Virginia payroll tax registration
What to set up in Virginia before the first payroll, in date order, with each agency, online portal and deadline. Enter the first employee's start date and the first pay date to see the dates.
Setup steps before the first payroll
- Date depends on the deadline belowWorkers' comp
Get workers' compensation coverage if Virginia's rule covers the business
- Deadline
- Before the employee who brings the business under the rule starts work
- Posters
Put up the VEC Notice to Workers (VEC-B-29), the DOLI posters and federal posters
- Deadline
- Before the first employee starts work
- State tax accounts
Register with Virginia Tax for employer withholding
- Deadline
- Before the first payday
- Agency
- Withholding: Virginia Department of Taxation (Virginia Tax) (opens in a new tab)
- Returns
- Assigned from average monthly liability: under $100 a month, quarterly Form VA-5 and payment (last day of the month after the quarter); $100 to under $1,000, monthly VA-5 by the 25th of the next month; $1,000 or more, semi-weekly VA-15 payments with quarterly VA-16. VA-6 annual summary by January 31.
- Source
- www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia (opens in a new tab), checked September 14, 2026, read from an archived copy dated September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- New hire reporting
Report each new hire to the state new hire registry
- Deadline
- Within 20 days of the hire dateCounted here from the start date; report sooner if the employee was hired before it.
- State tax accounts
Register with VEC for an unemployment account (iFile/iReg, or Form FC-27)
- Deadline
- Before the first quarterly report (the last day of the month after the quarter)
- Agency
- Unemployment: Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) (opens in a new tab)
- State tax accounts
File the first quarterly unemployment tax and wage report
- Deadline
- Quarterly payroll and tax report not later than the last day of the month after the quarter: April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31; a due date on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday moves to the next business day. Filed electronically.January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so it moves to the next business day.
Federal dates for this pay date
Federal returns follow the compliance calendar, which dates them for every employer:
A 501(c)(3) organization generally owes no FUTA tax and files no Form 940 (Form 940 instructions (opens in a new tab)).
Not confirmed: no official source settled it on the check date, so none is shown.
Not needed in Virginia
- No local tax on wages.law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter3/section58.1-300/ (opens in a new tab), checked January 11, 2026, read from an archived copy dated January 11, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Also in Virginia
- Virginia Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (contributions from April 1, 2028): Not confirmed
More on Virginia
WORKLIO HCM
Hiring in a new state? We help open the accounts.
We help open state withholding and unemployment accounts when you hire somewhere new, and our registration service can register your employer tax accounts for you: withholding, unemployment and paid leave contributions where the state's tax agency collects them. After that, Worklio HCM calculates, deposits and files your payroll taxes in every state and locality, new-hire state reporting is automatic, and rates and rules update without you noticing.
Registration in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources
The agency page or document behind each fact, as checked.
- www.workcomp.virginia.gov/workers-compensation-insurance-information-employers (opens in a new tab), checked October 5, 2026
- vec.virginia.gov/required-posters-virginia-employers (opens in a new tab), checked September 20, 2026, read from an archived copy dated September 20, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- www.tax.virginia.gov/withholding-tax (opens in a new tab), checked September 23, 2026, read from an archived copy dated September 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia (opens in a new tab), checked September 14, 2026, read from an archived copy dated September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- www.vec.virginia.gov/employers (opens in a new tab), checked October 5, 2026
- vec.virginia.gov/tax-filing-registration (opens in a new tab), checked July 12, 2026, read from an archived copy dated July 12, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- www.va-newhire.com/ (opens in a new tab), checked October 6, 2026
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title63.2/chapter19/section63.2-1946/ (opens in a new tab), checked April 14, 2026, read from an archived copy dated April 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title16/agency5/chapter32/section20/ (opens in a new tab), checked January 23, 2026, read from an archived copy dated January 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter3/section58.1-300/ (opens in a new tab), checked January 11, 2026, read from an archived copy dated January 11, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title60.2/chapter8/section60.2-801/ (opens in a new tab), checked October 5, 2026
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the relevant agency or your advisor. You remain responsible for registering and for your employment taxes.