Take-home pay compared · Tax year 2026
Maryland vs Virginia taxes
On the state tax alone, Maryland charges less. Then every Maryland county adds its own income tax, and Virginia has none. Pick a county and type your salary to see where that leaves you.
Maryland
$2,161.67
take-home a paycheck · $56,203 a year
Effective tax rate 25.1%
Virginia
$2,234.40
take-home a paycheck · $58,094 a year
Effective tax rate 22.5%
On $75,000, you keep $1,891 more a year in Virginia than in Maryland. That is $72.73 a paycheck, paid every two weeks.
| Deduction | Maryland | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | −$295.00 | −$295.00 |
| Social Security & Medicare | −$220.67 | −$220.67 |
| State income tax | −$123.03 | −$134.55 |
| State payroll deductions | None | None |
| Local income taxMontgomery County | −$84.25 | None |
| Total tax | −$722.95 | −$650.22 |
| Take-home | $2,161.67 | $2,234.40 |
Income and payroll taxes only, for wage income with no pre-tax deductions or dependents. Full working for each side: Maryland paycheck calculator · Virginia paycheck calculator.
Maryland and Virginia side by side, 2026
| Maryland | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | 2% – 6.5% | 2% – 5.75% |
| Standard deduction (single) | $3,350 + $3,200 exemption | $8,750 + $930 exemption |
| Payroll deductions | None | None |
| Local income tax | 2.25% – 3.3% by county | None |
Take-home at every salary
| Salary | Maryland | Virginia | Difference | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $24,473 | $25,374 | $901 | Virginia |
| $40,000 | $31,713 | $32,834 | $1,121 | Virginia |
| $50,000 | $38,953 | $40,294 | $1,341 | Virginia |
| $60,000 | $46,193 | $47,754 | $1,561 | Virginia |
| $75,000 | $56,203 | $58,094 | $1,891 | Virginia |
| $100,000 | $71,803 | $74,244 | $2,441 | Virginia |
| $125,000 | $87,162 | $90,330 | $3,168 | Virginia |
| $150,000 | $102,082 | $105,980 | $3,898 | Virginia |
| $200,000 | $132,808 | $138,241 | $5,433 | Virginia |
| $250,000 | $162,713 | $169,621 | $6,908 | Virginia |
| $500,000 | $297,642 | $312,541 | $14,899 | Virginia |
| Salary | Maryland | Virginia | Difference | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $48,894 | $50,491 | $1,597 | Virginia |
| $80,000 | $63,374 | $65,411 | $2,037 | Virginia |
| $100,000 | $77,854 | $80,331 | $2,477 | Virginia |
| $150,000 | $112,354 | $115,931 | $3,577 | Virginia |
| $200,000 | $143,987 | $149,192 | $5,204 | Virginia |
| $250,000 | $177,728 | $184,464 | $6,735 | Virginia |
| $300,000 | $210,203 | $218,414 | $8,210 | Virginia |
| $400,000 | $274,920 | $286,314 | $11,394 | Virginia |
| $500,000 | $334,480 | $349,074 | $14,594 | Virginia |
The state tax is lower in Maryland. The county tax changes that.
Compare the two states’ own income taxes and Maryland comes out ahead. On $75,000 a single filer pays $3,199 in Maryland state tax and $3,498 in Virginia, so Maryland is $300 cheaper. Both states’ rates sit in a narrow range for most earners: 4.75% on most of a Maryland salary, 5.75% on most of a Virginia one, but Maryland’s standard deduction and exemption are smaller.
Then Maryland’s county income tax arrives, charged on the same taxable income. Every county and Baltimore City levies one, and Virginia has nothing like it. In Montgomery County, at 3.2%, it adds $2,190. That turns the result around: a single filer on $75,000 keeps $1,891 more a year in Virginia than in Montgomery County.
Neither state takes any other payroll deduction from employees in 2026, so the county tax is the whole story.
Which Maryland county makes the difference
The county rate decides the size of the gap. At $75,000 Virginia keeps more against every one of them. On $75,000, single:
- Worcester County (2.25%, the lowest): Virginia keeps $1,241 more
- Anne Arundel County (2.7% to 3.2% by bracket): $1,593 more
- Frederick County (one rate on all income, 2.96% at this salary): $1,727 more
- Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, Baltimore City (3.2%): $1,891 more
- Dorchester and Kent (3.3%, the cap): $1,959 more
The gap grows with salary. Against Montgomery County it is $1,341 on $50,000, $3,898 on $150,000 and $6,908 on $250,000. For a married couple filing jointly on $150,000 it is $3,577. The tables above use Montgomery County; pick your own county in the calculator.
