California Paycheck Calculator 2026

A California paycheck passes through two sets of hands before it becomes take-home pay. Washington takes federal income tax based on your W-4, Social Security at 6.2% on wages up to the $184,500 base, and Medicare at 1.45% on every dollar. Sacramento then takes a progressive state income tax that tops out at 13.3% for the highest earners, plus State Disability Insurance at 1.3% of wages, the line that also funds California's Paid Family Leave benefit.

The SDI deduction is the one most new arrivals don't expect, because few states withhold for short-term disability at all. At 1.3% it is modest on a single check but adds up over a year, and it buys partial pay when illness or a new baby keeps you home. Because withholding is calculated on taxable wages, pre-tax moves change the result: routing money into a traditional 401(k), up to the $24,500 deferral limit, lowers both the federal and state income tax taken out, though it never touches Social Security, Medicare, or SDI.

On a $60,000 salary, California's graduated income tax, topping out at 13.3%, comes to about $1,640 a year for a single filer after the state's own deductions and exemptions — on top of $4,590 in federal FICA, which is the same in every state. 41 of the 42 states that tax income have a lower top rate than California's 13.3%.

The state minimum wage is $16.90/hr , above the federal $7.25 floor — about $35,152 a year at 40 hours a week. California also withholds for state disability insurance and paid family leave, which most states do not.