Find out exactly how much you take home in California. This free California paycheck calculator applies 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare and California state income tax to your salary or hourly wage. Use it as a California salary calculator to compare job offers, as an California hourly paycheck calculator for shift work, or to check your take-home pay in California after 401(k) and health insurance deductions. Need another state? Use the all-states paycheck calculator.
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| Item | Per paycheck | Per month | Per year |
|---|
These are estimates for planning, not tax or legal advice. Your employer's payroll system, your W-4 choices, local taxes and other deductions can change your actual paycheck.
| Single taxable income | Rate | Married (joint) taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $11,078 | 1% | $0 – $22,157 | 1% |
| $11,079 – $26,263 | 2% | $22,158 – $52,527 | 2% |
| $26,264 – $41,451 | 4% | $52,528 – $82,903 | 4% |
| $41,452 – $57,541 | 6% | $82,904 – $115,083 | 6% |
| $57,542 – $72,723 | 8% | $115,084 – $145,447 | 8% |
| $72,724 – $371,478 | 9.3% | $145,448 – $742,957 | 9.3% |
| $371,479 – $445,770 | 10.3% | $742,958 – $891,541 | 10.3% |
| $445,771 – $742,952 | 11.3% | $891,542 – $999,999 | 11.3% |
| $742,953 – $999,999 | 12.3% | $1,000,000 – $1,485,905 | 12.3% |
| $1,000,000 and up | 13.3% | $1,485,906 and up | 13.3% |
Standard deduction: $5,706 single / $11,412 married filing jointly. Personal credit: $153 single / $306 married, $475 per dependent. Estimate note: California publishes its 2026 indexed brackets, standard deduction and credits in late December 2026; the 2025 figures are used until then. Sources: state revenue department 2026 rate schedules, withholding tables and 2026 legislation, cross-checked with the Tax Foundation 2026 table; checked 26 Oct 2026.
The table shows 2026 take-home pay in California for a single filer paid bi-weekly, using the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions. Every figure comes from the calculator above.
| Salary | Federal tax | FICA | State tax + payroll | Take-home / year | Bi-weekly | Total tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $612 | $25,673 | $987.42 | 14.4% |
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3,060 | $1,103 | $33,217 | $1,277.59 | 17.0% |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $1,690 | $40,665 | $1,564.06 | 18.7% |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $4,590 | $2,420 | $47,970 | $1,845.02 | 20.1% |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $3,750 | $57,843 | $2,224.73 | 22.9% |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $6,355 | $72,825 | $2,800.96 | 27.2% |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $11,655 | $102,136 | $3,928.31 | 31.9% |
| $200,000 | $36,734 | $14,339 | $16,955 | $131,972 | $5,075.85 | 34.0% |
On a $40,000 salary a single worker in California keeps about $33,217 a year ($1,277.59 every two weeks), paying 17.0% of gross pay in total tax. At $75,000 take-home pay rises to $57,843 ($2,224.73 bi-weekly), and at $150,000 it is $102,136, a total tax rate of 31.9%. California state income tax takes $2,775 of the $75,000 salary, which is 3.7% of gross pay. State-mandated payroll contributions (CA SDI) add $975 a year at that salary.
Married couples filing jointly get wider brackets and a larger standard deduction. Here is the same salary range for a married couple with one income in California:
| Household salary | Federal tax | FICA | State tax + payroll | Take-home / year | Bi-weekly | Total tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $0 | $2,295 | $390 | $27,315 | $1,050.58 | 8.9% |
| $40,000 | $780 | $3,060 | $564 | $35,596 | $1,369.07 | 11.0% |
| $50,000 | $1,780 | $3,825 | $894 | $43,501 | $1,673.11 | 13.0% |
| $60,000 | $2,840 | $4,590 | $1,224 | $51,346 | $1,974.84 | 14.4% |
| $75,000 | $4,640 | $5,738 | $1,940 | $62,682 | $2,410.85 | 16.4% |
| $100,000 | $7,640 | $7,650 | $3,379 | $81,331 | $3,128.11 | 18.7% |
| $150,000 | $15,340 | $11,475 | $7,499 | $115,686 | $4,449.46 | 22.9% |
| $200,000 | $26,340 | $14,339 | $12,710 | $146,611 | $5,638.89 | 26.7% |
Paid by the hour? This table converts common hourly wages into take-home pay in California for a single filer working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, with no overtime.
