in Virginia: rent $1,500, food $262, transport $218, savings $218, surplus ~$0.

How much does overtime add at 15/hr in Virginia?

At 1.5x (22.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$4,550/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$9,100/year.