Estimate your federal and state withholding, Social Security, and Medicare using the annualization method.
Used for the Social Security wage base, Additional Medicare over $200,000, and state program wage limits.
e.g. $2,200 per qualifying child under 17 • $500 per other dependent.
Interest, dividends, side income. Increases withholding.
Itemized deductions minus your standard deduction. Decreases withholding.
Additional federal tax per paycheck (W-4 Step 4c).
From your state withholding form.
Additional state income tax per pay period.
Federal withholding follows 2026 IRS Publication 15-T: Worksheet 1A for a 2020-or-later W-4 (Steps 2–4, including the $8,600 or $12,900 adjustment when the Step 2 box is not checked) and Worksheet 1B for a 2019-or-earlier W-4 ($4,300 per allowance), with the Annual Percentage Method tables. Social Security: 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base. Medicare: 1.45%, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare on wages over $200,000 for the year.
How we estimate California withholding: we follow the DE 44 California Employer's Guide 2026 (Rev. 52, 4-26), Method B Exact Calculation Method, annual payroll period tables (official source). Your pay is annualized, the deductions and allowances that method allows are subtracted, the 2026 rates are applied, any credits are subtracted, and the result is divided by your pay periods. Extra withholding you enter is added on top. Uses the EDD annual-payroll-period version of Method B and divides by your pay periods, which EDD allows; per-period tables can differ by a few cents. For married filers, the low income exemption and standard deduction depend on whether total DE 4 allowances (lines 1a plus 1b) are 0-1 or 2 or more. State Disability Insurance (SDI, 1.3%) is shown as its own deduction line. Bonuses and other supplemental wages are withheld at different flat rates and are not included.
California employee-paid programs are shown as separate deduction lines. Where the law sets only a maximum employee share, the calculator shows that maximum; your employer may deduct less. CA SDI (State Disability Insurance, 1.3%) (source): SDI withholding rate for 2026 is 1.3% of all wages (no wage limit).
Start with your gross pay, subtract federal income tax using the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T brackets, subtract state income tax if California has one, then subtract Social Security (6.2% up to the annual wage base) and Medicare (1.45%). What's left is your net, take-home pay. Use the calculator above for an instant estimate.
Whether California withholds a separate state income tax depends on state law. If it does, this calculator's state section estimates it alongside your federal withholding. If California doesn't tax wages, only federal tax and FICA are withheld from your paycheck.
The 2026 Social Security wage base is $184,500. Employees pay 6.2% of wages up to this limit each year. Earnings above $184,500 aren't subject to Social Security tax, though the 1.45% Medicare tax (plus a 0.9% surtax above $200,000 for most filers) applies to all wages.
For 2026, the IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method standard withholding schedule for a single filer is: 0% up to $7,500; 10% from $7,500 to $19,900; 12% from $19,900 to $57,900; 22% from $57,900 to $113,200; 24% from $113,200 to $209,275; 32% from $209,275 to $263,725; 35% from $263,725 to $648,100; and 37% above $648,100. Married and head-of-household filers use wider brackets.
The IRS updates federal withholding tables annually in Publication 15-T, typically released in December for the following year. State withholding tables vary by state — some update annually, others less often. Always confirm you're using current-year tables before processing payroll.