2026 District of Columbia paycheck calculator
The District publishes no withholding method, so a D.C. paycheck figure here is an estimate from its rate schedule.
Updated for 2026Checked Oct 29, 2026 against IRS and D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue sourcesHow we check
Your take-home pay
$1,216.72
per paycheck, paid every two weeks
- Gross pay
- $1,500.00
- Federal income tax
- $96.15
- Social Security
- $93.00
- Medicare
- $21.75
- County tax
- Choose your county
- Take-home
- $1,216.72
DC taxes only people who live in DC. If you live in Maryland or Virginia, your home state's tax is withheld instead, so choose that state.
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Take-home pay $1,216.72
District of Columbia pay rules at a glance
| State income tax | Rates rise with pay Source |
| County or local tax | None Source |
| Disability or paid leave | None Source |
| Minimum wage | $18.40 an hour Source |
| Tipped minimum cash wage | $10.30 an hour, before tips Source |
| Final paycheck if you are let go | All wages earned by the next working day after the firing (4 days if the worker handled the employer's money, to check the accounts). Source |
| Final paycheck if you quit | All wages due by the next regular payday or within 7 days of quitting, whichever comes first. Source |
What comes out of a District of Columbia paycheck
On $1,500 every two weeks, single, a District of Columbia worker keeps $1,216.72.
The D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue has published no withholding tables or formula since the 2018 federal tax changes, and its Form D-4 is "under review" with no copy posted. Tax Notice 2022-08 tells employers to use the District's rate schedule and the federal allowance amount, and the calculator does exactly that. Every District figure here is an estimate built from the rate schedule, not an official withholding result.
The schedule is graduated: 4 percent on the first $10,000 of taxable income, 6 percent to $40,000, 6.5 percent to $60,000, 8.5 percent to $250,000, 9.25 percent to $500,000, 9.75 percent to $1 million, and 10.75 percent above that. It is the same for every filing status. The calculator subtracts $4,300 for each allowance, the federal amount, and counts one for yourself, one more for a spouse or for head of household, and one for each dependent. The steps of annualizing your pay and dividing back are our reading, not a published method.
The tax falls only on people who live in the District. If you live in Maryland, Virginia, or elsewhere and only work in D.C., you owe no District income tax, and your home state withholds instead, so choose it. Lump-sum retirement payouts are withheld at the top 10.75 percent rate.
County and local taxes
The District is one taxing jurisdiction with no counties or cities beneath it, which is why there is no separate local income tax. The only individual income tax is the resident tax in D.C. Code Section 47-1806.03, and it turns on where you live, not where you work.
So the District's own tax is the whole local story, and the estimate above already includes it.
Final pay and the minimum wage
The District's minimum wage is $18.40 an hour, and the tipped cash wage is $10.30 an hour. The minimum rises every July 1 with inflation, and the rate for July 1, 2027 has not been announced.
If you are fired, your employer owes all wages by the next working day, or within 4 days if you handled the employer's money, so the accounts can be checked. If you quit, all wages are due by the next regular payday or within 7 days of quitting, whichever comes first.
Nearby states
Sources and checks
Checked on Oct 29, 2026. Source: D.C. Code Section 47-1806.03(a)(11) (code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/47-1806.03, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-code-47-1806.03.html, read Oct 29, 2026): "In the case of taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, there is imposed on the taxable income of every resident a tax determined in accordance with the following table: Not over $10,000 4% of the taxable income; Over $10,000 but not over $40,000 $400, plus 6% of the excess over $10,000; Over $40,000 but not over $60,000 $2,200, plus 6.5% of the excess over $40,000; Over $60,000 but not over $250,000 $3,500, plus 8.5% of the excess over $60,000; Over $250,000 but not over $500,000 $19,650, plus 9.25% of the excess over $250,000; Over $500,000 but not over $1,000,000 $42,775, plus 9.75% of the excess over $500,000; Over $1,000,000 $91,525, plus 10.75% of the excess over $1,000,000."
Local taxes: The District is a single taxing jurisdiction with no counties or cities beneath it; its one individual income tax is the resident tax in D.C. Code Section 47-1806.03 (saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-code-47-1806.03.html, read Oct 29, 2026). No separate local income tax exists.
Disability and paid leave: The District's paid family leave program is paid for by employers, not by a deduction from the worker's pay. D.C. Code Section 32-541.03(a) (code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/32-541.03, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-code-32-541.03.html, read Oct 29, 2026): "A covered employer shall contribute an amount equal to 0.75% of the wages of each of its covered employees to the District in a manner prescribed by the Mayor." D.C. Department of Employment Services, Office of Paid Family Leave, "Employer Information" (dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov/employer-information/, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-pfl-employer-information.html): "PFL Tax Rate Table (Calendar Year 2026)" shows 0.75% for every 2026 quarter; "Employers" page (dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov/employers/, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-paid-family-leave-employers.html): benefits "are funded by a quarterly payroll tax" paid by the employer, "much like the unemployment insurance tax."
Minimum wage: D.C. Department of Employment Services, Office of Wage and Hour, Public Notice "District of Columbia Minimum Wage Increase" (does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/publication/attachments/2026%20Minimum%20Wage%20Increase%20Notice.pdf, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/does-2026-minimum-wage-increase-notice.pdf, read Oct 29, 2026): "Beginning July 1, 2026, the minimum wage in the District of Columbia will increase from $17.95 per hour to $18.40 per hour for all workers, regardless of size of employer"; "As of July 1, 2026, the base minimum wage for tipped employees will increase from $10.00 per hour to $10.30." The rate rises each July 1 with the Washington-area Consumer Price Index; the July 1, 2027 figure is not yet announced.
Final paycheck: D.C. Code Section 32-1303 (code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/32-1303, saved as data/sources/district-of-columbia/dc-code-32-1303.html, read Oct 29, 2026): "(1) Whenever an employer discharges an employee, the employer shall pay the employee's wages earned not later than the working day following such discharge; provided, however, that in the instance of an employee who is responsible for monies belonging to the employer, the employer shall be allowed a period of 4 days ... (2) Whenever an employee (not having a written contract of employment for a period in excess of 30 days) quits or resigns, the employer shall pay the employee's wages due upon the next regular payday or within 7 days from the date of quitting or resigning, whichever is earlier."
Federal withholding: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A and its "2026 Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems and Withholding on Periodic Payments of Pensions and Annuities," pages 10 to 12. Fetched directly from irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf and transcribed Oct 28, 2026.
Every figure above comes from the sources listed here. How we check our numbers.
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