California paycheck calculator

The same calculator, pre-set to California. State figures below are computed from California's own published withholding method — cited at the bottom of this page.

Your pay

Gross pay per check Pay entered as Pay frequency Year-to-date wages before this check (for the Social Security cap)

Federal — your W-4

Filing status (Step 1c) Step 2 box is checked (multiple jobs / spouse works — use the higher withholding schedules) Step 3 — dependents amount ($)

More W-4 detail (Steps 4a–4c)

Step 4(a) — other income, annual ($) Step 4(b) — deductions above the standard amount, annual ($) Step 4(c) — extra withholding per check ($)

Deductions per check

Pre-tax retirement — 401(k)/403(b)/457 ($) Pre-tax premiums & HSA — cafeteria plan ($) Post-tax deductions ($)

State

Work state

State inputs mirror that state's own withholding form.

Your pay stub Annual figures

No signup. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere — every figure is computed on this device, from the published withholding methods cited below.

Worked example

Worked example. Example B from EDD's Method B schedules: biweekly $1,600, married, 3 allowances in total (1 for estimated deductions, 2 regular).
Federal income tax $36.15 · Social Security $99.20 · Medicare $23.20 · California withholding $2.38 · California SDI (1.3% of gross wages) $20.80 · Take-home $1,418.27 per paycheck (biweekly)

How California withholding works

State form: DE 4.

California's Method B: if your annual pay is above the low-income exemption table, subtract $1,000 per additional allowance claimed for estimated deductions and the standard deduction for your status, tax the rest on the annual table for your status, then subtract $168.30 per regular allowance. California SDI — 1.3% of gross wages, no wage cap — is withheld on its own line.

Current parameters

method b steps	1. Compare gross pay to Table 1 low-income exemption; if at or below, no withholding., 2. Subtract Table 2 estimated-deduction amount (for additional allowances claimed for estimated deductions)., 3. Subtract Table 3 standard deduction., 4. Compute tax from the applicable tax-rate table (Tables 5/6/7 annual; per-period tables also published)., 5. Subtract Table 4 exemption allowance credit (regular allowances).
table1 low income exemption annual	See the cited publication
table2 estimated deduction annual per additional allowance	1,000
table3 standard deduction annual	See the cited publication
table4 exemption allowance credit annual per allowance	168.3
table5 annual single dual income married multiple employers	10 entries (see the cited publication)
table6 annual married	10 entries (see the cited publication)
table7 annual head of household	10 entries (see the cited publication)
method a note	Method A wage-bracket tables also published for wages under $1 million; Method B (exact calculation) transcribed here.
sdi	See the cited publication

What this page covers — and what it doesn't

State method plus SDI. A few localities (e.g. San Francisco's payroll-expense and gross-receipts taxes) are employer-side and never appear on a pay stub.

Source. 2026 California Withholding Schedules - Method B (INTERNET) — California Employment Development Department (EDD) — tax year 2026. Tables checked 2026-11-06. Official source.