Psychologist Salary in Virginia (2026)
The average Psychologist in Virginia earns around $115,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $83,881/year ($6,990/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $83,881 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,990 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,226 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $40/hr |
Federal Tax | $16,470 |
State Tax | $5,852 |
FICA Taxes | $8,798 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 27.06% |
Want to model 401(k), HSA, or pre-tax contributions against your full salary? Open the salary calculator →
1099 contract work or side gigs? Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top. Open the 1099 tax calculator →
Got a year-end bonus, sign-on, or retention payout? See the bonus calculator →
Psychologist Salary Ranges in Virginia
Not all Psychologists earn the same — not even close
University of Virginia Department of Psychology + VCU Department of Psychology + George Mason University + William & Mary feed the Virginia PhD/PsyD pipeline. Inova Health (largest NoVA hospital system) + VCU Health (Richmond) + Sentara Healthcare (Hampton Roads) + HCA Virginia support hospital-based clinical psychology infrastructure. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland is geographically adjacent to NoVA and supports military psychology specialty residency programs that are unusually competitive nationally. VA has been a PsyPact member since 2020.
Neuropsychologist (ABPP-CN)
$135,000–$210,000+
Board-certified · Inova + VCU Health + Sentara + Walter Reed
Forensic Psychologist (ABPP-FP)
$125,000–$190,000
Court-appointed evaluation; Fairfax + Loudoun + Henrico County
Clinical Psychologist (ABPP / Independent)
$110,000–$160,000
Independent practice owner; group practice partner
Health Psychologist
$108,000–$148,000
Hospital-based · Inova + VCU + Sentara + HCA Virginia
Pediatric Psychologist (Children's National / INOVA Children's)
$108,000–$148,000
Specialty · CN + INOVA Children's + Sentara networks
Military Psychologist (Walter Reed / NAS Norfolk / Quantico)
$95,000–$165,000
Active-duty + civilian DoD + GS-grade military psychology positions
School Psychologist (K-12)
$78,000–$118,000
Virginia public school districts; Fairfax + Loudoun + Arlington premium
Telehealth (PsyPact licensed)
$95,000–$160,000
BetterHelp, Talkspace, Headway, Alma platform employment
VA Psychologist (Richmond / Salem / Hampton)
$100,000–$170,000
Federal pension + TSP + retiree healthcare
Group Practice Owner
$140,000–$260,000+
$250K-$500K acquisition cost; multi-clinician NoVA / Richmond
New Graduate Psychologist
$70,000–$95,000
Post-doctoral fellowship + supervised early licensure period
Worth knowing: UVA Department of Psychology + VCU + George Mason + William & Mary anchor the Virginia academic pipeline. The Army Behavioral Health Service Corps maintains a substantial Virginia presence (Walter Reed adjacent, Fort Belvoir, Quantico, Norfolk Naval Station) — military psychology is a unique Virginia subspecialty pathway. VA has been a PsyPact member since 2020.
Virginia psychology — NoVA federal-contractor mental health coverage, no-local-tax math, military psychology, PsyPact
$108k
VA average psychologist salary (BLS state metric)
5.75%
VA effective flat rate above $17K · NO local income tax
$200k–$500k
typical VA group practice acquisition cost
Practice ownership economics in Virginia psychology vary by submarket but trend favorably statewide. NoVA group practice acquisitions (McLean, Vienna, Reston, Ashburn) typically run $300,000-$500,000. Richmond / Henrico / Short Pump $200,000-$400,000 — among the most accessible in major US metros. Hampton Roads acquisitions $200,000-$400,000.
The no-local-income-tax structure is the underrated VA advantage. Virginia's effectively flat 5.75% state rate is meaningful but not punitive. Crucially, no Virginia city or county levies a separate income tax — distinct from PA / OH / KY / AL / MD which all add municipal layers.
NoVA's federal-contractor mental health coverage drives the strongest VA psychology comp. AWS, Capital One (HQ McLean), Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, plus Loudoun County's data-center cluster all maintain comprehensive mental health benefits. Senior clinical psychologists in McLean, Vienna, Reston, Ashburn clear $120,000-$170,000.
Military psychology pathways are unusually deep in Virginia. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland is geographically adjacent to NoVA. NAS Norfolk + Langley AFB + MCAS New River + Fort Belvoir + Fort Story + Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads support active-duty + civilian DoD + GS-grade military psychology positions. PsyPact telehealth practice supports supplementary multi-state income.
Virginia for psychologists — NoVA federal-contractor, Richmond corporate, Hampton Roads military
Northern Virginia psychology runs on the federal-contractor + government-employee + data-center engineer corporate base. McLean, Vienna, Great Falls, Reston, Ashburn, Leesburg anchor the upscale residential practice corridor. AWS, Capital One (HQ McLean), Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman corporate mental health coverage. Senior clinical psychologists clear $120,000-$170,000.
Richmond / Henrico psychology serves a broader corporate-PPO patient base — Capital One (corporate), Markel, Altria, CarMax, Performance Food Group, Genworth, plus VCU Health and HCA Virginia. Short Pump, Henrico, Tuckahoe, Glen Allen anchor the upscale residential practice corridor. Group practice acquisitions $200,000-$400,000.
