What is actual take home pay for DC biglaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm about to start at as a first year in DC and I'm trying to plan for a budget while I have the time off.I've seen a few threads discussing NYC biglaw but there isn't much info for DC. Since the taxes are slightly different, can anyone chime in on what their take home pay is for DC big law (with or without 401K, HSA, ect.)

[Anonymous User]

I'm about to start at as a first year in DC and I'm trying to plan for a budget while I have the time off.I've seen a few threads discussing NYC biglaw but there isn't much info for DC. Since the taxes are slightly different, can anyone chime in on what their take home pay is for DC big law (with or without 401K, HSA, ect.)

With 401K and other benefits, my take home pay was about $5,500 every two weeks. My salary at the time was $190,000/year.

[Anonymous User]

5500 every two weeks sounds high.

With my 401(k) and medical, I take home around $4800 per paycheck (twice a month). This is at $200k.

Edit: I’m anon because my firm is not market and I’m easily identifiable. Don’t like people randomly knowing my salary.

[Anonymous User]

5500 every two weeks sounds high.

With my 401(k) and medical, I take home around $4800 per paycheck (twice a month). This is at $200k.

Seconding this.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone in this thread answer the same question for NY? What is the actual take home pay for NY big law?

[Dunnkirk85]

Can anyone in this thread answer the same question for NY? What is the actual take home pay for NY big law?

Excellent uses of the Anonymous feature ITT

[cavalier1138]

Bear in mind that your takehome pay will differ slightly based on where you actually live (i.e. DC, MD, or VA).

[JHP]

Can anyone in this thread answer the same question for NY? What is the actual take home pay for NY big law?

Excellent uses of the Anonymous feature ITT

There are also extensive threads on NY take home pay.... Flex those research muscles man

[nealric]

I'm about to start at as a first year in DC and I'm trying to plan for a budget while I have the time off.I've seen a few threads discussing NYC biglaw but there isn't much info for DC. Since the taxes are slightly different, can anyone chime in on what their take home pay is for DC big law (with or without 401K, HSA, ect.)

Keep in mind that your personal tax situation may differ from others (married/kids/homeownership status) and that health plans will vary from firm to firm. It's easy enough to look up the difference in state/local tax rates if you want to adjust form NYC experiences.

But I wouldn't get too hung up about it. Live below your means and put anything beyond living expenses into savings/debt payoff. A few hundred bucks plus/minus in take home shouldn't impact your spending.

[Anonymous User]

$4200-4700 bimonthly when I was making $190k in DC. This was: (1) pre Trump tax bill; (2) including 401k contribution that allowed me to max my contribution to my 401k over the course of a year; (3) no healthcare deduction; (4) including Social Security tax (ie hadn’t hit the cap yet).

[Anonymous User]

I'm about to start at as a first year in DC and I'm trying to plan for a budget while I have the time off.I've seen a few threads discussing NYC biglaw but there isn't much info for DC. Since the taxes are slightly different, can anyone chime in on what their take home pay is for DC big law (with or without 401K, HSA, ect.)

Keep in mind that your personal tax situation may differ from others (married/kids/homeownership status) and that health plans will vary from firm to firm. It's easy enough to look up the difference in state/local tax rates if you want to adjust form NYC experiences.

But I wouldn't get too hung up about it. Live below your means and put anything beyond living expenses into savings/debt payoff. A few hundred bucks plus/minus in take home shouldn't impact your spending.

Anon OP here, I am single/no dependents. Im planning on moving to the NW DC area. Most of the apartments i've seen range from $2200-$2500 a month. Is $2,500( including utilities) too much? (I'm a little bit older, 29, and dont want live with roommates anymore).

[Anonymous User]

I'm about to start at as a first year in DC and I'm trying to plan for a budget while I have the time off.I've seen a few threads discussing NYC biglaw but there isn't much info for DC. Since the taxes are slightly different, can anyone chime in on what their take home pay is for DC big law (with or without 401K, HSA, ect.)

Keep in mind that your personal tax situation may differ from others (married/kids/homeownership status) and that health plans will vary from firm to firm. It's easy enough to look up the difference in state/local tax rates if you want to adjust form NYC experiences.

But I wouldn't get too hung up about it. Live below your means and put anything beyond living expenses into savings/debt payoff. A few hundred bucks plus/minus in take home shouldn't impact your spending.

Anon OP here, I am single/no dependents. Im planning on moving to the NW DC area. Most of the apartments i've seen range from $2200-$2500 a month. Is $2,500( including utilities) too much? (I'm a little bit older, 29, and dont want live with roommates anymore).

I am a single no dependents associate in DC also living in DC proper. I'm a 2nd year, but I set aside 5% for 401(k) so my after-contribution gross is $190k. My firm pays twice monthly and my take home is about $5100 per period (after HSA contrib, medical, and a cheap dental plan). Back of the napkin math suggests that would be about $4700 for a biweekly-paying firm. Whoever is taking home $5500 in DC needs to share how they're doing it.

$2500 with utilities is about what I pay right now and I am about to move to a more expensive place, too. Out of the $10k I pocket each month, maybe a little under $3k goes to housing and transportation (Internet, utilities, etc. plus Metro, Lyft, whatever), $4k goes to my student loans (of which I am paying very aggressively to get that off my back), and I spend the remaining $3k without really thinking about it and sock whatever's left over into Vanguard. $2500 for a nice one-bedroom in DC is very normal especially if it come with bells and whistles like a nice on-site gym, dry cleaning pickup at your address, 24/7 desk attendant/package acceptance, etc.

You didn't ask for advice but you might not get the most bang for your buck in Northwest. Everybody has different preferences though but if you have heard that NW is the "nice" part of town, there are options in each of the other quadrants that have been built up very recently and have both yuppie housing and amenities (to name one for each of the other quadrants, the Wharf, Navy Yard, and NoMa come to mind).

[UnfrozenCaveman]

I like questioning the 5500 per paycheck without any knowledge of each person's tax situation.

[2013]

I like questioning the 5500 per paycheck without any knowledge of each person's tax situation.

$5500 isn’t possible even if $5500 OP is married with children, even in Virginia.

So, yeah.

[Anonymous User]

I like questioning the 5500 per paycheck without any knowledge of each person's tax situation.

$5500 isn’t possible even if $5500 OP is married with children, even in Virginia.

So, yeah.

My take home at $190,000 was $5526 bimonthly by the end of the year because I had hit my 401k max and the social security tax cap by then. Single/Virginia/no kids.

But it was only $4514 bimonthly at the beginning of the year, which is much more pertinent to OP's question. That was also pre-Trump tax plan.

[notinbiglaw]

5500 is possible if you don’t do 401k and go for the minimal withholdings, especially as the sole earner in a marriage.

Especially for the stub year because you aren’t earning full 190k for the year and most of your income is still in lower bracket.

But if you don’t update that on your withholding forms for your first full year, get ready for a tax bill.