California Payroll Calculator 2026
California employers withhold state income tax with the Employment Development Department's Method B exact calculation in the 2026 California Employer's Guide (DE 44, Rev. 52): no tax below a low-income exemption ($363 a week for a single filer), a standard deduction, the 2026 rate table, then a credit for each DE 4 allowance. On top of that, State Disability Insurance takes 1.3% of every dollar of wages — there has been no wage ceiling since January 1, 2024.
| Official example | Official result | This calculator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example A: weekly $210, single, 1 allowance | $0.00 | $0.00 | match |
| Example B: biweekly $1,600, married, 3 allowances (1 for estimated deductions) | $2.38 | $2.38 | match |
| Example C: monthly $5,100, married, 5 allowances | $0.82 | $0.82 | match |
| Example D: weekly $950, unmarried head of household, 3 allowances | $1.69 | $1.69 | match |
| Example E: semimonthly $2,400, married, 4 allowances (annualized: $57,600, then divided by 24) | $4.13 | $4.13 | match |
| Example F: monthly $4,750, married, 4 allowances (annualized: $57,000, then divided by 12) | $7.17 | $7.17 | match |
| IRS wage-bracket table: biweekly, $1,075–$1,090, single | $46 | $46 | match |
| IRS wage-bracket table: biweekly, $2,205–$2,225, married filing jointly | $98 | $98 | match |
| IRS wage-bracket table: monthly, $3,185–$3,225, head of household | $119 | $119 | match |
| IRS wage-bracket table: weekly, $1,145–$1,155, single, Step 2 checked | $168 | $168 | match |
Paycheck calculator
Federal income tax follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026) Worksheet 1A for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Social Security stops at $184,500 of wages for the year; the extra 0.9% Medicare starts once year-to-date wages pass $200,000.
Every-two-weeks paychecks at a glance
| Gross pay | Federal tax | State withholding | FICA | State contributions | Net (single, 1 allowance) | Net (married, 2 allowances) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000.00 | $38.08 | $6.03 | $76.50 | $13.00 | $866.39 | $910.50 |
| $1,500.00 | $96.15 | $22.99 | $114.75 | $19.50 | $1,246.61 | $1,338.58 |
| $2,500.00 | $216.15 | $83.59 | $191.25 | $32.50 | $1,976.51 | $2,120.02 |
| $4,000.00 | $540.38 | $229.64 | $306.00 | $52.00 | $2,871.98 | $3,231.56 |
| $6,000.00 | $1,006.69 | $434.24 | $459.00 | $78.00 | $4,022.07 | $4,567.18 |
Biweekly pay, federal W-4 with no Step 2–4 entries, no year-to-date wages before this check.
What to watch in California
- Bonuses and other supplemental wages paid separately can be withheld at a flat 10.23% (bonuses and stock options) or 6.6% (other supplemental wages) instead; this calculator treats every payment as regular wages.
- Which of the four DE 44 columns applies to a married employee (0–1 vs 2 or more allowances) is read from the table headings; the EDD does not spell it out in prose.
- Local payroll taxes (for example San Francisco's employer-paid taxes) are not withheld from employees and are not shown.
Sources
- California EDD: DE 44 California Employer's Guide 2026, Method B exact calculation tables
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and 2026 Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems (p. 10, 12)
- California EDD: Tax-Rated Employers (SDI withholding rate 1.3% for 2026, all wages subject)
Planning a salary rather than a paycheck? See California take-home pay by salary.
Estimates for payroll planning, not tax advice. Withholding is an estimate of the year's tax, not the tax itself.