California Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your California take-home pay — federal tax, CA state income tax, SDI, Social Security, and Medicare all included.
California payroll tax overview
California has one of the most progressive state income tax structures in the country, with marginal rates from 1% to 13.3% depending on income and filing status. On top of state income tax, California employees also have SDI (State Disability Insurance) withheld at 1.1% of wages — this funds short-term disability and paid family leave benefits.
Unlike some states, California does not layer on additional city or county income taxes, so your total withholding is federal tax + Social Security + Medicare + CA state tax + SDI.
Worked example
A single filer earning $75,000/year in California, paid biweekly:
| Item | Per paycheck | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,884.62 | $75,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | ≈ $313.00 | ≈ $8,140.00 |
| Social Security | $178.85 | $4,650.00 |
| Medicare | $41.83 | $1,087.50 |
| CA state tax | ≈ $103.50 | ≈ $2,691.00 |
| CA SDI (1.1%) | $31.73 | $825.00 |
| Net pay | ≈ $2,215.71 | ≈ $57,606.50 |
Local income context: how California compares
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, California's median household income is $100,149 — among the highest in the country the 2024 national median of $81,604. California's income figure masks enormous internal variation: Bay Area tech salaries pull the state average dramatically upward, while the state's large agricultural Central Valley workforce earns far closer to (or below) the national median — California has both some of the highest and lowest local incomes in the country.
Median household income reflects a full household (often two earners), while the calculator above estimates take-home pay for a single individual's salary — so it's a useful benchmark for context rather than a direct comparison, but it helps illustrate how a given salary stacks up against typical earnings in California.
Frequently asked questions
How California compares to other states
California's top marginal income tax rate of 13.3% is the highest of any US state, applying only to income above roughly $1 million for single filers. For most middle-income earners, the practical rate is far lower — many California taxpayers fall into the 6% to 9.3% brackets. Combined with relatively high state and local sales tax, California is generally considered a higher-tax state overall, which is part of why take-home pay in California is meaningfully lower than in no-tax states like neighboring Nevada for the same gross salary.
That said, California also offers state-specific benefits funded by these taxes, including one of the more generous Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance programs in the country — both funded through the SDI deduction shown in this calculator.
California cost-of-living context
Because California's major metro areas (San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego) have some of the highest costs of living in the US, many California job offers are scaled up accordingly compared to lower-cost states. When evaluating a California offer against an out-of-state one, it's worth comparing not just the take-home pay this calculator estimates, but also local housing costs, which vary dramatically even within California itself — a $90,000 salary stretches very differently in Fresno than in San Francisco.
More frequently asked questions
California minimum wage context
California's statewide minimum wage is among the highest in the country, and several cities — including San Francisco and several Bay Area municipalities — set their own local minimum wage even higher than the state rate. If you're entering an hourly rate into this calculator, it's worth confirming your local minimum wage requirement separately, since it varies by city in a way no single statewide calculator can capture.