How California taxes your paycheck
California uses a graduated rate schedule with 9 brackets for single filers in 2026. Like the federal system, only the income inside each bracket is taxed at that bracket's rate — moving into a higher bracket never taxes your whole paycheck at the higher rate.
The 2026 standard deduction is $5,900 (single), $11,800 (married filing jointly), $11,800 (head of household).
On exemptions: California grants exemption CREDITS (subtracted from tax, not income): $158 per filer for single/MFS/HoH, $316 for MFJ, $491 per dependent. Credits phase out at higher incomes. Figures from FTB-cited 2026 reporting.
What’s taken out of a California paycheck
| Taxable income (single) | Marginal rate |
| Up to $11,456 | 1% |
| $11,457 – $27,157 | 2% |
| $27,158 – $42,861 | 4% |
| $42,862 – $59,498 | 6% |
| $59,499 – $75,197 | 8% |
| $75,198 – $384,109 | 9.3% |
| $384,110 – $460,927 | 10.3% |
| $460,928 – $768,213 | 11.3% |
| Over $768,213 | 12.3% |
Single-filer schedule. Married and head-of-household thresholds differ; the calculator below uses the correct schedule for the filing status you pick.
Example: a $75,000 salary in California
On a $75,000 salary as a single filer: federal taxable income is $75,000 − $16,100 = $58,900, giving $7,670 of federal tax. State taxable income is $69,100, giving $2,823 of state tax. FICA takes $4,650 (Social Security) + $1,088 (Medicare) plus $975 in state payroll taxes. Estimated take-home: $57,794 per year ($2,223 per biweekly paycheck).
| Gross salary | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,670 |
| State income tax (CA) | −$2,823 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$4,650 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$1,088 |
| State Disability Insurance (SDI) | −$975 |
| Estimated take-home | $57,794 |
| Effective tax rate | 22.9% |
Single filer, standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions. The interactive calculator above recomputes this for any salary and filing status.
A note on local taxes in California
California has no local income taxes.