2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Virginia

$42 an Hour in Virginia — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $42/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $87,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Virginia state income tax, your take-home pay is $31.72/hr. In Virginia's high cost-of-living environment, this is a comfortable living wage in Virginia.

Gross Annual
$87,360
Net Annual
$65,982
Net Monthly
$5,499
Net Hourly
$31.72

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $42.00 $10.28 $31.72
Daily (8 hrs) $336.00 $82.22 $253.78
Weekly (40 hrs) $1,680.00 $411.11 $1,268.89
Biweekly $3,360.00 $822.23 $2,537.77
Monthly $7,280.00 $1,781.50 $5,498.51
Annual $87,360 $21,378 $65,982

Full Tax Breakdown — Virginia, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $42/hr × 2,080 hrs $87,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $71,260
Federal Income Tax 11.9% −$10,389.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$5,416.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$1,266.72
Virginia Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$8,000
Virginia State Income Tax 4.9% −$4,305.70
Total Tax 24.5% effective −$21,377.94
Net Take-Home $65,982

How Does Virginia Compare?

See how $42/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $4,183.06 $5,509/mo $66,105 Florida None $5,857/mo $70,288 New York $4,212.41 $5,506/mo $66,075 Texas None $5,857/mo $70,288 Washington None $5,857/mo $70,288
Open Full Calculator for Virginia — $42/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$42/hr = $87,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$87,360 salary in Virginia — full breakdown $87,360 after tax in Virginia $87,360 salary to hourly Virginia paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Virginia

$39/hr in Virginia$40/hr in Virginia$41/hr in Virginia$43/hr in Virginia$44/hr in Virginia$45/hr in Virginia

Same Rate, Other States

$42/hr in Alabama$42/hr in Alaska$42/hr in Arizona$42/hr in Arkansas$42/hr in California$42/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Virginia

✓ Comfortable — $42/hr covers costs in Virginia
  • Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/mo — within budget (21% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Virginia: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $65,982 ($15,982 above comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$35.3/hr

Working at $42/hr in Virginia

At this level in Virginia, the Amazon HQ2 effect has been significant — tech wages in Northern Virginia have risen to compete with San Francisco and Seattle, but at Virginia's 5.75% max state rate (vs California's 13.3%). This creates one of the best net-of-tax high-wage positions on the East Coast for tech workers.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 48 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Richmond (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's within the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 3.1x Virginia's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Virginia is 24.5% -- federal income tax accounts for 11.9%, FICA 7.6%, and Virginia state tax 4.9%.

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 $42/hr in Virginia

Based on $5,499/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 27.3%
Food (groceries + dining) $660 $7,920 12.0%
Transportation $550 $6,600 10.0%
Utilities $330 $3,960 6.0%
Healthcare $275 $3,300 5.0%
Entertainment $275 $3,300 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $550 $6,600 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $1,359 $16,308 24.7%

Overtime Pay — $42/hr in Virginia

At time-and-a-half ($63.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Virginia. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~29.2%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $315 $223 $11,150
10 hrs/week $630 $446 $22,300
20 hrs/week $1,260 $892 $44,600

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $42/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $31.72 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 1.2 hrs 1.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 2.9 hrs 3.8 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 19.1 hrs 25.2 hrs
1 month rent (Richmond) $1,500 35.8 hrs 47.3 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 238.1 hrs 315.3 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 1142.9 hrs 1513.2 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

42/hr in Virginia gives you $65,982/year after taxes -- a comfortable living wage in Virginia. Avg 1BR rent in Richmond: $1,500/month (within the 30% rule).

What is 42 an hour after taxes in Virginia?

42/hr in Virginia = $65,982/year or $5,499/month net. Effective rate: 24.5%.

How does 42/hr go further -- Virginia or Texas?

42/hr in Virginia has similar purchasing power to ~35.3/hr in Texas.

What does 42/hr look like as a monthly budget in Virginia?

On $5,499/month in Virginia: rent $1,500, food $660, transport $550, savings $550, surplus ~$1,359.

How much does overtime add at 42/hr in Virginia?

At 1.5x (63.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$11,150/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$22,300/year.