Living in one state, working in the other
The DC region sends commuters across the Potomac in both directions, and the two states have a reciprocal agreement. Virginia Tax sets out its conditions: a resident of either state is exempt from the other’s income tax on wages earned there if they are present in that state for 183 days or less during the year, keep no home there, and receive only wage or salary income from it. For an ordinary commuter, that means you pay income tax where you live:
- Live in Virginia, work in Maryland: Virginia taxes the wages and you file one state return. No Maryland county tax applies, because you do not live in a Maryland county.
- Live in Maryland, work in Virginia: Maryland taxes your whole income, and so does your county. The Comptroller says plainly that local tax is based on where you live, not where you work.
The agreement covers wages only. Business or rental income from the other state is taxed there.
So for the many people choosing between Arlington and Bethesda for the same job, the comparison above is the right one: it is the state you live in that decides the tax.
What the take-home figure does not count
Take-home pay is only one side of the ledger. Housing costs, property taxes and commuting costs differ widely between Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs, and within each, and they often matter more than the tax gap. This page compares what is taken from wages.
Questions people ask
- Do you take home more in Maryland or Virginia on $75,000?
- Virginia, by $1,891 a year, or $158 a month, for a single filer in 2026. That counts federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax and every state payroll deduction, plus local income tax (for Montgomery County, Maryland).
- Is the difference the same at every salary?
- No, but the same side stays ahead. The gap is $901 a year at $30,000 and $6,908 at $250,000, for a single filer.
- Does Virginia have a county or city income tax?
- No. No Virginia city or county levies an income tax, so the state tax is the whole of it wherever you live in Virginia. Every Maryland county and Baltimore City does levy one.
- I live in Virginia and work in Maryland. Who taxes my wages?
- Virginia, in most cases. Under the two states' reciprocal agreement, a Virginia resident is exempt from Maryland tax on wages earned there if they spend 183 days or less in Maryland during the year, keep no home there, and have only wage or salary income from Maryland. The same rule works in reverse for Maryland residents working in Virginia.
- Which Maryland county rate applies to me?
- The county you live in, not the one you work in. Rates for 2026 run from 2.25% in Worcester County to 3.3% in Dorchester and Kent. The calculator above lets you pick any of the 24.
What this comparison covers
Income tax and payroll deductions on wages: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax, every state payroll deduction, and local income tax where there is one. It does not compare sales tax, property tax, housing or the cost of living, which can outweigh the difference in take-home pay. Figures assume the standard deduction, no dependents and no pre-tax retirement contributions. See how we calculate.
Where the Maryland figures come from
Every Maryland number on this page was read from the documents below — the state's own, not a summary of them. Nothing here is estimated. If a figure looks wrong, the source is one click away, and we would rather you checked.
- Maryland income tax ratesmarylandtaxes.gov
The ten brackets from 2% to 6.5%, including the two top rates added for 2025.
- Tax Alert: Changes to Standard and Itemized Deductions and to State and Local Income Tax Rates from the 2025 Legislative Sessionmarylandcomptroller.gov
The $3,350 single and $6,700 joint standard deduction, and the 2026 local rate changes for Allegany and Kent counties.
- Maryland Withholding Tax Facts, January 2026 – December 2026marylandcomptroller.gov
The 2026 local income tax rate for all 24 counties and Baltimore City, including the Anne Arundel and Frederick brackets, and that local tax is charged on taxable income.
- Resident tax booklet: how to estimate your 2026 tax (Payment Voucher Worksheet)marylandcomptroller.gov
The same 2026 county rates on the return side, and the exemption chart that withdraws the $3,200 exemption in steps above $100,000 of federal AGI.
- Tax-General § 10-211, personal exemptionsmgaleg.maryland.gov
The exemption steps: single filers from $100,000 to $150,000 of federal AGI, joint filers from $150,000 to $200,000.
- Make contributions: Maryland FAMLIpaidleave.maryland.gov
That paid leave contributions do not start until January 1, 2027, so nothing is deducted in 2026 — then 0.45% of wages from the employee.
Where the Virginia figures come from
Every Virginia number on this page was read from the documents below — the state's own, not a summary of them. Nothing here is estimated. If a figure looks wrong, the source is one click away, and we would rather you checked.
- Individual Income Tax Filingtax.virginia.gov
The four rate bands, unchanged since 1990, and the standard deduction and personal exemption.
- Benefits Informationvec.virginia.gov
That unemployment benefits are funded through taxes paid by employers and no part of the cost is deducted from earnings.
- Virginia Paid Family and Medical Leavevec.virginia.gov
That paid leave payroll contributions do not begin until April 1, 2028, with the rate for 2028 set by October 1, 2027 — so nothing is deducted in 2026.
- Chapter 1093 (HB 1207), Acts of Assembly, 2026 Regular Sessionlis.virginia.gov
The paid leave law approved April 22, 2026: contributions from April 1, 2028, the employee share of up to 50% of the per-employee contribution, and no contribution above the Social Security wage base.