West Virginia has been cutting its income tax fast: after reductions in 2023 and again for 2025, the rates now run from 2.22% to 4.82%, down from a 6.5% top just a couple of years ago.
That makes West Virginia meaningfully lighter on income than it used to be. Here is how the brackets work on your paycheck. See your exact take-home with the free West Virginia paycheck calculator.
How West Virginia's income tax works
West Virginia uses five brackets: 2.22% up to $10,000, 2.96% to $25,000, 3.33% to $40,000, 4.44% to $60,000, and 4.82% above that. There is no standard deduction, but a $2,000 personal exemption per person applies. There is no local income tax (some cities charge a small flat weekly service fee instead).
The state has lowered these rates sharply, with a 2023 cut of about 21% and a further reduction for 2025, and additional cuts are possible if revenue triggers are met.
West Virginia has no standard deduction; instead each person on the return claims a $2,000 personal exemption, and the same five brackets apply to single, head-of-household, and married-joint filers alike. Because the bands are narrow at the bottom (2.22% only to $10,000) and reach the 4.82% top at $60,000, a middle salary is taxed across several bands for an effective rate in the low-to-mid 4% range.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $10,000 | 2.22% |
| $10,000 – $25,000 | 2.96% |
| $25,000 – $40,000 | 3.33% |
| $40,000 – $60,000 | 4.44% |
| Over $60,000 | 4.82% |
Your take-home on a $65,000 salary in West Virginia
Here is how a $65,000 salary breaks down for a single filer, using 2026 federal and FICA figures alongside West Virginia's graduated rates from 2.22% to 4.82%.
| Item | Annual |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $5,620 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | $4,973 |
| West Virginia income tax | $2,198 |
| Take-home pay | $52,209 |
| Percent of gross kept | 80.3% |
On a $65,000 salary a single filer owes about $2,198 in West Virginia income tax, an effective rate near 3.4%, and keeps roughly $52,209, or 80.3% of gross. With the state's low cost of living in areas like Charleston, Morgantown, and Huntington, that take-home stretches comfortably. Compare with Virginia.
West Virginia's take-home pay across salaries
Estimated annual take-home for a single filer at common salaries, using 2026 federal and FICA figures alongside West Virginia's graduated rates from 2.22% to 4.82%. Open the West Virginia paycheck calculator to add a 401(k), HSA, or a different filing status.
| Annual salary | Take-home pay | % kept |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $33,221 | 83.1% |
| $60,000 | $48,425 | 80.7% |
| $80,000 | $62,189 | 77.7% |
| $100,000 | $75,295 | 75.3% |
| $150,000 | $107,496 | 71.7% |
Rates cut sharply, and no real local income tax
West Virginia's headline is its rapid rate-cutting: the top rate fell from 6.5% to 4.82% in just two years, with more reductions tied to revenue performance. That trajectory makes the state steadily friendlier to take-home pay.
West Virginia has stopped taxing Social Security benefits (fully phased out by 2026), so retirees increasingly pay less than workers on the same income.
A handful of West Virginia cities charge a small flat weekly city service fee rather than a percentage income tax, so it does not scale with your salary and is not part of the state brackets above. For most workers the state's recent rate cuts matter far more to take-home than any local fee.
How to keep more of your West Virginia paycheck
Because West Virginia taxes a federal-style income base, a traditional 401(k) and HSA lower your West Virginia and federal taxable income together (and the HSA also avoids FICA), the simplest way to push your take-home higher.