California takes two things from every paycheck: income tax figured from your DE 4 across ten withholding brackets, and 1.3% State Disability Insurance on every dollar you earn, with no wage cap. California also taxes the HSA contributions you make through payroll, which federal tax does not.
2026 tax year, verified Sources
Estimated take-home this week
$919.38
from $1,153.85 gross. You keep 80%.
2026 tax year, rules last verified November 12, 2026. An estimate, not tax advice. How we calculate
Each extra dollar you earn loses about 28¢ to taxes, but across all your pay the average is 20¢. A raise never lowers your take-home: only the dollars above a bracket line pay the higher rate.
| Annual pay | Effective | Marginal |
|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | 8.9% | 8.9% |
| $30,000 | 14.5% | 23.2% |
| $45,000 | 18.0% | 25.4% |
| $60,000 | 20.3% | 27.6% |
| $75,000 | 23.2% | 39.8% |
| $90,000 | 26.2% | 41.2% |
| $105,000 | 28.3% | 41.2% |
| $120,000 | 29.9% | 41.2% |
| $135,000 | 31.4% | 43.2% |
| $150,000 | 32.6% | 43.2% |
Same pay, W-4 and benefits; each state’s default withholding answers, no local taxes. Take-home per week:
Employers use the EDD’s Method B, the exact calculation. First they check your pay against a low-income exemption: if a weekly check is $363 or less (single) or $727 or less (head of household, or married with two or more allowances), no California income tax is withheld at all.
Above that, they subtract any estimated-deduction allowances from DE 4 line 1b and a standard deduction ($110 a week single, $219 married or head of household), then apply the tax rate table for your pay period and filing status. Finally they subtract a credit of $168.30 a year for each regular allowance on DE 4 line 1a.
Each withholding rate is 110% of the matching California income tax rate (1.1% for the 1% bracket, up to 14.63% for 13.3%), so California deliberately withholds a little more than the tax on each slice of pay.
SDI is separate. It funds disability and Paid Family Leave benefits and is 1.3% of all wages, including 401(k) deferrals. Section 125 health premiums are not SDI wages.
| Taxable income over | Rate | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | 1.1% | $0.00 |
| $11,079 | 2.2% | $121.87 |
| $26,264 | 4.4% | $455.94 |
| $41,452 | 6.6% | $1,124.21 |
| $57,542 | 8.8% | $2,186.15 |
| $72,724 | 10.23% | $3,522.17 |
| $371,479 | 11.33% | $34,084.81 |
| $445,771 | 12.43% | $42,502.09 |
| $742,953 | 13.53% | $79,441.81 |
| $1,000,000 | 14.63% | $114,220.27 |
Married and head of household tables have wider brackets. Annual standard deduction: $5,706 single, $11,412 married or head of household. Your employer uses the table for your own pay period, which can differ by a few cents from the annual table.
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, paid weekly, default DE 4 answers. California takes $37.51 of this check (3.8% of gross).
| Line | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,000.00 | $52,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$78.08 | −$4,060.16 |
| Social Security | −$62.00 | −$3,224.00 |
| Medicare | −$14.50 | −$754.00 |
| California income tax | −$24.51 | −$1,274.52 |
| CA SDI (disability & paid family leave) | −$13.00 | −$676.00 |
| Take-home pay | $807.91 | $42,011.32 |
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, no local tax. Per-week amounts; annual totals account for the Social Security wage cap.
| Salary | Gross / week | Federal | FICA | California | Take-home / week | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $576.92 | $27.31 | $44.14 | $12.19 | $493.28 | $25,651 |
| $40,000 | $769.23 | $50.38 | $58.84 | $22.31 | $637.70 | $33,160 |
| $50,000 | $961.54 | $73.46 | $73.56 | $34.47 | $780.05 | $40,563 |
| $60,000 | $1,153.85 | $96.54 | $88.27 | $49.66 | $919.38 | $47,808 |
| $75,000 | $1,442.31 | $147.50 | $110.33 | $77.41 | $1,107.07 | $57,568 |
| $100,000 | $1,923.08 | $253.27 | $147.11 | $131.89 | $1,390.81 | $72,322 |
| $150,000 | $2,884.62 | $475.65 | $220.68 | $242.76 | $1,945.53 | $101,168 |
Married filing jointly with two children on $100,000: $1,651.11 a week ($85,858 a year).
None. No California city or county withholds income tax from wages. Business taxes such as San Francisco’s are paid by employers, not taken from your check.
California has one mandatory employee payroll program, SDI, which also pays for Paid Family Leave.
California has no reciprocity agreements. If you live in another state and work in California, California taxes those wages. If you live in California and work elsewhere, California taxes all your wages and gives you a credit for tax paid to the other state when you file.
Single with one DE 4 allowance, California withholds $24.51 of income tax plus $13.00 of SDI. Federal tax and FICA come out too; the calculator above shows your full take-home.
Employers can withhold a flat 10.23% on bonuses and stock options (and 6.6% on other supplemental pay like commissions). A $1,000 bonus has $102.30 withheld for California. Your real tax is settled on your return.
Not anymore. Since January 1, 2024 SDI applies to every dollar of wages. In 2026 it is 1.3%, so someone earning $250,000 pays about $3,250 a year.
California skips withholding when a check is at or below the low-income exemption: $363 a week for single filers and $727 for heads of household or married filers with two or more allowances. SDI still applies.
No. California does not recognize HSAs, so payroll HSA contributions stay in your California wages and are also subject to SDI. They still lower your federal income tax and FICA.
California rules for the 2026 tax year, last verified November 12, 2026. Federal sources are on the methodology page.
Every state page has its own withholding formula, local taxes, payroll programs and worked examples. Compare all states.