California Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Employers use the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method with the elections on your Form W-4: filing status, whether Step 2 is checked, Step 3 credits, and any Step 4 adjustments. That produces an amount to withhold each pay period before Social Security, Medicare, and any state or local tax are applied.

FICA is Social Security tax (6.2% of wages up to the annual Social Security wage base) plus Medicare tax (1.45% of all wages, with an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a year). Both are withheld on every US paycheck regardless of which state you work in, because they fund federal programs rather than a state one.

It is an estimate for planning, not a substitute for your pay stub. Your actual withholding depends on the exact elections on file with your employer, your specific pay dates, and any mid-year changes to your deductions — the calculator applies the published federal and state formulas to the numbers you enter.

No. Since January 1, 2024, California SDI has no taxable wage limit and no maximum annual withholding. In 2026 you pay 1.3% of all SDI wages, so someone earning $250,000 pays about $3,250 a year in SDI. Before 2024, SDI stopped once wages passed a yearly cap.

1.3% of wages, up from 1.2% in 2025. The rate covers both State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave. It's set by law each year and withheld from employees only; employers don't pay a matching share.

Yes. California has no health savings account provisions, so HSA contributions through payroll are included in California taxable wages and in SDI wages, even though they are excluded from federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. A 2025 bill to conform California to the federal HSA rules (AB 781) died in 2026. HSA interest and earnings are also taxable in California each year.

It's a 1% surtax on California taxable income over $1 million, created by Proposition 63 in 2004 and now called the Behavioral Health Services Tax. It makes the top California rate 13.3% (12.3% plus 1%). EDD's withholding tables include it, which is why the top withholding rate is 14.63%.

The federal Form W-4 sets only your federal income tax withholding. California withholding comes from the DE 4, which still uses allowances: regular allowances on line 1a, allowances for estimated itemized deductions on line 1b, and any extra amount per paycheck on line 2. If you never filed a DE 4, your employer must withhold California tax as if you're single with zero allowances.

Worksheet A on the DE 4 walks you through it: one for yourself, one for your spouse if your spouse doesn't claim it separately, one for blindness for each of you, and one for each dependent. Each regular allowance lowers withholding by about $168 a year. If you and your spouse both work or you have two jobs, check Single or Married (with two or more incomes) and claim all allowances on the highest-paying job to avoid underwithholding.

If the bonus is paid in the same check as your regular wages, your employer adds it to that paycheck and withholds through the regular tables. If it's paid separately, the employer can withhold a flat 10.23% on bonuses and stock options, or 6.6% on other supplemental pay such as commissions, overtime or severance. Federally, bonuses are usually withheld at 22%.

California has nine brackets, from 1% to 12.3%. For a single filer on the latest published FTB schedules, the 9.3% bracket starts at $72,724 of taxable income and the 12.3% bracket at $742,953; married couples filing jointly have brackets twice as wide. The 2026 standard deduction is $5,706 for single filers and $11,412 for married filing jointly and head of household.

No city or county in California taxes wages. San Francisco and some other cities levy business taxes on employers, but nothing is withheld from employee paychecks for them.

No. Traditional 401(k), 403(b) and 457 deferrals reduce your California taxable wages just as they do federally. They still count toward SDI wages, so SDI is withheld on them.

$16.90 an hour statewide from January 1, 2026, for every employer regardless of size. Many cities and counties, and some industries such as fast food and health care, have higher minimums.