2026 California withholding
California hourly paycheck calculator
Your rate and your hours in, one paycheck out. California withholds on a nine-bracket graduated schedule, and takes 1.3% of every dollar for State Disability Insurance on top.
That is $1,600.00 of gross pay per paycheck, $41,600.00 a year. Overtime, shift differentials and unpaid weeks are not modelled — enter the hours you are actually paid for.
Take-home pay
per paycheck · $34,353.54 a year
- Gross pay
- $1,600.00
- Federal income tax
- −$108.15
- Social Security
- −$99.20
- Medicare
- −$23.20
- State income tax
- −$27.36
- CA State Disability Insurance
- −$20.80
- Total withheld
- $278.71
17.4% of gross goes to taxes. 2026 rates. Estimate only — your employer's payroll may differ.
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At 40 hours a week
What each rate actually pays in California
| An hour | A year, before tax | Take-home a year | Every 2 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $31,200 | $26,573 | $1,022 |
| $18 | $37,440 | $31,248 | $1,202 |
| $20 | $41,600 | $34,354 | $1,321 |
| $22 | $45,760 | $37,459 | $1,441 |
| $25 | $52,000 | $42,011 | $1,616 |
| $30 | $62,400 | $49,545 | $1,906 |
| $35 | $72,800 | $56,240 | $2,163 |
40 hours a week, 52 weeks, filing single, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions and no dependents. 2026 rates. Overtime, tips and unpaid weeks are not modelled.
What comes out
What an hour's pay loses in California
- California runs the Exact Calculation Method: your pay is annualised, the standard deduction comes off, the annual bracket table is applied, and an exemption allowance credit is subtracted from the result. That last step is why a modest California paycheck can have no state income tax withheld at all even though the state has an income tax.
- Below the low income exemption — $18,896 a year for a single filer, $37,791 married or head of household — California withholds nothing for income tax. SDI still comes out.
- State Disability Insurance is 1.3% for 2026 and, since 1 January 2024, has no wage ceiling: it applies to every dollar you earn, so a high earner pays it all year. It is a separate line on your stub from income tax, and it is what funds California’s disability and paid family leave benefits.
- This calculator assumes one regular withholding allowance if you file single and two if you file married or head of household — the columns California prints those statuses under. Each additional allowance you claim on Form DE 4 lowers the withholding by $168.30 a year.
- The withholding percentages in California’s tables (1.100%, 2.200%, 4.400% and so on) sit 10% above the statutory bracket rates. They are a collection schedule, not the tax you owe; the two are reconciled when you file.
- ⚠️ Not included here: the 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income over $1 million, and any additional flat amount you asked your employer to withhold on the DE 4.
- Federal income tax and FICA still come out of every paycheck — see the breakdown above.
Common questions
Hourly pay in California
How much is $20 an hour after taxes in California?
At 40 hours a week, $20 an hour is $41,600 a year before tax. Filing single with no pre-tax deductions, roughly $34,354 of that is take-home pay in California — about $1,321 in each biweekly paycheck. Your own figure moves with your W-4, your benefits and the hours you actually work.
Is hourly pay taxed differently from a salary in California?
No. Withholding is worked out from what you are paid in the period, not from how the job describes the pay. An hourly worker and a salaried worker who take home the same gross in the same period have the same federal tax, the same FICA and the same state withholding. The difference is that hourly pay varies week to week, so the withheld amount varies with it.
Does this include overtime?
No. Enter the hours you are actually paid for and the calculator uses that. Overtime, shift differentials, tips and bonuses are paid under their own rules — a bonus in particular is often withheld at a flat supplemental rate rather than through the normal tables, which is why it lands smaller than people expect.
What if my hours change every week?
Withholding is calculated fresh each payroll run, so a heavy week is withheld as though every week were that heavy, and a light week the other way. Over a year it roughly averages out, and the difference is settled on your tax return. Enter a typical week to see a typical paycheck.
Sources for these rates
- California Withholding Schedules for 2026 — Method B, Exact Calculation Method (EDD)
- EDD — 2026 California payroll tax rates (SDI 1.3%, no taxable wage limit)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026) — federal percentage method
- IRS Publication 15 (2026) — Social Security and Medicare
Tax year 2026. Rates last checked 2026-08-20. Estimates only — not tax, payroll or legal advice.
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