Tax year 2026 · Updated October 4, 2026

California Hourly Paycheck Calculator

Turn regular hours and time-and-a-half overtime into an estimated California paycheck. Compare weekly gross pay, supported deductions and take-home pay using your payroll elections.

California hourly paycheck calculator

Estimates for tax year 2026. Results update as you type.

Pay type

SalaryHourly

Hourly rate

Regular hours per week (excluding overtime)

Overtime hours per week (paid at 1.5×)Enter overtime separately: 45 total hours with 5 paid at time-and-a-half means 40 regular hours and 5 overtime hours. The calculator does not decide which hours qualify.

Pay frequency

Filing status (Form W-4, Step 1)

California DE 4 settings

Filing status on DE 4

DE 4 regular allowances (1a)Use Worksheet A. These allowances reduce withholding through a tax credit.

DE 4 estimated-deduction allowances (1b)Use Worksheet B. These reduce taxable wages; they are not regular allowances.

DE 4 additional withholding per paycheck

DE 4 elections are separate from your federal W-4. Without a DE 4, employers use single status and zero allowances.

W-4 details, retirement and benefits

My current federal W-4 claims exemption

Use an existing qualifying election on Form W-4. Federal income-tax withholding, including extras, becomes $0. FICA and state deductions remain separate. Eligibility is not checked.

Step 2(c) box is checked (two jobs, or spouse also works)

Step 3: dependents credit (annual $)

$2,200 per qualifying child under 17, $500 per other dependent.

Step 4(c): extra withholding per paycheck

Step 4(a): other annual income

Step 4(b): deductions beyond the standard deduction

401(k) / 403(b) contribution

Percent of gross pay, pre-tax (traditional).

Health premiums / FSA per paycheck

Section 125 items also reduce Social Security and Medicare wages.

HSA payroll contribution per paycheck

Qualified salary reductions through payroll reduce federal income-tax and FICA wages. California includes them in PIT and SDI wages.

After-tax deductions per paycheck

Roth 401(k), union dues, garnishments.

Blank adjustments count as 0 unless another default is stated. Pay, hours and an active custom rate need a value; enter 0 when appropriate.

Estimated take-home pay per week$717.14$37,291.44 per year · $3,107.62 per month

California payroll withholding. The state income-tax line uses California EDD Method B and your DE 4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill.

Annual and monthly figures assume the entered pay repeats for a full year. Wage caps are averaged across those paychecks; year-to-date pay and deductions are not tracked.

Estimated tax share

18.5%

Federal marginal rate

12%

California withholding table rate

4.40%

Line	Per paycheck	Full-year projection
Gross pay	$880.00	$45,760.00
Pre-tax retirement	$0.00	$0.00
Health, HSA, FSA (pre-tax)	$0.00	$0.00
Federal income-tax withholding	$63.68	$3,311.20
Social Security (6.2%)	$54.56	$2,837.12
Medicare (1.45%)	$12.76	$663.52
California withholding	$20.42	$1,061.84
California SDI (State Disability Insurance)	$11.44	$594.88
After-tax deductions	$0.00	$0.00
Take-home pay	$717.14	$37,291.44

Estimated tax share is the displayed federal withholding, FICA, state/local tax estimate and state payroll deductions divided by gross pay. Benefit deductions are excluded from that share; it is not your final income-tax rate.

California PIT uses EDD Method B and your DE 4 elections. SDI is separate. The table rate describes withholding, not your final income-tax rate. Assumes regular wages and state SDI coverage; exempt certificates, voluntary disability plans and separately paid bonuses are not modeled.

Federal withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T for a 2020-or-later W-4. Social Security applies to the first $184,500 of wages in 2026.

From a timecard to a California paycheck estimate

Use paid hours after unpaid breaks. Enter regular hours separately from overtime; putting all 45 hours in the regular field and another 5 in overtime would count those 5 hours twice.

Weekly gross = hourly rate × (regular hours + 1.5 × overtime hours)

For example, $20 × (40 + 1.5 × 5) gives $950 gross for a 45-hour week. The calculator repeats that week over 52 weeks and divides the annual amount by your selected pay frequency. Every two weeks uses 26 paychecks; twice a month uses 24, so it is an average rather than the actual hours in a particular half-month.

The Department of Labor's overtime guidance covers regular-rate and eligibility rules. This tool assumes the rate you enter is the applicable regular rate and the overtime hours you enter are paid at time-and-a-half. Daily overtime, double time, tipped pay and multiple hourly rates need separate treatment.

