This California paycheck calculator estimates 2026 take-home pay from California wages. It subtracts federal income tax, California income tax, State Disability Insurance, Social Security, and Medicare. The sample is $90,000, single, paid every two weeks, with no 401(k). Federal tax uses IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. California tax uses the Franchise Tax Board’s 2026 indexed brackets, standard deduction, and personal exemption credit. SDI uses the Employment Development Department rate for 2026, which is 1.3% of all wages with no wage cap.
The result is an annual tax estimate divided by the number of paychecks. It is not the EDD Method B withholding table and it is not Publication 15-T. A pay stub can differ by more than rounding when the W-4, the DE 4, a cafeteria plan, or a bonus is in play. The figure is still a useful comparison against a Texas or Florida offer, where the state income tax line is $0 and there is no SDI line.
How to use this calculator
- Enter annual California gross wages. The sample 90000 is $90,000 for the year.
- Choose Single or Married filing jointly. Joint applies the joint federal and California brackets to this salary alone.
- Choose the pay frequency so the headline matches the stub you are comparing: 26, 52, 24, or 12 paychecks.
- Enter a traditional 401(k) deferral for the year, or 0. The form caps it at $24,500 and at wages. Press Calculate.
How a 2026 California paycheck is estimated
Federal taxable wages are gross wages minus the traditional 401(k) deferral, minus the federal standard deduction of $16,100 single or $32,200 married filing jointly. The 2026 brackets from Revenue Procedure 2025-32 then apply. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages. Additional Medicare Tax withholding is 0.9% of wages over $200,000. Those payroll taxes are not reduced by the 401(k) or by either standard deduction.
California taxable income is gross wages minus the same traditional deferral, minus the California standard deduction. For 2026 the Franchise Tax Board’s indexed deduction is $5,900 single and $11,800 married filing jointly. Tax uses the 2026 schedules: 1%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 9.3%, 10.3%, 11.3%, and 12.3%. On the single schedule the 9.3% band starts after $75,197 of taxable income. The personal exemption credit, $158 single or $316 joint, comes off that tax and cannot reduce it below zero. Taxable income over $1,000,000 also incurs the 1% Behavioral Health Services Tax. That threshold does not double for a joint return.
State Disability Insurance is 1.3% of gross wages. The EDD says that for 2026 every dollar of wages is subject to SDI, with no wage ceiling. The deferral is not removed before the 1.3% in this form. California income tax and SDI are both subtracted from take-home, along with federal income tax, FICA, and the deferral. The headline divides the annual remainder by the number of paychecks.
Formula
Tax year 2026. California wages. Federal tax = Rev. Proc. 2025-32 tax on max(0, wages − 401(k) − federal standard deduction) Federal standard deduction = $16,100 single, or $32,200 married filing jointly California taxable income = max(0, wages − 401(k) − California standard deduction) California standard deduction = $5,900 single, or $11,800 joint California regular tax = 2026 FTB brackets − exemption credit ($158 single, $316 joint), not below $0 Behavioral Health Services Tax = 1% × max(0, California taxable income − $1,000,000) California income tax = regular tax + Behavioral Health Services Tax SDI = 1.3% × gross wages Social Security = 6.2% × min(wages, $184,500) Medicare = 1.45% × wages, plus 0.9% of wages over $200,000 401(k) applied = min(amount entered, wages, $24,500) Paycheck = (wages − federal tax − California income tax − SDI − Social Security − Medicare − Additional Medicare Tax − 401(k)) ÷ paychecks
At $90,000, single, with no deferral, federal taxable income is $73,900 and federal income tax is $10,970.00. California taxable income is $84,100. The FTB single schedule charges $3,310.88 on the first $75,197 and 9.3% on the $8,903 above that, which is $827.979. The bracket tax rounds to $4,138.86. The $158 exemption credit leaves $3,980.86. SDI is 1.3% of $90,000, which is $1,170.00.
A traditional 401(k) reduces both federal and California taxable income. It does not reduce Social Security, Medicare, or the SDI base used here. Roth contributions should be entered as zero. California does not conform to every federal deduction, and this form only removes the deferral and the California standard deduction.
Worked 2026 California paycheck examples
$90,000, single, every two weeks, no 401(k)
Federal income tax is $10,970.00. Social Security is $5,580.00 and Medicare is $1,305.00. California income tax is $3,980.86 and SDI is $1,170.00. Additional Medicare Tax is $0.00. Annual take-home is $66,994.14. The headline is $2,576.70 / two weeks. The federal standard deduction line still shows $16,100.00. The California deduction of $5,900 is used inside the state tax and is not printed as a second deduction line.
The same $90,000, single, with no deferral, would keep more in Texas or Florida because those pages would not subtract $3,980.86 or $1,170.00. That gap is the point of comparing the state line rather than the salary alone.
$90,000 single with a $10,000 traditional 401(k)
Federal income tax falls to $8,770.00. California income tax falls to $3,065.12. Social Security, Medicare, and SDI do not move: they stay $5,580.00, $1,305.00, and $1,170.00. The deferral removes $10,000.00 from cash pay. Annual take-home is $60,109.88, or $2,311.92 / two weeks.