| Hourly wage | Gross / year | Weekly take-home | Bi-weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12/hr | $24,960 | $417.67 | $835.34 | $1,809.90 | $21,719 |
| $15/hr | $31,200 | $511.49 | $1,022.98 | $2,216.46 | $26,598 |
| $18/hr | $37,440 | $601.85 | $1,203.69 | $2,608.00 | $31,296 |
| $20/hr | $41,600 | $661.89 | $1,323.77 | $2,868.18 | $34,418 |
| $25/hr | $52,000 | $810.12 | $1,620.25 | $3,510.54 | $42,126 |
| $30/hr | $62,400 | $956.22 | $1,912.45 | $4,143.64 | $49,724 |
| $40/hr | $83,200 | $1,207.44 | $2,414.89 | $5,232.25 | $62,787 |
| $50/hr | $104,000 | $1,446.44 | $2,892.89 | $6,267.92 | $75,215 |
For example, $20 an hour in California is $41,600 a year before tax and about $661.89 a week after tax, while $15 an hour leaves about $511.49 a week. The California minimum wage in 2026 is $16.90 an hour (Many cities higher (e.g. SF, LA, San Jose, West Hollywood); separate fast-food ($20) and health-care minimums); at 40 hours a week that is $35,152 a year before tax. Overtime hours are paid at 1.5× and taxed the same way – switch the calculator to Hourly and add your overtime hours to include them.
Here is exactly how the calculator gets from a $60,000 salary to take-home pay for a single filer in California paid bi-weekly (26 paychecks), with no 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions.
California has a graduated income tax with 10 brackets for single filers in 2026, starting at 1% and rising to 13.3% on taxable income above $1,000,000. Like the federal system, only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate, so moving into a higher bracket never lowers your take-home pay.
Before the rates apply, California gives a standard deduction of $5,706 for single filers and $11,412 for married couples filing jointly and a personal exemption credit of $153 ($306 for couples) plus $475 per dependent. The calculator subtracts your pre-tax 401(k), health and HSA deductions first, then these amounts, and applies the brackets to what is left. Head-of-household filers are estimated with the single brackets.
Local taxes: No local wage income taxes on employees (San Francisco's payroll/gross receipts taxes are business-paid). Enter your local rate in the “Local / city tax” box to include it.
State payroll contributions: CA SDI is withheld at 1.3% of wages. The calculator includes these automatically.
How does a California paycheck stack up? We ran the same $75,000 single-filer salary through the calculator for all 50 states and Washington, DC. California ranks 44th of 51 for take-home pay at that salary, with $57,843 a year. That is $3,750 a year ($312 a month) less than in the states with no wage tax, and $1,830 more than in Oregon, the lowest at this salary.
At $150,000 the ranking is 50th of 51, with $102,136 taken home. Rankings shift as salaries rise because flat-tax states fall behind graduated-tax states at low incomes and pull ahead at high incomes.
Traditional 401(k) contributions come out before federal and state income tax, so they cost you less than they look. A single worker in California earning $75,000 who saves 6% puts $4,500 a year into a 401(k), yet their take-home pay only falls by $3,150. The other $1,350 is income tax they no longer pay this year.
Per bi-weekly paycheck that is $173.08 saved for $121.15 less in your pocket. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) money, which is why the saving is smaller than your full tax rate. Health, dental, vision and HSA premiums taken through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan go further: they also skip FICA. Enter them in the health box to see the effect.
A Roth 401(k) works the other way round: contributions come out after tax, so your take-home falls by the full amount today, but qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.
Filing status and children change take-home pay a lot. On a $100,000 salary in California: a single filer takes home $72,825; a married couple filing jointly on the same single income keeps $81,331; and if that couple has two children under 17 the $2,200-per-child federal credit raises take-home pay to $86,681, including $3,926 less California tax than the single filer.
