How does the District of Columbia work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?

The Office of Tax and Revenue has published no withholding tables since 2018, and its current notice tells employers to use the District's income tax rate schedule and the federal allowance amount. Your employer multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, takes $4,300 off for each allowance on your Form D-4, applies no standard deduction, taxes the rest from 4% to 10.75% and divides back across the paychecks. For a $60,000 salary with one allowance that is $60,000 less $4,300, $55,700, which is $3,220.50 of tax for the year and $123.87 a paycheck.

How much is $60,000 a year after tax in the District of Columbia?

For a single employee paid every two weeks with one allowance, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,814.20 a paycheck, or $47,169.26 a year. The year's deductions are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $3,220.62 of District income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare. The District takes no other payroll deduction from the employee.

How much is $20 an hour after tax in the District of Columbia?

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $645.53 take-home a week for a single employee with one allowance. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $39.19 of District income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.

What do I put on the District Form D-4?

The number of allowances: 1 for you, 1 for a spouse and 1 for each dependent. Each takes $4,300 off a year of pay, which is worth $10.75 a paycheck here: $134.62 withheld with none, $123.87 with one, $113.12 with two, $102.37 with three and $81.15 with five. The Office marks the D-4 as under review on its forms page, and the withholding guide says an employee who gives no certificate is withheld as if no allowances were claimed.

Why does the District have no withholding tables?

The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended personal exemptions and many itemized deductions, which the Office of Tax and Revenue says hurt its ability to produce withholding tables. Its Tax Notice 2022-08 tells taxpayers to use the new rate schedule and the federal allowance amount for tax year 2022 instead, and this calculator follows that method.

I live in Maryland or Virginia and work in the District. Does the District tax my pay?

No. The District's withholding guide says an employer withholds from an employee who lives or is domiciled in the District at the end of the pay period, and the Form D-4A, the Certificate of Non-residence in DC, is what a nonresident gives the employer. Your home state taxes the pay instead. This calculator shows the District tax of a District resident.

How does the District tax a bonus?

The Office of Tax and Revenue publishes no separate bonus method: bonuses and commissions are wages, withheld on like regular pay. Only a lump-sum retirement distribution has its own rate, the highest District rate, 10.75%. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.

What does a 401(k) do to my District paycheck?

It lowers the tax, because the calculator takes a 401(k) deferral out of the pay before it annualizes the paycheck. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts District withholding by $9.00 and take-home pay by only $112.84. Social Security and Medicare are still figured on the full pay.

Who pays unemployment tax and Paid Family Leave tax in the District?

The employer does, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for either. A new employer pays 2.7% in 2026 on the first $9,000 of each employee's pay plus a 0.2% administrative assessment on the same pay, which is $243.00 and $18.00 for an employee paid $60,000. The Paid Family Leave tax is 0.75% of all pay with no wage limit, $450.00 on that salary, and the employer may not take it from the employee.

Washington DC Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid, the allowances on your Form D-4 and the answers on your Form W-4, and this Washington DC paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows the Office of Tax and Revenue's current guidance, $4,300 off the year for each allowance and the 4% to 10.75% rate schedule, and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.

State

District of Columbia

Another state? Pick any of the 50 states and DC.

I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

District of Columbia withholding

Allowances on Form D-4

1 for you, 1 for a spouse, and 1 for each dependent; each takes $4,300 off the year's pay.

Form W-4 steps 2 to 4

Step 2 box is checked

Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work.

Children under 17

Step 3: $2,200 each.

Other dependents

Step 3: $500 each.

Other income per year

Step 4(a).

Deductions per year

Step 4(b).

Extra withholding each paycheck (USD)

Step 4(c).

401(k), % of pay

2026 limit $24,500.

Health premiums per paycheck

Pre-tax.

HSA per paycheck

2026 limit $8,750.

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,814.20

$2,307.69 gross · $493.49 withheld (21.4%)

Where this paycheck goes

Gross pay: $2,307.69
Federal income tax: - $193.08
Social Security6.2%: - $143.08
Medicare1.45%: - $33.46
Additional Medicare0.9%: - $0.00
District of Columbia income tax: - $123.87
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,814.20

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $12,831
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 78.6%

Take-home pay$47,169

Of every $100 of gross pay, $79 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
District of Columbia income tax$3,221 · 5.4%
Take-home pay$47,169 · 78.6%

Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $65,343 a year, $2,513.19 each pay period.

