California paycheck calculator

Take-home pay in California after federal and California income tax, Social Security, Medicare and your deductions, using the 2026 withholding rules.

State you live and work in

2026 rules for California.

Pay

I'm paid

Salary (per year, before taxes)

How often you're paid

Your Form W-4

Filing status

Children under 17

$2,200 each in Step 3, if your income is $200,000 or less ($400,000 married filing jointly).

Other dependents

$500 each in Step 3.

Pre-tax and after-tax deductions

401(k) or 403(b) contribution

Traditional (pre-tax). Put a Roth contribution under after-tax deductions.

Health insurance, HSA and FSA

Pre-tax premiums and contributions through payroll; they also lower Social Security and Medicare.

After-tax deductions

Roth 401(k), union dues, garnishments.

More Form W-4 options

Step 2: two jobs, or married and your spouse works

Only if you checked the box in Step 2(c) of your W-4.

Step 4(a): other income (per year)

Step 4(b): deductions (per year)

From the W-4's Deductions Worksheet: tips, overtime, car loan interest, the senior deduction, itemizing.

Step 4(c): extra withholding

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,838.71

$47,806.38 a year from $59,999.94 gross, 26 paychecks.

Gross pay, each deduction and take-home pay, per paycheck and per year
Item	Per paycheck	Per year
Gross pay	$2,307.69	$59,999.94
Federal income tax	−$193.08	−$5,020.08
Social Security	−$143.08	−$3,720.00
Medicare	−$33.46	−$870.00
California income tax	−$69.36	−$1,803.48
CA SDI	−$30.00	−$780.00
Take-home pay	$1,838.71	$47,806.38

Taxes as a share of pay: 20.3%
Federal taxable wages (year): $59,999.94

Estimates for planning, not tax advice. Your employer's payroll may round differently, and your tax bill when you file can differ from what's withheld.

How California taxes your paycheck in 2026

California withholds income tax at ten rates from 1.1% to 14.63% of annualized wages after a $5,706 standard deduction ($11,412 married or head of household), then subtracts $168.30 for each allowance claimed on Form DE 4. Nothing is withheld from wages at or below $18,896 a year ($37,791 married or head of household). Every paycheck also pays 1.3% State Disability Insurance (SDI) on all wages, with no cap. Traditional 401(k) contributions and pre-tax health premiums are not subject to California income tax, but 401(k) contributions are still subject to SDI.

California withholding rates, 2026: single or married filing separately
Taxable income	Rate
$0 to $11,079	1.1%
$11,079 to $26,264	2.2%
$26,264 to $41,452	4.4%
$41,452 to $57,542	6.6%
$57,542 to $72,724	8.8%
$72,724 to $371,479	10.23%
$371,479 to $445,771	11.33%
$445,771 to $742,953	12.43%
$742,953 to $1,000,000	13.53%
Over $1,000,000	14.63%

California withholding rates, 2026: married filing jointly
Taxable income	Rate
$0 to $22,158	1.1%
$22,158 to $52,528	2.2%
$52,528 to $82,904	4.4%
$82,904 to $115,084	6.6%
$115,084 to $145,448	8.8%
$145,448 to $742,958	10.23%
$742,958 to $891,542	11.33%
$891,542 to $1,000,000	12.43%
$1,000,000 to $1,485,906	13.53%
Over $1,485,906	14.63%

California withholding rates, 2026: head of household
Taxable income	Rate
$0 to $22,173	1.1%
$22,173 to $52,530	2.2%
$52,530 to $67,716	4.4%
$67,716 to $83,805	6.6%
$83,805 to $98,990	8.8%
$98,990 to $505,208	10.23%
$505,208 to $606,251	11.33%
$606,251 to $1,000,000	12.43%
$1,000,000 to $1,010,417	13.53%
Over $1,010,417	14.63%

Standard deduction: $5,706 single or married filing separately; $11,412 married filing jointly; $11,412 head of household.
Exemption credits off the tax: $168.3 for you, $168.3 for a spouse, $168.3 per dependent.
A traditional 401(k) lowers your California taxable wages; pre-tax health premiums do.

California payroll contributions

California employee payroll taxes, 2026
Contribution	Rate	Wages up to
CA SDI	1.3%	No limit

City and county taxes

California cities and counties do not tax wages. San Francisco and some other cities tax employers on payroll, but nothing is withheld from your paycheck for it.

What this calculator simplifies

We assume Form DE 4 claims 1 allowance if you are single, 2 if married (one for each spouse) and 1 for head of household, plus 1 for each dependent; each allowance is a $168.30 credit off the year's tax. Extra allowances for estimated deductions are not included.
Married people are figured on the married tables with 2 or more allowances. A married employee who claims 0 or 1 allowance, or a two-earner couple following the EDD's advice to use the single rates, would have more withheld.
These are withholding figures, not your final California tax. The EDD's withholding rates are 1.1 times the return's rates (1% to 12.3%, plus the 1% Mental Health Services Tax over $1 million), so withholding usually runs above the tax actually owed, and the return's dependent credit is larger than the $168.30 allowance credit.
Health Savings Account contributions are taxable in California, which does not follow the federal HSA exclusion, but the calculator treats every pre-tax health deduction, HSA included, as free of California income tax. If you put money in an HSA through payroll, California withholding is slightly understated.

Sources

EDD: California Withholding Schedules for 2026, Method B (Exact Calculation)
EDD: 2026 California Employer's Guide (DE 44), payroll tax rates and wage limits
EDD: Rates and Withholding (2026 SDI rate)
EDD: Types of Payments (DE 231TP), treatment of 401(k), cafeteria plans and HSAs
IRS Publication 15-T (2026) for federal withholding, and Publication 15 (2026) for Social Security and Medicare.

How every number is worked out is on the methodology page.