If both spouses work, tick the multiple-jobs box on each W-4 (Step 2) or enter the combined income in this calculator and split it, otherwise the two employers may each withhold as if their paycheck were the only income, and you can owe tax in April.
How often you are paid changes the size of each paycheck but not your yearly total. For a $75,000 single-filer salary in California:
| Pay frequency | Paychecks / year | Gross per paycheck | Take-home per paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | $1,442.31 | $1,112.36 |
| Bi-weekly | 26 | $2,884.62 | $2,224.73 |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | $3,125.00 | $2,410.12 |
| Monthly | 12 | $6,250.00 | $4,820.24 |
Bi-weekly pay gives 26 paychecks, so two months a year have three paydays. Semi-monthly pay (the 15th and the last day) gives 24 slightly bigger paychecks. For budgeting, multiply a bi-weekly paycheck by 26 and divide by 12 to get your true monthly income.
Your pay stub lists the same lines this calculator shows, so you can check each one against the estimate above. Here is what every line on a typical California pay stub means:
If a line on your stub is very different from this estimate, check the W-4 your employer has on file, whether your health premiums are taken pre-tax, and whether your employer withholds a local tax you did not enter.
The federal Form W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to withhold. Since 2020 it no longer uses allowances. Instead it has five steps: personal information and filing status (Step 1), multiple jobs or a working spouse (Step 2), dependents (Step 3), other adjustments such as other income, extra deductions or extra withholding (Step 4), and your signature (Step 5).
Filing status matters most. Single filers get a $16,100 standard deduction in 2026, married couples filing jointly $32,200 and heads of household $24,150, and each status has its own bracket widths. Claiming children in Step 3 lowers withholding by $2,200 per qualifying child under 17 and $500 per other dependent. If you want a bigger refund or owe tax every year, enter an amount in Step 4(c) – that is what the extra federal withholding box in this calculator does.
Most states use your federal W-4, but several have their own withholding certificate, so check with your employer if your state amount looks off. Updating your W-4 after a marriage, a new child or a second job is the easiest way to keep your take-home pay close to your real tax bill.
Overtime is part of your regular wages. Hourly workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act earn 1.5 times their hourly rate for hours over 40 in a week, and that money is taxed like the rest of the paycheck. Enter overtime hours in the hourly mode of the calculator to see the effect.
Bonuses, commissions paid separately and other supplemental wages are often withheld differently. When an employer pays a bonus separately from regular wages it may withhold federal income tax at a flat 22% (37% on supplemental pay above $1 million in a year). Social Security and Medicare still apply. The flat rate is only withholding, not your final tax: when you file your return the bonus is added to your other income, and you either get some back or owe a little more.
To estimate a bonus, add it to your annual salary in the calculator and compare the yearly take-home figure with the one you get without it. The difference is what the bonus adds to your California take-home pay over the year.
California has a graduated income tax in 2026 with rates from 1% up to 13.3%. The full bracket table is shown above.
Your California paycheck has federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%) and California state income tax withheld plus CA SDI. Enter your salary or hourly wage above to see the exact amounts.
A single filer earning $100,000 in California takes home about $72,825 a year in 2026, or $2,800.96 per bi-weekly paycheck, after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and California taxes. Pre-tax 401(k) or health deductions would lower the tax further.
At $20 an hour and 40 hours a week ($41,600 a year), a single worker in California takes home about $661.89 a week, $1,323.77 every two weeks or $34,418 a year.
$60,000 a year is $2,307.69 gross every two weeks. After 2026 taxes a single filer in California takes home about $1,845.02 per bi-weekly paycheck. The worked example on this page shows every step.
Choose California, enter your salary or hourly wage, pick how often you are paid and your filing status, and add any 401(k) or health insurance deductions. The calculator subtracts 2026 federal and California taxes and shows your net pay per paycheck, per month and per year.
It uses the official 2026 federal tax tables and current state rates, so it is a close estimate. Your employer's exact withholding can differ slightly because of W-4 choices, local taxes and other deductions.
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