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Paycheck Breakdown
Gross Pay:
$0.00
Federal Income Tax:
$0.00
Social Security (6.2%):
$0.00
Medicare (1.45%):
$0.00
CA State Income Tax:
$0.00
CA SDI (1.1%):
$0.00
Take-Home Pay:
$0.00
Understanding Your California Paystub
California has some of the most complex payroll tax structures in the United States. When you receive your paystub, the difference between your gross pay and your take-home pay is influenced by federal taxes, FICA contributions, and specific California state-mandated deductions like SDI and the progressive state income tax.
Key Deductions Explained
1. Federal Income Tax: This is calculated based on your filing status and the information provided on your Form W-4. It follows a progressive bracket system where higher income levels are taxed at higher percentages.
2. FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act): This includes two parts:
- Social Security: 6.2% of your gross pay up to the annual wage base limit ($168,600 for 2024).
- Medicare: 1.45% of all gross pay.
3. California State Disability Insurance (SDI): As of 2024, California SDI is 1.1% of your gross pay. Notably, the wage cap for SDI was removed starting in 2024, meaning it is applied to all earnings without a limit.
4. California Personal Income Tax (PIT): California uses a progressive tax system with rates ranging from 1% to 13.3% (including the Mental Health Services Act tax for high earners).
Example Breakdown
If you earn a bi-weekly salary of $4,000 as a single filer in California, your typical breakdown might look like this:
| Deduction Item |
Approximate Amount |
| Gross Pay |
$4,000.00 |
| Federal Income Tax |
$425.00 |
| Social Security |
$248.00 |
| Medicare |
$58.00 |
| CA State Tax |
$180.00 |
| CA SDI |
$44.00 |
| Net Take-Home |
$3,045.00 |
How to Use This Calculator
Enter your gross earnings for the specific pay period. Select how often you get paid (e.g., bi-weekly) and your filing status. The calculator will estimate your federal withholding and apply specific California rates, including the 1.1% SDI tax and state progressive brackets, to give you an estimate of your final take-home pay.
function calculateCaliforniaPay() {
var grossPay = parseFloat(document.getElementById('grossPay').value);
var frequency = parseFloat(document.getElementById('payFreq').value);
var status = document.getElementById('filingStatus').value;
var fedAllow = parseInt(document.getElementById('fedAllow').value) || 0;
if (isNaN(grossPay) || grossPay 609350) fedAnnualTax = 162718 + (fedTaxable – 609350) * 0.37;
else if (fedTaxable > 243725) fedAnnualTax = 44373 + (fedTaxable – 243725) * 0.35;
else if (fedTaxable > 191950) fedAnnualTax = 36245 + (fedTaxable – 191950) * 0.32;
else if (fedTaxable > 100525) fedAnnualTax = 16290 + (fedTaxable – 100525) * 0.24;
else if (fedTaxable > 47150) fedAnnualTax = 5404 + (fedTaxable – 47150) * 0.22;
else if (fedTaxable > 11600) fedAnnualTax = 1160 + (fedTaxable – 11600) * 0.12;
else fedAnnualTax = fedTaxable * 0.10;
} else {
// Married Jointly
if (fedTaxable > 731200) fedAnnualTax = 186362 + (fedTaxable – 731200) * 0.37;
else if (fedTaxable > 487450) fedAnnualTax = 101052 + (fedTaxable – 487450) * 0.35;
else if (fedTaxable > 383900) fedAnnualTax = 67917 + (fedTaxable – 383900) * 0.32;
else if (fedTaxable > 201050) fedAnnualTax = 32580 + (fedTaxable – 201050) * 0.24;
else if (fedTaxable > 94300) fedAnnualTax = 10808 + (fedTaxable – 94300) * 0.22;
else if (fedTaxable > 23200) fedAnnualTax = 2320 + (fedTaxable – 23200) * 0.12;
else fedAnnualTax = fedTaxable * 0.10;
}
var periodFedTax = Math.max(0, fedAnnualTax / frequency);
// 5. CA State Tax (Simplified Progressive)
var caTaxable = annualGross;
var caAnnualTax = 0;
// CA Brackets Single
var caRates = [0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.093, 0.103, 0.113, 0.123];
var caBrackets = [10412, 24684, 38959, 54081, 68350, 349137, 418961, 698271];
if (status === "married") {
for(var i=0; i<caBrackets.length; i++) caBrackets[i] = caBrackets[i] * 2;
}
var remaining = caTaxable;
var prevBracket = 0;
for (var j = 0; j (caBrackets[j] – prevBracket)) {
caAnnualTax += (caBrackets[j] – prevBracket) * caRates[j];
remaining -= (caBrackets[j] – prevBracket);
prevBracket = caBrackets[j];
} else {
caAnnualTax += remaining * caRates[j];
remaining = 0;
break;
}
}
if (remaining > 0) caAnnualTax += remaining * caRates[8];
var periodStateTax = Math.max(0, caAnnualTax / frequency);
// Final Calculation
var totalDeductions = periodFedTax + periodSS + periodMedi + periodStateTax + periodSDI;
var netPay = grossPay – totalDeductions;
// UI Update
document.getElementById('resGross').innerText = "$" + grossPay.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resFedTax').innerText = "$" + periodFedTax.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resSS').innerText = "$" + periodSS.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resMedi').innerText = "$" + periodMedi.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resStateTax').innerText = "$" + periodStateTax.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resSDI').innerText = "$" + periodSDI.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById('resNet').innerText = "$" + netPay.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
}
// Initial calculation
calculateCaliforniaPay();