Virginia Nanny Tax Calculator

How does the calculator estimate Virginia nanny taxes?

It adds up everything you owe as the employer in Virginia, on top of your nanny's wages.

• Federal FICA: 15.3% combined, split between you and your nanny
• Federal FUTA: 0.6% effective on the first $7,000
• Virginia SUTA: base tax rates 0.1% - 6.2%
• Virginia state income tax (when withheld)

Figures are 2026 rates and use the 2026 FICA threshold of $3,000.

Does Virginia require state income tax withholding from a nanny's paycheck?

Usually not. Virginia has a state income tax, but withholding it from a household employee is optional unless your nanny asks for it.

• It is usually optional, and your nanny elects it on Virginia's W-4 equivalent
• If they do elect it, you owe quarterly remittance to the state and an annual reconciliation return that includes the W-2 you issued

What's the minimum hourly rate I can pay a nanny in Virginia?

At least $12.77 an hour for a nanny in Virginia.

• That is Virginia's own minimum wage, above the federal $7.25 floor
• Some cities and counties may set a higher floor, so check your locality before you set a rate
• Overtime is 1.5x pay for hours over 40 in a week, under the FLSA
• Live-in nannies are exempt from FLSA overtime, but not from minimum wage

US DOL, State Minimum Wage Laws

Does Virginia add disability or paid family leave premiums?

Not yet. Virginia's paid family and medical leave program starts collecting contributions on April 1, 2028, and it covers household employers.

• A household that paid $1,000 or more in wages to a nanny or other household employee in any calendar quarter this year or last is an employer for it
• From that date you withhold half the contribution from your nanny's pay and send it in; a household pays no share of its own
• The deduction can never take your nanny's pay below the minimum wage

Why does my Virginia nanny's net pay differ from the calculator total?

Because they answer different questions. The calculator's employer total is what leaves your account; net pay is what lands in your Virginia nanny's.

• Federal FICA: 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare, so 7.65% off the top
• Any federal income tax your nanny chose to have withheld
• Virginia income tax, if your nanny elected it on the state W-4

Your own share, the employer FICA match plus FUTA and SUTA, sits on top of gross pay rather than coming out of it.