Hampton Roads psychology — Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Yorktown, Newport News, Williamsburg, Chesapeake — runs on Sentara Healthcare corporate workforce, Navy / Coast Guard / NASA Langley federal-employee population, and military mental health benefits. Group practice acquisitions $200,000-$400,000.
Military psychology in Virginia is unusually deep. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center adjacent + Fort Belvoir (NoVA) + Quantico Marine Corps + Norfolk Naval Station + Hampton Roads Naval bases support active-duty + civilian DoD + GS-grade military psychology positions.
Charlottesville psychology serves University of Virginia, UVA Health, and the broader Albemarle County corporate / academic / wealth-management demographic. Group practice acquisitions $250,000-$450,000. Charlottesville is the most lifestyle-driven VA psychology submarket.
How Virginia taxes work for psychologists (the no-local-tax + property-tax structure + PsyPact telehealth)
VA's progressive brackets are nominally tiered (2%-5.75%) but effectively flat at 5.75% for any psychologist clearing $17,000. At $115,000 mid-career psychologist, state tax runs $6,400; at $200,000 senior practice owner, $11,400. Virginia has no city or county income tax.
VA personal property tax (annual vehicle assessment) is the state-specific friction relocators encounter. A McLean / Reston practice owner with a $50,000 vehicle pays roughly $2,000-$3,500 per year in vehicle property tax.
Most VA psychologists are 1099 independent contractors (telehealth platform contractor, locum) or practice owners. S-corp election at $150K+ net SE income is standard. Reasonable salary $80K-$140K plus profit distribution avoids 15.3% SE tax. Saves $9K-$15K/year SE tax. Virginia recognizes federal S-corp election with no separate state-level affirmative election (unlike NJ).
Section 199A 20% deduction phases out at $201,775 single / $403,500 — psychology is . Tax planning to stay below threshold via 401(k), HSA, defined benefit plan preserves a $40K+ federal deduction.
Solo at $150K+ net SE income — $72K total contribution. At $300K+, layering Defined Benefit / Cash Balance plan adds $100K-$200K additional shelter. Combined retirement shelter $200K-$300K annually.
Active-duty military psychologists stationed in Virginia (Fort Belvoir, Quantico, Norfolk Naval) follow standard military pay structures with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act state-residency protection. A Texas-resident Army Behavioral Health Service Corps captain stationed at Fort Belvoir owes zero state tax on military pay; a Virginia-resident captain at the same base owes 5.75%.
- → election at $150K+ net SE income — saves $9K-$15K/year SE tax for $200K-$300K psychologist.
- →VA has no local income tax — meaningful advantage vs PA / OH / KY / MD peers.
- →PsyPact licensure + VA tax-home — supplementary telehealth income at VA 5.75% rate vs CA / NY higher-tax states.
- →Solo at $150K+ net SE income — $72K total contribution at 32% federal + 5.75% VA marginal saves $27K+/year.
- →Defined Benefit plan at $300K+ — adds $100K-$200K/year of pre-tax shelter.
- →Active-duty military: maintain home-of-record state residency under SCRA — TX/FL home-of-record stationed in VA saves $5K-$7K/year vs VA residency.
- →Plan around 20% phase-out at $201K/$403K — preserves $40K+ federal deduction.
- →Backdoor Roth IRA $7K/year — bypasses phase-out at senior psychologist comp.
- → $4,400 single / $8,750 family — most underutilized for healthcare professionals.
- →VA personal property tax — model annual vehicle assessment ($2K-$3.5K on $50K vehicle) into total cost of NoVA residency.
Three VA psychology submarkets — NoVA federal-contractor, Richmond corporate, Hampton Roads military
NoVA federal-contractor + AWS-anchored, Richmond VCU Health + corporate-PPet-insurance, and Hampton Roads + Walter Reed military are three different VA psychology career paths.
Northern Virginia (McLean / Vienna / Great Falls / Reston / Ashburn)
Mid-career $120K-$160K · senior practice owner $200K-$280K · neuropsychology specialty $200K-$280KMcLean, Vienna, Great Falls, Reston, Ashburn, Leesburg, Arlington. AWS + Capital One + Booz Allen + Lockheed + Boeing Defense + Raytheon + Northrop + Loudoun data-center cluster corporate mental health coverage. Inova Fairfax + Inova Loudoun specialty infrastructure. Group practice acquisitions $300K-$500K.
NoVA combines federal-contractor mental health coverage + tech corporate workforce + Walter Reed proximity. McLean and Great Falls are top NoVA psychology suburbs by income.
Richmond + Henrico / Short Pump
Mid-career $108K-$140K · VCU Health specialty $115K-$155K · senior practice owner $160K-$240KShort Pump, Henrico, Tuckahoe, Glen Allen, Midlothian. VCU Health + Capital One + Markel + Altria + CarMax corporate mental health coverage. Group practice acquisitions $200K-$400K — among the most accessible in major US metros.
