California Paycheck Calculator

How the California paycheck calculator works

It starts from your gross pay for the pay period (annual salary ÷ number of pay periods, or hourly rate × hours plus any overtime) and then subtracts:

• Pre-tax deductions you enter, such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums
• Federal income tax, based on your Form W-4 and the IRS 2026 withholding method
• Social Security (6.2% of wages up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000)
• California income tax and California SDI

What is left is your estimated net (take-home) pay for the period, shown with a line-by-line breakdown.

California income tax in 2026

California's single-filer brackets start at 1% and reach 9.3% above $72,724 of taxable income, then 10.3%, 11.3% and 12.3% for high earners. The standard deduction is $5,706, and every filer gets a personal exemption credit (about $153) that reduces the tax directly.

Employers withhold using the EDD's 2026 tables (Method A or B) based on your Form DE 4. The withholding rates are set about 10% above the actual tax rates, so many single filers with one job get a small state refund.

Other California payroll deductions

SDI funds disability and Paid Family Leave benefits. Since 2024 there is no taxable wage limit, so the 1.3% applies to every dollar you earn – $780 on a $60,000 salary, $1,950 on $150,000. California has no city income taxes on wages.

Example: $60,000 salary in California (2026)

Assumptions: single filer, paid every two weeks, 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100), no other income, no pre-tax deductions and no extra withholding. Figures are annual estimates of tax owed; your employer's withholding can differ slightly.

In this example about 20.0% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your California paycheck by hand

You can check the calculator with a pen and paper. Here is the same $60,000 single-filer example worked through for one biweekly paycheck:

1. Gross pay per check: $60,000.00 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
2. Pre-tax deductions: none in this example (401(k) and health premiums would be subtracted here, before income tax).
3. Federal income tax: $60,000.00 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900.00 taxable; 10%/12% brackets give $5,020.00 a year, or $193.08 per check.
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08.
5. Medicare: 1.45% × $2,307.69 = $33.46.
6. California income tax: $1,639.53 for the year (see the brackets below) = $63.06 per check.
7. Other California payroll deductions: $780.00 a year = $30.00 per check.
8. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,845.02 per check ($47,970.47 a year).

Your employer uses the IRS percentage method (Publication 15-T) on each paycheck, so withholding can differ from the annual tax by a few dollars a check; the difference is settled when you file your return.

California income tax brackets for 2026

California single-filer amounts for 2026: standard deduction $5,706, personal tax credit $153. A further 1% mental health services tax applies to taxable income above $1 million. Bracket thresholds are the latest published (2025) amounts used in the EDD 2026 withholding tables.

Brackets are marginal: each rate only applies to the slice of income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay.

California salary after taxes: take-home pay at common salaries

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in California for a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions:

Use these as quick reference points; the calculator above gives the figure for your exact pay, pay schedule and W-4.

Hourly wage after taxes in California

For hourly workers, this table converts common California wages into take-home pay for a full-time year (2,080 hours, no overtime):

How a 401(k) changes your California take-home pay

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and California income tax is worked out. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) deferrals.

Saving $3,600 only reduces take-home pay by about $2,952 – roughly $648 of the contribution is covered by lower income tax. Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan usually reduce FICA as well, so they save even more; check how your state treats them.

Single vs married filing jointly

Filing status changes federal withholding a lot. With one earner, the married-filing-jointly brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction cut federal tax compared with single filing:

California also has its own rules for married couples; choose 'Married filing jointly' in the calculator to apply them. If both spouses work, tick Step 2 on the federal W-4 (or use the IRS Withholding Estimator) to avoid under-withholding.

How a bonus is taxed in California

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental wages are usually withheld at a flat federal rate of 22% when they are paid separately from regular pay. On a $5,000 bonus that means:

22% is a withholding rate, not your final tax. If your real federal bracket is 12%, the extra comes back as a refund when you file; if it is 24% or higher, you may owe a little more.

Why your California paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. California uses Form DE 4 for state withholding – update it whenever your situation changes.
• Pre-tax benefits (401(k), HSA, health premiums) are taken out before tax and are not in the basic example.
• Bonuses and commissions are often withheld at the federal supplemental rate of 22%, so a bonus check can look heavily taxed even though the final tax is settled on your return.
• Social Security stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500; high earners see bigger checks late in the year.
• California payroll items (California SDI) have their own rates and caps, shown in the breakdown.

Your California paycheck by pay frequency

Pay frequency changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. For the same $60,000 example:

Hourly pay, overtime and minimum wage in California

• California's minimum wage is $16.90 an hour in 2026; many cities (for example San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose) set higher local minimums, and fast-food and health-care workers have their own rates.
• California pays daily overtime: 1.5× after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and on the first 8 hours of a seventh consecutive day; double time after 12 hours in a day or after 8 hours on the seventh day.
• At $16.90 an hour, a 40-hour week is $676.00 gross ($35,152.00 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $25.35.

California SDI on high incomes

Because the SDI wage cap was removed, high earners now pay noticeably more: 1.3% of $250,000 is $3,250 a year. The deduction shows on your pay stub as 'CASDI' or 'SDI' and is not refunded when you file.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf
2. Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base — ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html
3. EDD – 2026 Contribution Rates, Withholding Schedules (SDI 1.3%) — edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/rates_and_withholding
4. EDD – 2026 Method B withholding tables — edd.ca.gov/siteassets/files/pdf_pub_ctr/26methb.pdf
5. Tax Foundation – State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026
6. California Franchise Tax Board — ftb.ca.gov
7. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state