Charleston Paycheck Calculator 2026
Enter your salary to see your Charleston take-home pay after federal tax, West Virginia state tax, Charleston local income tax, and FICA. Instant results.
Showing Charleston, which charges local income tax on top of federal and West Virginia state tax. Change this if you live elsewhere in West Virginia.
What this paycheck affords in West Virginia
Sized off $4,908/mo take-home, on a salary 43% above the West Virginia median household income of $52,520. Every figure below is a spending rule of thumb, not a tax rule.
Rent
You can comfortably rent at
$1,472/mo
Up to $1,963/mo if you stretch, at 40% of take-home.
The average two-bedroom in West Virginia is $997/mo — 20% of take-home, inside the comfortable range with $475/mo of room to spare.
Rent or buy at this budget? →Buying a home
You could buy a home up to
$290,897
That's a 2-bedroom home
With $58,179 down and about $1,750/mo in mortgage, property tax and insurance
That covers the median home in West Virginia, at $170,000. Lenders size a mortgage off gross pay, so this one starts from $75,000 at a 28% debt-to-income ratio, 6.75% over 30 years, with West Virginia property tax.
How much house can you afford on $75,000? →A car
A payment up to $491/mo — roughly a $27,500 car with 10% down, financed over five years at 7%.
Gas runs $3.41/gal in West Virginia, so 12,000 miles a year at 25 mpg adds $136/mo. Together that is $627/mo, or 13% of take-home, before insurance and repairs.
What's left each month
About $1,594/mo left over — a 32% cushion for savings and everything unplanned.
Three months of essentials is $8,945. Saving the whole cushion builds that in 6 months.
Childcare sits outside this budget because it applies to some households and not others: center-based infant care in West Virginia is $808/mo, 16% of take-home on its own.
Full cost of living in West Virginia →Local costs from the MERIC 2025 cost-of-living index applied to BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey averages, with rent and home prices from Zillow and gas prices from AAA.
Federal tax brackets
Taxable income: $58,900
Estimate based on 2026 tax rates and standard deductions, including Charleston local income tax for residents. Does not include itemized deductions, tax credits, or other individual circumstances. For official guidance, visit the West Virginia State Tax Department.
Rate source: City of Charleston, WV, City Service Fee Overview ($3.00 per week, withheld by employers) . Verified 2026-09-08.
Charleston income tax (2026)
Charleston charges a flat $3 per week ($156 a year) to everyone who works in the city, whatever they earn. It is withheld from each paycheck and does not change with income.
Anyone who works in Charleston, resident or not, pays it; Charleston residents who work elsewhere do not.
On a $100,000 salary, a single Charleston resident pays $156 in Charleston income tax and takes home $75,333 for the year. The same salary elsewhere in West Virginia takes home $75,489.
Charleston take-home pay by salary
| Gross salary | Charleston tax | Take-home | Rest of WV | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $156 | $40,755 | $40,911 | 18.5% |
| $75,000 | $156 | $58,891 | $59,047 | 21.5% |
| $100,000 | $156 | $75,333 | $75,489 | 24.7% |
| $150,000 | $156 | $107,654 | $107,810 | 28.2% |
| $200,000 | $156 | $140,500 | $140,656 | 29.7% |
| $300,000 | $156 | $202,170 | $202,326 | 32.6% |
Single filer, Charleston resident, biweekly pay, no deductions. Includes federal tax, West Virginia state tax, Charleston local tax, Social Security, and Medicare. "Rest of WV" is the same salary in a West Virginia locality with no local income tax.
FAQ
Does Charleston have a local income tax?
Yes. Charleston charges a flat $3 per week ($156 a year) to everyone who works in the city, whatever they earn. It is withheld from each paycheck and does not change with income. It is withheld on top of federal income tax, West Virginia state income tax, and FICA.
How much Charleston income tax will I pay on a $100,000 salary?
A single Charleston resident earning $100,000 pays about $156 in Charleston income tax for 2026 and takes home $75,333 after federal, state, and local taxes. The same salary elsewhere in West Virginia takes home $75,489, so the local tax costs $156 a year, or about $6 per biweekly paycheck.
Who has to pay Charleston income tax?
Anyone who works in Charleston, resident or not, pays it; Charleston residents who work elsewhere do not.
Is Charleston income tax taken out of my paycheck automatically?
Employers withhold it based on the address on your West Virginia withholding certificate. If your employer does not withhold it, you still owe it when you file your West Virginia return, so check the local line on your pay stub after a move.
Other West Virginia localities with a local income tax
Huntington (flat fee), Morgantown (flat fee), Parkersburg (flat fee), Wheeling (flat fee) · all 7 West Virginia rates
Related
- West Virginia Paycheck Calculator — take-home pay anywhere in West Virginia
- West Virginia Local Income Tax Rates — every West Virginia jurisdiction with a local tax
- West Virginia Tax Brackets — the state brackets this tax sits on top of
- West Virginia Cost of Living — what the take-home figure buys
- West Virginia Bonus Tax Calculator — withholding on a bonus
- Take-Home Pay by State — compare net pay across all 50 states