Moving from Virginia to Maryland: Same Salary, Different Paycheck
- Federal income tax$13,17013.2%
- FICA$7,6507.6%
- Virginia withholding$4,9364.9%
- Take-home pay$74,24474.2%
- Federal income tax$13,17013.2%
- FICA$7,6507.6%
- Maryland withholding$4,3864.4%
- Take-home pay$74,79474.8%
The DC commuter belt: both states tax wages progressively, so the state-level gap is narrower than their top rates suggest — and Maryland adds a county layer that this dataset does not model. At $100,000 of gross wages a single filer takes home $74,244 in Virginia and $74,794 in Maryland — a difference of $550 a year — about $46 a month. The federal tax and FICA lines are identical in both states; every dollar of the difference is state withholding.
Three salary levels, both states
A single tax difference does not scale linearly, because both states are progressive to some degree (or flat). The table recomputes the whole paycheck at each salary rather than applying one percentage.
| Gross salary | Virginia withholding | Virginia nets | Maryland withholding | Maryland nets | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $12,246 | $47,754 | $12,096 | $47,904 | +$150 |
| $100,000 | $25,756 | $74,244 | $25,206 | $74,794 | +$550 |
| $150,000 | $44,020 | $105,980 | $43,125 | $106,875 | +$895 |
Notice the difference grows faster than the salary once you pass both states’ middle bands — that is the progressive part doing the work. At the low end the two states can be within a few hundred dollars of each other even when their headline top rates look far apart, because the top rate only applies to the slice of income above the last threshold.
What actually changes on the state line
| Virginia | Maryland | |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax structure | Progressive brackets | Progressive brackets |
| Top marginal rate | 5.75% | 6.50% |
| Standard deduction used here | $8,750 | $3,350 |
| State payroll deductions (SDI / paid leave) | None | None |
The payroll row matters more than people expect. A state with no income tax is not automatically the cheaper state: Virginia withholds nothing extra, while Maryland withholds nothing extra. These are wage deductions, so they hit a W-2 salary but not self-employment income — which is why the same two states can rank differently for a freelancer.
Moving costs versus the annual difference
A move is not free. Using a conservative $8,000 for truck, deposits and travel, the paycheck difference alone takes about 175 months to pay back. Anything shorter than a year is usually worth doing on the numbers alone; anything longer than three years needs a reason other than tax.
At $160,000 Virginia keeps $112,240.10 and Maryland keeps $113,176.25 — $936, and Maryland's county tax is not in that number
The DC commuter belt version of the same question: two progressive state codes, both with substantial top rates, on either side of one river crossing. At $160,000 the state lines land within $936 of each other, which is far narrower than either top rate would suggest.
Same $160,000, single filer, standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions.
| Position | Virginia | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $160,000.00 | $160,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | $27,134.00 | $27,134.00 |
| FICA | $12,240.00 | $12,240.00 |
| State income tax | $8,385.90 | $7,449.75 |
| County income tax (modelled?) | not levied | not modelled |
| Effective total rate | 29.85% | 29.26% |
| Take-home, per year | $112,240.10 | $113,176.25 |
| Take-home, per month | $9,353.34 | $9,431.35 |
| Take-home, every two weeks | $4,316.93 | $4,352.93 |
Maryland's county tax is the layer that decides this pair
Maryland is one of the few states where counties and Baltimore City levy their own income tax on top of the state rate, and the county rate is set locally. This dataset models state tax only, so the $7,449.75 on the Maryland column is the state share alone. For a Montgomery County or Prince George's County resident the actual Maryland line is higher — which means the $936 shown here is the one place in this set where the comparison can flip once the local layer is counted.
Virginia has no county income tax, so the $8,385.90 on its column is the complete state-and-local income tax picture for a Virginia address. That asymmetry, not the $936, is the reason these two sides get compared so often.
- Which side is understated?
- Maryland. Virginia's income tax is state-only by structure, so its column is complete. Maryland's state rate is what is shown; the county layer sits on top and is not in this dataset.
- How much would Maryland have to pay to match Virginia?
- $158,511 of gross wages, which is $1,489 less than $160,000, or 0.93% less. That is the state-level answer only, and it is the number to adjust downward once a county rate is added.
What this comparison leaves out
- Pay scales differ by state. The same job title frequently pays 10–30% more in Virginia than in Maryland, or the reverse. A lower tax rate on a lower salary can still net less; this page holds the salary constant on purpose so the tax effect is visible.
- Property tax, sales tax, and rent. None of them appear on a pay stub, and in several no-income-tax states they are the mechanism that replaces the income tax.
- Local income taxes. County, city and school district income taxes exist in a number of states; this dataset models state-level tax only.
- Part-year residency. The year you move, you file in both states and apportion income by residency dates. That year is never the clean annual comparison shown above.
- Remote work and the convenience rule. If your employer is in Virginia while you live in Maryland, some states still tax your wages at the employer’s location. Check the reciprocity agreement between the two states before treating the move as a tax change.
Other moves
Questions this page answers directly
- Will my paycheck change the first month after I move?
- Only after you update your address and state withholding form with payroll. Until then the old state keeps withholding, and you reconcile on the state return.
- Do I pay Virginia tax on income earned before the move?
- Yes. The year of the move is split by residency dates: Virginia taxes the income earned while you were a resident (and often the wages earned there while working there), and Maryland taxes the rest. Both states will want a return.
- Is the difference really only state tax?
- At the same gross salary, yes. Federal brackets, FICA rates and the Social Security wage base are identical in both states. Nothing about your federal return changes except your address.
- What if I am self-employed?
- The payroll deductions shown above do not apply to you, and both states tax net self-employment income differently from wages. Start from the state-by-state self-employment pages instead.
Sources
- State revenue department schedules and wage-deduction rules per state, as recorded in this dataset.
- IRS Publication 15 — federal withholding and FICA, identical across states.
- State residency and reciprocity rules as published by each state’s revenue department.