What the employer adds, per year

Employer Social Security6.2% to $184,500: $3,720
Employer Medicare1.45%: $870
Federal unemployment (FUTA)0.6% of the first $7,000: $42
District of Columbia unemployment2.7% of the first $9,000: $243
District administrative assessment0.2% of the first $9,000: $18
District paid family leave tax0.75% of all pay: $450

Employer taxes$5,343

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $5,343
Per pay period: $2,513.19

Per year$65,343

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The District takes $4,300 off a year of pay for each allowance, with no standard deduction, then taxes the rest from 4% to 10.75%.

The rate schedule is 4% on the first $10,000, 6% to $40,000, 6.5% to $60,000, 8.5% to $250,000, 9.25% to $500,000, 9.75% to $1 million and 10.75% above that, and it is the same for every filing status. The Office of Tax and Revenue has published no withholding tables since 2018, so employers annualize the paycheck, take off the allowances, look up the schedule and divide back by the pay periods. The result is not rounded to the dollar.

A $60,000 District salary takes home $1,814.20 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single resident with one allowance, on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.

Gross pay: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69
Federal income tax: $193.08
District income tax: $60,000 − $4,300 = $55,700; $2,200 + 6.5% × ($55,700 − $40,000) = $3,220.50; ÷ 26 = $123.87
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
Take-home pay: $1,814.20 a paycheck, $47,169.26 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $47,169 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
District of Columbia income tax$3,221 · 5.4%
Take-home pay$47,169 · 78.6%

Each paycheck: $1,814.20Kept: 78.6%

A single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks. Invented example. Each tax is rounded to the cent in every paycheck, as payroll does.

Each allowance on the Form D-4 lowers the District tax of this paycheck by $10.75.

At $60,000 the last dollars of pay fall in the 6.5% step, so each $4,300 allowance saves $279.50 a year. A married employee with one allowance has the same $123.87 withheld as a single one, because the District has one schedule for all statuses.

Each allowance takes about $10.75 off the District tax of a biweekly paycheck.

0 allowances$134.62
1 allowance$123.87
2 allowances$113.12
3 allowances$102.37
5 allowances$81.15

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. The tax is withheld to the cent.

District withholding climbs from 3.71% of pay on $20,000 to 7.71% on $250,000.

With no standard deduction the lowest dollars of pay are taxed at 4%, so the share of pay withheld rises quickly. A $100,000 salary has $6,534.58 withheld over the year, a $150,000 salary $10,784.54, a $250,000 salary $19,284.46 and a $500,000 salary $42,377.14.

The share of pay the District withholds climbs from 3.71% on $20,000 to 7.71% on $250,000.

$20,000 a year3.71% of pay, $742
$40,000 a year4.85% of pay, $1,942
$60,000 a year5.37% of pay, $3,221
$100,000 a year6.53% of pay, $6,535
$150,000 a year7.19% of pay, $10,785
$250,000 a year7.71% of pay, $19,284

Invented salaries, single, one allowance, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions.

The District withholds from people who live there, and a nonresident gives the employer a Form D-4A.

Withholding follows where the employee lives at the end of the pay period, not where the job is, so a Maryland or Virginia resident working in the District pays their home state instead. The Certificate of Non-residence in DC, Form D-4A, is what an employer asks for in a doubtful case. The Office marks both the D-4 and the D-4A as under review.

A 401(k) lowers District withholding by $9.00 a paycheck.

A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck. The calculator takes it out of the pay before annualizing, so federal and District withholding both fall and take-home pay falls by only $112.84. Social Security and Medicare still apply to the deferral.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and District of Columbia tax by $9.00 a paycheck.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
District of Columbia tax, no 401(k)$123.87
District of Columbia tax, 6% 401(k)$114.87

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck.

Hiring that employee costs $65,343 a year in the District.