Income tax fell by $2,200.00 federal plus $915.74 California, which is $3,115.74 together. The worker gave up $10,000 of cash to save that tax. The $10,000 is inside the 401(k), not spent. SDI did not participate in the saving.
$250,000 single with the maximum ordinary deferral
The form applies a $24,500.00 deferral. Federal income tax is $43,464.00. Social Security is the $11,439.00 wage-base maximum. Medicare is $3,625.00 and Additional Medicare Tax is $450.00, which is 0.9% of the $50,000 of wages over $200,000. California income tax is $16,582.36. SDI is 1.3% of $250,000, which is $3,250.00, because there is no SDI wage cap.
Annual take-home is $146,689.64. Paid twice a month, the headline is $6,112.07 / half month. Taxable income is still under $1,000,000, so the Behavioral Health Services Tax line does not appear. At $1,500,000, married filing jointly, with no deferral, that extra tax is $4,882.00 and is included in the California income tax line of $148,467.00.
2026 California paycheck at selected wages
| Wages | Federal tax | California tax | SDI | Annual take-home | Every two weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $3,820.00 | $973.08 | $650.00 | $40,731.92 | $1,566.61 |
| $90,000 | $10,970.00 | $3,980.86 | $1,170.00 | $66,994.14 | $2,576.70 |
| $150,000 | $24,734.00 | $9,560.86 | $1,950.00 | $102,280.14 | $3,933.85 |
| $250,000 | $51,304.00 | $18,860.86 | $3,250.00 | $161,071.14 | $6,195.04 |
| $400,000 | $103,134.25 | $32,910.77 | $5,200.00 | $239,715.98 | $9,219.85 |
What this California paycheck estimate leaves out
EDD withholding tables can differ from annual tax divided by 26. Low-income exemptions from withholding, estimated-deduction allowances on the DE 4, and supplemental-wage flat rates are not applied. A bonus withheld at a flat California rate will not match a row in the table.
The Behavioral Health Services Tax is included only when California taxable income exceeds $1,000,000. California alternative minimum tax, mental-health withholding differences, and local taxes are not. San Francisco’s taxes on businesses and on certain compensation are not wage brackets in this form. State disability is an employee contribution here. Unemployment Insurance and the Employment Training Tax are employer costs and are not deducted.
The federal income tax line is an annual Form 1040-style estimate, then divided by the number of paychecks. It is not the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method, and it does not read a Form W-4. A dependent, extra withholding, a second job, or the head-of-household standard deduction of $24,150 will not match. Married filing jointly applies the joint brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction to this salary alone. If a spouse also has income, the result understates the tax.
Additional Medicare Tax withholding, from Publication 15 for 2026, is 0.9% of wages over $200,000 from the employer, whatever the filing status. On a joint return the tax itself starts at $250,000 of wages for the couple, so a joint filer can have tax withheld that the return later adjusts. This page follows the withholding threshold. Employer Social Security and employer Medicare are not deducted, and neither is federal unemployment tax.
Frequently asked questions
What is the California SDI rate on a 2026 paycheck?
The Employment Development Department set the 2026 State Disability Insurance withholding rate at 1.3% of wages, with no wage limit. On $90,000 that is $1,170.00. On $250,000 it is $3,250.00. A traditional 401(k) deferral does not reduce that line in this calculator.
Why is the California standard deduction different from the federal one?
They are separate laws. For 2026 the federal standard deduction used here is $16,100 single or $32,200 joint, from Revenue Procedure 2025-32. The Franchise Tax Board’s 2026 indexed California standard deduction is $5,900 single or $11,800 joint. The $90,000 single example uses both: federal taxable income is $73,900 and California taxable income is $84,100.
Does the $158 California exemption credit reduce SDI?
No. It reduces California regular income tax, and it cannot reduce that tax below zero. SDI is computed separately at 1.3% of gross wages. The credit is $316 for the married filing jointly choice on this page.
When does the California Behavioral Health Services Tax apply?
When California taxable income is over $1,000,000, at 1% of the excess, for every filing status. The threshold is not indexed and it does not double on a joint return. A $250,000 salary does not reach it. A $1,500,000 joint salary with no deferral includes $4,882.00 of that tax inside the California income tax figure.
How do I compare this California paycheck with Texas or Florida?
Run the same wages, filing status, frequency, and 401(k) on those pages. Their state income tax is $0 and they have no SDI line. At $90,000, single, every two weeks, and no deferral, this page shows $2,576.70. The gap versus a no-tax state is the $3,980.86 of California income tax plus $1,170.00 of SDI, before any cost-of-living difference this calculator does not know.
Related ClearCalc pages
- Texas paycheck calculator for 2026 Federal tax and FICA only. The Texas income tax line is $0.
- Florida paycheck calculator for 2026 The same federal rules as Texas, labeled for Florida wages.
- New York paycheck calculator for 2026 Adds New York State tax and, if you select it, New York City resident tax. It does not charge California SDI.
- Weekly overtime pay calculator California also has daily overtime rules. This weekly tool only applies a multiple after a weekly hour threshold.