Richmond combines VCU Health + corporate-Richmond mental health coverage with accessible practice acquisition costs.
Hampton Roads + Walter Reed military corridor
Mid-career $98K-$130K · military / VA $100K-$160K · senior practice owner $140K-$220KHampton Roads (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Yorktown, Newport News, Williamsburg) — Navy / Coast Guard / NASA Langley federal-employee + Sentara Healthcare. Walter Reed adjacent + Fort Belvoir + Quantico Marine Corps. Group practice acquisitions $200K-$400K.
Hampton Roads + Walter Reed corridor is the densest US military psychology concentration. Active-duty Army Behavioral Health Service Corps + Navy psychology + civilian DoD positions create unique career pathways.
The career arc — PhD/PsyD new grad to UVA postdoc / NoVA federal-contractor practice / Walter Reed military
Year 1-3 (PhD/PsyD New Grad / Postdoc): $70K-$95K. PhD/PsyD graduate from UVA, VCU, GMU, William & Mary, or out-of-state. APA-accredited internship + supervised postdoctoral fellowship at Inova, VCU Health, Sentara, HCA Virginia, Walter Reed, or VA Richmond / Salem / Hampton.
Year 3-7 (Specialty Certification / Senior Associate): $98K-$140K. Pursue ABPP specialty certification — typically requires 5+ years post-licensure clinical practice. Senior associate at group practice, hospital-based, military, or telehealth platform.
Year 7-15 (Senior Specialist / Practice Owner): $130K-$190K. Senior specialist at outpatient group practice, hospital-based, military psychology, telehealth, or corporate consulting. Practice ownership at year 5-8 typical.
Year 15-25 (Senior Practice Owner / Multi-Clinician): $180K-$260K. Multi-clinician group practice or sub-specialty practice. Group practice acquisitions $300K-$500K (NoVA) or $200K-$400K (Richmond / Hampton Roads). + Solo + Defined Benefit shelter $200K-$300K per year.
Year 25+ (Practice Sale / Retirement): VA's effective 5.75% flat state tax + no local income tax makes pre-sale relocation strategy minimally compelling. Most VA psychologists retire in-state.
Where Virginia psychologists actually live
VA psychologists cluster in upscale established suburbs near their practice. NoVA psychologists overwhelmingly reside in McLean, Vienna, Great Falls, or Reston for proximity to federal-contractor patient base; Richmond psychologists in Short Pump, Tuckahoe, Henrico; Hampton Roads in Yorktown, Williamsburg.
McLean / Great Falls (NoVA)
Top NoVA psychology suburb · Capital One + AWS feeders · top schools · 20 min to DC
Vienna / Oakton (NoVA)
Strong NoVA family-suburb · top schools · meaningful affordability vs McLean
Reston / Herndon (NoVA)
Tech-corporate suburb · AWS + Loudoun data-center adjacency · top schools
Ashburn / Leesburg (Loudoun)
Newer NoVA growth suburb · data-center cluster · accessible practice acquisition
Short Pump / Henrico (Richmond)
Top Richmond psychology suburb · top schools · 15 min to VCU Health
Williamsburg / Yorktown (Hampton Roads)
Coastal upscale anchor · NASA Langley adjacency · accessible practice acquisition
Tuckahoe / West End (Richmond)
Old-money Richmond West End · top schools · lower acquisition than Short Pump
NoVA McLean / Great Falls and Richmond Short Pump / Tuckahoe offer the strongest combination of family-suburb infrastructure + corporate-mental-health-coverage patient base. Hampton Roads Yorktown / Williamsburg supports a distinctive military-anchored market.
Is this the right move?
Virginia for psychologists — when the math really works
Working in your favor
- +UVA + VCU + GMU + William & Mary academic depth + Walter Reed + Inova specialty employers
- +No local income tax — meaningful advantage vs PA / OH / KY / MD peers
- +NoVA federal-contractor + AWS + data-center engineer mental health coverage supports premium fees
- +Richmond practice acquisition costs ($200K-$400K) among the most accessible in major US metros
- +PsyPact telehealth licensure supports multi-state practice income
Worth knowing before you sign
- −Personal property tax (annual vehicle assessment) is VA-specific friction
- −NoVA inner-suburb housing $1M-$2M+ is genuinely tight at staff psychologist comp ($95K-$140K)
- −NoVA traffic congestion is among the worst in the US — 45-90 min peak-hour commutes routine
- −VA effectively flat 5.75% rate means no marginal-bracket relief from retirement contributions
- −PhD/PsyD doctoral training time (5-7 years) is significant career-time investment
Calculate Your Exact Take-Home Pay
Add 401(k) contributions, HSA, dependents, and more to see your personalized take-home.
Open Full CalculatorFrequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.
Compare Two States
See how income tax, take-home pay, and total tax burden differ between any two US states side by side.
State 1
State 2
Psychologist Salary in Other States
More on Virginia
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Virginia in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Virginia in 2026.
Adjust filing status, 401(k) for your exact 2026 take-home in Virginia.