Taxes in McLean
Virginia's near-flat 5.75% income tax applies to McLean residents the same as anywhere else in the state, and because McLean has no town or city government of its own, it uses Fairfax County's combined 6.0% sales tax rate and FY2026 real estate tax rate ($1.1225 per $100 of assessed value) directly.
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Learn moreVirginia's income tax -- restated as place-level context
Virginia applies a four-bracket schedule (2% on the first $3,000, 3% on $3,001-$5,000, 5% on $5,001-$17,000, 5.75% above $17,000) that functions as a near-flat 5.75% tax for most working filers, since the top bracket starts at just $17,000. Social Security is fully exempt at any age; filers 65+ can claim an age deduction of up to $12,000, phased out above $50,000 (single) / $75,000 (married) federal AGI.
No separate municipal tax layer, unlike Vienna
Because McLean is unincorporated Fairfax County with no town or city government, it has no additional municipal real estate or sales tax layer to navigate -- the county's own adopted FY2026 real estate tax rate ($1.1225 per $100 of assessed value) and combined sales tax rate (6.0%: 4.3% state + 1.0% local + 0.7% NVTA regional) apply directly.
Substantial real estate tax bills given McLean's genuinely high property values
Given McLean's genuinely high, if cross-source-inconsistent, property values (every cited figure running above $1.4 million), real estate tax bills at Fairfax County's standard rate run substantial in absolute dollar terms -- a genuine budgeting factor worth calculating directly for a specific property.
No state estate or inheritance tax
Virginia does not levy a state estate tax or inheritance tax, though residents with sufficiently large estates may still owe the federal estate tax -- a genuinely relevant consideration given McLean's high concentration of high-net-worth households.
Key takeaways
- Virginia's near-flat 5.75% income tax applies uniformly to McLean residents.
- McLean has no separate municipal tax layer -- Fairfax County's combined 6.0% sales tax and FY2026 real estate tax rate ($1.1225/$100) apply directly.
- Real estate tax bills run substantial in absolute dollar terms given McLean's genuinely high property values.
- Virginia levies no state estate or inheritance tax, though the federal estate tax is a genuinely relevant consideration for McLean's high-net-worth households.
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