California paycheck calculator for 2026

How the California line is built

Wages after the traditional 401(k) are reduced by the California standard deduction used here: $5,540 single and $11,080 joint. Brackets then run from 1% through 12.3%, and income over $1 million is charged an extra 1%. Head of household uses the single bracket set on this page, which is not California’s actual head-of-household table.

The federal half is the same engine as the US paycheck calculator.

$95,000 in California, single, before credits

Federal tax is still $12,070, Social Security $5,890, Medicare $1,378. California tax, after the $5,540 state standard deduction used here and before exemption credits, is about $4,758. Net is about $70,904, or $2,727 on a biweekly check. The same wage with state tax turned off nets $75,662. The gap is the California line, not a change in FICA.

Exemption credits, California SDI, and city or district items are missing on purpose. SDI is a payroll deduction set by the state and it is not in the bracket table. If your stub shows SDI, subtract it after this result. Do not type the SDI rate into the flat-rate box or you will tax it twice in your head.

When the 1% tax appears

The extra 1% mental-health tax starts when California taxable income passes $1 million. A $95,000 wage never reaches it. A $1.2 million wage does, on the slice above $1 million, and the ordinary brackets up to 12.3% still apply below that. Head of household on this page uses the single bracket set, which is not California’s real head-of-household table. If that is your filing status, treat the state line as a sketch and use the federal calculator for the federal half, which does have a head-of-household schedule.

$150,000 single, still under the million-dollar tax

Federal taxable income is $150,000 minus $16,100, which is $133,900. That reaches the 24% federal band. California taxable income, after the $5,540 deduction used here, is $144,460, still far from $1 million, so the extra 1% does not apply. The state tax is the ordinary brackets only, and it is still before exemption credits. A biweekly check will not match the stub if SDI, a local tax, or a pre-tax medical premium is missing from the wage you typed.

Compare the no-state result on the federal page if you want the California line as a difference rather than as a combined net. Do not add the California percentage on top of a flat rate. The brackets are already the state tax.