Hourly wage to take-home pay in California (2026)

Weekly take-home pay for a single filer working 40 hours with a standard W-4 and no pre-tax deductions, single DE 4 status, zero regular or estimated-deduction allowances and no extra state withholding.

Weekly take-home pay by hourly rate in California
Hourly rate	Gross per week	Take-home per week	Full-year take-home	Estimated tax share
$15.00 / hour	$600.00	$507.79	$26,405	15.4%
$20.00 / hour	$800.00	$657.42	$34,186	17.8%
$25.00 / hour	$1,000.00	$804.67	$41,843	19.5%
$30.00 / hour	$1,200.00	$949.57	$49,378	20.9%

What 5 or 10 overtime hours add at $20 an hour

Each row assumes 40 regular hours plus the stated overtime every week for a full year, a single filer, standard W-4, no benefit deductions and the same California settings as the hourly table above. These figures are generated by this calculator; they do not predict a one-off overtime check.

Repeated-week overtime comparison in California, 2026
Overtime hours	Gross per week	Estimated take-home	Extra take-home
0	$800.00	$657.42	$0.00
5	$950.00	$768.45	$111.03
10	$1,100.00	$877.12	$219.70

A qualifying federal overtime deduction is separate from the amount of overtime pay. The calculator does not decide eligibility or subtract it automatically. The IRS explains how an updated W-4 can reflect the expected deduction; Social Security and Medicare generally still apply. The examples use a W-4 with no adjustments.

The California calculation used for these wages

The state income-tax line uses California EDD Method B and your DE 4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill.

Official state payroll method. Enter your state certificate elections independently of your federal W-4.

Beyond income tax, California employees pay into state programs that appear as separate lines on a pay stub: California SDI (State Disability Insurance) at 1.3% of all wages. These are included in the estimate.

Limits of this state estimate. California regular-pay withholding uses EDD Method B with the printed payroll-period tables, your DE 4 filing status, regular allowances and estimated-deduction allowances. Additional DE 4 withholding is added separately. This is withholding, not a tax-return estimate. Qualifying health-plan and FSA salary reductions are excluded from PIT and SDI wages. HSA salary reductions remain taxable for California PIT and SDI, so enter them separately. Traditional retirement deferrals reduce PIT wages but generally remain subject to SDI. Special cafeteria-plan retirement arrangements and nonstandard benefit exclusions are not modeled. Assumes California PIT and state SDI coverage apply. Exempt certificates, military/nonresident exceptions, voluntary disability plans, and separately paid bonuses or stock awards require different payroll treatment.

For the detailed state schedules, certificate examples and local-tax guidance, see how the California state calculator works.

For a change in your hourly rate, the pay raise calculator shows the percentage and annualized increase. Compare the old and new rates above to include California's supported taxes and payroll deductions.

Frequently asked questions

How is hourly take-home pay calculated in California?

Gross pay is your hourly rate × hours, with overtime hours at 1.5× your rate. The calculator annualises that amount, works out federal withholding under IRS Publication 15-T, applies Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%), then applies California's 2026 income tax rates, deductions and exemptions and the state payroll programs listed on this page, and shows the result for your pay period.

What is $20 an hour after taxes in California?

At 40 hours a week, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross per week. For a single filer with a standard W-4, single DE 4 status, zero regular or estimated-deduction allowances and no extra state withholding in 2026, take-home pay is about $657.42 a week, or $34,186 a year (an estimated tax share of gross pay of 17.8%).

How is overtime taxed in California?

The calculator includes overtime in regular gross wages and applies your entered W-4 and the state method described here. Higher gross pay can increase withholding. This is a repeated-week projection, not a calculation of your final tax or refund. It does not determine a qualified overtime deduction; use the current IRS W-4 instructions to account for an eligible deduction.

Does California have state income tax on hourly wages?

Yes. The state income-tax line uses California EDD Method B and your DE 4 elections for regular pay. The annual amount projects those paycheck estimates over a year; it does not calculate your final state tax bill. Hourly and salary inputs with the same annual gross wages and elections use the same calculation.

How many hours count as full time for this calculator?

There is no full-time eligibility test here. Enter regular paid hours excluding overtime, then enter time-and-a-half hours separately. The calculator does not classify your job, check daily overtime rules or determine the regular rate when bonuses, shift differentials or multiple pay rates apply.

Hourly paycheck calculators for other states

Sources and updates

Figures are for tax year 2026 and were checked against the sources below on September 5, 2026. Tax rules and rates can change. Each calculator identifies the method and limitations used.

This calculator gives estimates for information only and is not tax, legal or financial advice. Your employer's payroll system, local taxes, benefits and year-to-date wages can change the exact amounts on your pay stub. See how we calculate.