California Paycheck Calculator

How California taxes your paycheck

California is one of the most progressive income-tax states in the country. Wages here are taxed by four distinct systems at the same time: the federal income tax, the California state income tax, the federal FICA payroll tax, and the California State Disability Insurance (SDI) deduction. The calculator above models all four for tax year 2026.

Federal income tax

Federal tax is progressive — your first dollars are taxed at 10%, then 12%, then 22%, and so on. For 2026, the brackets are projected from the IRS\'s annual inflation adjustment methodology, with a single-filer standard deduction near $16,100.

California state income tax

California has nine income-tax brackets ranging from 1% to 12.3%, plus a 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income above $1 million. Even at modest incomes, the top bracket you touch here is usually higher than in most other states. The state standard deduction is much smaller than the federal — roughly $5,650 for single filers in 2026.

FICA: Social Security & Medicare

FICA is a flat 6.2% Social Security on wages up to the annual cap (~$181,000 in 2026) plus 1.45% Medicare on every dollar. Earners above $200,000 single / $250,000 married also owe an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare on income above those thresholds.

California SDI

California State Disability Insurance is a 1.2% withholding on every dollar of W-2 wages. As of 2024, there is no longer a wage cap — high earners pay SDI on their full paycheck. SDI funds short-term disability and Paid Family Leave.

Why your paycheck looks smaller than you expected

The difference between your gross pay and your take-home is rarely a single number — it\'s the stack of all four systems above, plus pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health insurance, plus post-tax items like Roth contributions or wage garnishments. The calculator on this page handles the four tax layers; the FAQ below explains how the optional deductions interact.

For most California workers, the four-layer total comes out to between 22% and 35% of gross pay, depending on income. That number rises sharply once you cross the Additional Medicare threshold, the FICA wage cap, and the state\'s 9.3% bracket — which all happen in roughly the same income band.

What this calculator includes (and doesn\'t)

Our calculator models federal income tax, California income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare, and California SDI. It supports pre-tax 401(k) and health-premium deductions. It does not model:

• City or local taxes (California has none on wages, but does on property)
• Wage garnishments and court-ordered withholdings
• The federal child tax credit, EITC, or California EITC
• Bonus / supplemental wage withholding (use the bonus calculator)
• Self-employment / 1099 tax (use the 1099 calculator)

Read the full methodology for an exact list of brackets, rates, and deductions used.