California Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your California take-home pay after federal income tax, California income tax, Social Security, Medicare, California SDI and other paycheck deductions.
California Paycheck Calculator 2026
The California Paycheck Calculator helps employees estimate their take-home pay after federal income tax, California individual income tax, Social Security, Medicare, California State Disability Insurance and other paycheck deductions.
California is one of the states with a progressive individual income-tax system. The state also has a separate payroll withholding system that includes State Disability Insurance (SDI).
How the California Paycheck Calculator Works
Enter your annual salary or hourly wage and select your pay frequency. You can also enter your filing status, overtime, pre-tax deductions, post-tax deductions and additional federal withholding.
The calculator estimates your annual taxes and payroll deductions and then divides the estimated annual amounts by the number of pay periods you selected.
California Income Tax Rates
California uses graduated individual income-tax rates. The regular California rates range from 1% to 12.3%. The applicable rate depends on taxable income and filing status.
- 1% — lowest California individual rate
- 2% — second bracket
- 4% — third bracket
- 6% — fourth bracket
- 8% — fifth bracket
- 9.3% — sixth bracket
- 10.3% — seventh bracket
- 11.3% — eighth bracket
- 12.3% — highest regular rate
California also imposes a 1% Behavioral Health Services Tax on taxable income above $1 million.
California’s 2026 estimated-tax instructions currently reference the prior-year California tax table and rate schedule for calculating estimated 2026 tax. This calculator therefore avoids inventing unsupported 2026 bracket numbers.
California State Disability Insurance — SDI
California employees generally contribute to State Disability Insurance through payroll withholding.
For 2026, the California SDI withholding rate is 1.3%.
California currently has no SDI taxable wage ceiling. Therefore, qualifying wages remain subject to the 1.3% employee SDI withholding rate.
California Social Security Tax
Social Security is a federal payroll tax rather than a California income tax.
For 2026, the employee Social Security rate is 6.2%. The federal Social Security wage base is $184,500.
California Medicare Tax
The standard employee Medicare payroll tax is 1.45%. Medicare generally has no wage-base limit.
An additional 0.9% Medicare tax can apply to wages above $200,000 under federal withholding rules.
Federal Income Tax for California Employees
California employees generally pay federal income tax in addition to California income tax.
For 2026, the federal standard deduction is $16,100 for single taxpayers and married taxpayers filing separately, $24,150 for heads of household and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.
Federal marginal tax rates range from 10% to 37% in 2026. The higher rate applies only to the income falling within the corresponding tax bracket.
California Paycheck Examples
A sample California salary for comparing estimated take-home pay.
A useful salary example for comparing weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly and monthly pay.
A higher salary example showing the effect of federal, California and payroll deductions.
Weekly vs. Biweekly California Paychecks
Weekly employees generally receive 52 paychecks each year. Biweekly employees generally receive 26 paychecks. Semi-monthly employees generally receive 24 paychecks, while monthly employees generally receive 12.
Changing the pay frequency changes the size of an individual paycheck but does not normally change your annual salary.
Hourly Pay and Overtime
Hourly California workers can enter their hourly wage, regular weekly hours and overtime hours.
The calculator estimates annual earnings using 52 weeks. Actual overtime eligibility and overtime compensation can depend on California wage-and-hour rules, federal law, employee classification and employer policies.
Pre-Tax and Post-Tax Deductions
Your paycheck can include deductions for health insurance, retirement plans, flexible spending accounts and other employee benefits.
Not every deduction receives the same tax treatment. The calculator therefore lets you enter pre-tax and post-tax deductions separately.
Why Your Actual California Paycheck May Be Different
An online paycheck calculator is an estimate and is not the same as your employer’s payroll calculation.
Your actual withholding can depend on your federal Form W-4, California Form DE 4, filing status, allowances, payroll period, benefits, deductions, credits and other compensation.
California specifically notes that Form DE 4 adjusts California state withholding and is different from the federal Form W-4.