Updated July 25, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from Virginia to Florida in retirement, you stop paying Virginia income tax on retirement withdrawals. Four separate taxes change when you move — state income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Most comparisons only price the first one.
Virginia vs Florida: every tax that changes
| What changes | Virginia (leaving) | Florida (arriving) |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | graduated, 2% to 5.75% top rate (top bracket starts at $17,000) | none |
| Social Security | Not taxed (subtracted from federal AGI). | not taxed (no state income tax) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals taxable; | Not taxed (no state income tax). |
| Estate tax | none (repealed for deaths on/after 7/1/2007) | none (constitutionally prohibited) |
| Inheritance tax | none | none |
| Probate fee model | reasonable-fee | statutory-percentage |
| Probate filing fee | Probate tax of 10 cents per $100 of estate value, with no tax on estates of $15,000 or less (Va. Code §58.1-1712); localities may add up to one-third of the state tax (§58.1-1718); plus modest clerk recordation fees (e.g., $25 list of heirs, §64.2-509/58.1 fees). Verified on law.lis.virginia.gov. | ~$400 formal administration; ~$345 summary administration (estates ≥$1,000); ~$235 summary <$1,000 — clerk fees per Fla. Stat. §28.2401 (base $395/$340 plus $4 service charge) |
| Small-estate limit | $50,000 — Virginia Small Estate Act affidavit for personal property (Va. Code §64.2-601); 60-day wait. Widely documented; cite well established. | Summary administration: $150,000 as of July 1, 2026 (Fla. Stat. §735.201, amended by CS/HB 1337, Ch. 2026-57, signed April 29, 2026; was $75,000), or death more than 2 years ago regardless of value; exempt homestead not counted. Disposition without administration (§735.304): raised $10,000 → $20,000 of exempt personal property by the same act. |
Every cell is quoted from our statute-cited 51-jurisdiction dataset. Download the full dataset as CSV.
1. What changes on your annual tax bill
Virginia taxes retirement withdrawals: Pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals taxable; Florida does not. On a $100,000 annual withdrawal, the Virginia bill is whatever its graduated, 2% to 5.75% top rate (top bracket starts at $17,000) schedule produces; in Florida it is $0. Social Security is treated as follows — Virginia: Not taxed (subtracted from federal AGI). Florida: not taxed (no state income tax)
2. What changes at death: state estate tax
Neither state levies an estate tax. Virginia: none (repealed for deaths on/after 7/1/2007) Florida: none (constitutionally prohibited) Only the federal estate tax applies.
3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax
Neither state levies an inheritance tax. Virginia: none Florida: none
4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs
Virginia uses a reasonable-fee fee model (Personal representative entitled to ‘reasonable compensation’ (Va. Code §64.2-1208); in practice Commissioners of Accounts apply published guideline percentage scales (commonly around 5% of receipts, sliding), but these are guidelines, not statute. Attorney fees reasonable.); Florida uses a statutory-percentage model (Presumptive (not mandatory) statutory schedules. Attorney (Fla. Stat. §733.6171): $1,500 for estates ≤$40,000; +$750 for $40-70k; +$750 for $70-100k; 3% of the next $900,000; 2.5% from $1M-$3M; 2% from $3M-$5M; 1.5% from $5M-$10M; 1% above $10M — presumed reasonable, must be disclosed as negotiable. PR (§733.617): 3% of first $1M; 2.5% next $4M; 2% next $5M; 1.5% above $10M.). Filing fees — Virginia: Probate tax of 10 cents per $100 of estate value, with no tax on estates of $15,000 or less (Va. Code §58.1-1712); localities may add up to one-third of the state tax (§58.1-1718); plus modest clerk recordation fees (e.g., $25 list of heirs, §64.2-509/58.1 fees). Verified on law.lis.virginia.gov. Florida: ~$400 formal administration; ~$345 summary administration (estates ≥$1,000); ~$235 summary <$1,000 — clerk fees per Fla. Stat. §28.2401 (base $395/$340 plus $4 service charge)
Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.
Probate cost in each state, specifically
Virginia uses a “reasonable fee” standard with no schedule, and its small-estate route does not clear a solely owned house. Florida uses a statutory percentage schedule, so the fee is computable exactly, and its small-estate route does not clear a solely owned house. Both states land in the same bucket on that question. Full figures with the governing statute, the court filing fee and the small-estate threshold: Virginia probate cost and Florida probate cost.
Four taxes, two states, one order of operations
Everything above changes together: what Virginia stops taking on withdrawals, what Florida does not take at death, and what probate costs in each. The order you do things in — when you establish domicile, when you convert, when you retitle property — changes the total, and some of it cannot be undone afterwards. If a move is genuinely on the table, here is what to look for in an advisor who knows both Virginia and Florida. If you would rather price it yourself first, the two-state comparison tool is free and asks for no email.
Will Virginia still tax me after I move to Florida?
Not on your retirement withdrawals, once you genuinely change domicile — but that is a harder test than a change of address, and what you leave behind stays in reach.
- Domicile is a test, not a mailing address. A departing state can and does audit residency. Days present, voter registration, driver’s licence, where your doctors and advisers are, and where you keep what you value all count.
- A Roth conversion is taxed where you live in the year you convert. Sequencing a conversion after establishing the new domicile is often worth more than the annual saving — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.
Full state detail
Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: Virginia retirement taxes and Florida retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.
Widen the comparison
This page prices one corridor. To see every destination Virginia retirees consider and every origin state moving to Florida, start there instead. For any pair not covered, the retirement tax comparison tool runs all 51 jurisdictions, and the probate cost calculator works out what settling the estate costs in each.
Talking this through
Relocation timing, Roth conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact, and the order you do them in changes the total. If you want a second opinion, understand what it should cost first — see our advisor cost guide.
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Cite or share this comparison
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “Virginia to Florida Retirement Taxes (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/virginia-to-florida-retirement-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution. Download the full dataset as CSV, or contact contact@clearmoneyguide.com for custom cuts.
Primary sources
- Va. Code § 58.1-322.03 (age deduction and SS subtraction)
- Va. Code § 58.1-322.02(24) (military benefits subtraction)
- Virginia Tax: Subtractions page and Military Benefits FAQ
- Fla. Const. art. VII (no personal income tax)
- Va. Code §64.2-1208
- Va. Code §64.2-601
- Va. Code §58.1-1712
- Va. Code §58.1-1718
- Fla. Stat. §733.6171
- Fla. Stat. §733.617
- Fla. Stat. §735.201 (as amended by Ch. 2026-57)
- Fla. Stat. §28.2401
Methodology: every figure is quoted from Clear Money Guide’s statute-cited 51-jurisdiction datasets, compiled from state statutes, session laws and revenue-department publications and adversarially verified in July 2026. Nothing here is personalized tax or legal advice. Confirm your own facts with a qualified adviser before you move.