On top of the $60,000, the employer matches Social Security and Medicare at 6.2% and 1.45%, which is $4,590. It pays federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000, which is $42. A new District employer pays unemployment tax at 2.7% on the first $9,000 of pay, which is $243.00, plus a 0.2% administrative assessment on the same pay, $18.00, and the Paid Family Leave tax of 0.75% on all pay, $450.00. The employee pays none of these.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $5,343 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
District of Columbia unemployment$243
District administrative assessment$18
District paid family leave tax$450
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. District of Columbia unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 2.7% on the first $9,000.

Take-home pay in the District runs from $32,378 on $40,000 to $103,007 on $150,000.

For a single resident with one allowance, paid every two weeks. At $100,000 the year's take-home is $72,645. Many people who work in the District live next door, so see the Maryland paycheck calculator too.

Take-home pay in the District of Columbia for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. District of Columbia taxes are its income tax.
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	District of Columbia taxes	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$1,942	$32,378	$1,245.31
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$2,571	$39,785	$1,530.18
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$3,221	$47,169	$1,814.20
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$4,410	$57,183	$2,199.34
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$6,535	$72,645	$2,794.05
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$10,785	$103,007	$3,961.79

Methodology & sources

The formula this calculator uses is shown in full above, and every assumption is an input you control. There are no hidden industry presets. All math runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server. For the reasoning behind the formula and its edge cases, see:

Frequently asked questions

How does the District of Columbia work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?: The Office of Tax and Revenue has published no withholding tables since 2018, and its current notice tells employers to use the District's income tax rate schedule and the federal allowance amount. Your employer multiplies the paycheck by the pay periods, takes $4,300 off for each allowance on your Form D-4, applies no standard deduction, taxes the rest from 4% to 10.75% and divides back across the paychecks. For a $60,000 salary with one allowance that is $60,000 less $4,300, $55,700, which is $3,220.50 of tax for the year and $123.87 a paycheck.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in the District of Columbia?: For a single employee paid every two weeks with one allowance, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,814.20 a paycheck, or $47,169.26 a year. The year's deductions are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $3,220.62 of District income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare. The District takes no other payroll deduction from the employee.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in the District of Columbia?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $645.53 take-home a week for a single employee with one allowance. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $39.19 of District income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.
What do I put on the District Form D-4?: The number of allowances: 1 for you, 1 for a spouse and 1 for each dependent. Each takes $4,300 off a year of pay, which is worth $10.75 a paycheck here: $134.62 withheld with none, $123.87 with one, $113.12 with two, $102.37 with three and $81.15 with five. The Office marks the D-4 as under review on its forms page, and the withholding guide says an employee who gives no certificate is withheld as if no allowances were claimed.
Why does the District have no withholding tables?: The federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended personal exemptions and many itemized deductions, which the Office of Tax and Revenue says hurt its ability to produce withholding tables. Its Tax Notice 2022-08 tells taxpayers to use the new rate schedule and the federal allowance amount for tax year 2022 instead, and this calculator follows that method.
I live in Maryland or Virginia and work in the District. Does the District tax my pay?: No. The District's withholding guide says an employer withholds from an employee who lives or is domiciled in the District at the end of the pay period, and the Form D-4A, the Certificate of Non-residence in DC, is what a nonresident gives the employer. Your home state taxes the pay instead. This calculator shows the District tax of a District resident.
How does the District tax a bonus?: The Office of Tax and Revenue publishes no separate bonus method: bonuses and commissions are wages, withheld on like regular pay. Only a lump-sum retirement distribution has its own rate, the highest District rate, 10.75%. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.
What does a 401(k) do to my District paycheck?: It lowers the tax, because the calculator takes a 401(k) deferral out of the pay before it annualizes the paycheck. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts District withholding by $9.00 and take-home pay by only $112.84. Social Security and Medicare are still figured on the full pay.
Who pays unemployment tax and Paid Family Leave tax in the District?: The employer does, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for either. A new employer pays 2.7% in 2026 on the first $9,000 of each employee's pay plus a 0.2% administrative assessment on the same pay, which is $243.00 and $18.00 for an employee paid $60,000. The Paid Family Leave tax is 0.75% of all pay with no wage limit, $450.00 on that salary, and the employer may not take it from the employee.

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