How much District of Columbia resident income tax will I pay?

Estimate District income tax using the published 4% to 10.75% graduated schedule. Enter DC taxable income after District additions, subtractions, and deductions, not gross salary or federal AGI. This full-year resident tool does not silently import the federal standard deduction, and does not calculate nonresident or combined-separate returns.

Washington DC income tax calculator

Quick answer

Use completed DC taxable income with the District's graduated rate schedule to estimate resident income tax before and after known nonrefundable credits. This is not a gross-salary calculation: federal AGI, taxable income, and paycheck take-home are distinct figures.

Also answers

District of Columbia tax calculator
DC resident income tax
DC graduated income-tax rates

Good fit when

Checking a supported full-year resident schedule calculation
Comparing two completed DC taxable-income scenarios
Separating District income tax from federal and payroll taxes

Have ready

DC taxable income after District adjustments and deductions
Tax year and confirmation of full-year resident return scope
Known nonrefundable DC credits, excluding payments and refundable benefits

Result you get

District tax before credits, credits applied within liability, estimated resident income tax, and the marginal schedule rate. The engine rounds income and final tax to whole dollars.

Federal tax bracket calculator Verified 2027 planning status

How this calculation works

Prepare the DC taxable-income amount before entering it. Your federal AGI is a starting point for a return, not the amount this rate calculation requires. Reconcile District additions and subtractions, then use the deduction permitted by current DC instructions. Keep that worksheet with your comparison.
Confirm full-year residency and the return type. The engine calculates a resident individual rate-schedule estimate. It does not allocate part-year income, decide domicile or statutory residency, or split a married couple's amounts when they file separately on a combined District return.
Apply the graduated schedule to successive income bands. The rate on the highest band is not a percentage charged on every dollar. For example, a resident with $100,000 taxable income has $3,500 tax on the first $60,000 and $3,400 on the next $40,000, producing $6,900 before credits.
Enter verified nonrefundable District credits only. Their application stops at the calculated tax. Employer withholding, estimated payments, refundable credits, and a prior-year overpayment are not the same as nonrefundable credits; including them here would confuse annual liability with a return balance.
Compare results using the same income definition for both scenarios. If a change affects your allowed deduction or a credit's income limit, update those supporting calculations as well. A difference between two schedule estimates is not automatically a withholding adjustment or an additional estimated-payment requirement.

Common mistakes and caveats

DC is a federal district, not a fifty-first state. This dedicated resident calculator is listed with the geographic tools for discovery, without generating unsupported District versions of every state calculation family. Maryland and Virginia returns remain separate jurisdiction questions.
Later DC tax-conformity legislation changes how the basic standard deduction is determined. An earlier estimated-tax booklet is not sufficient evidence to automatically apply the federal amount. This tool therefore accepts completed DC taxable income and leaves deduction determination to the applicable District instructions.
The current published rate schedule applies after 2021; the planning year selector does not guarantee that every deduction or credit for a future return is final. Federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, local payroll deductions, fiduciary rules, and refundable benefits are outside this schedule-only result.

FAQ

Does DC use one flat income-tax rate?

No. Its published individual schedule is graduated, from 4% to 10.75%. Each successive band is taxed at its own rate; the top marginal rate is not the effective rate on all taxable income.

Can I enter my federal taxable income?

Only if you have verified it is also your DC taxable income. Federal and District additions, subtractions, and deductions can differ. This calculator intentionally does not substitute a federal deduction for a DC deduction.

Does this calculate Maryland or Virginia commuter tax?

No. This tool requires a supported full-year DC resident scenario. Working in the District is not enough to establish that scenario. Review residency and any home-jurisdiction return separately.

Are withholding and estimated payments included?

No. The result estimates annual District tax after entered nonrefundable credits, not a final refund or amount due. Compare payment records only after determining the complete liability and applicable refundable credits.

Does it support married filing separately on a combined return?

No. That return can require spouse-specific calculations and allocations. The form requires confirmation that the entered case is not a combined-separate return, and blocks unsupported resident cases.

Last updated & sources

Last updated October 13, 2026.

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