California Payroll Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your net pay per pay period in California, considering common federal and state deductions. Please note that this is a simplified estimate and does not account for all possible deductions, credits, or specific tax situations. For exact figures, consult a tax professional or your employer's payroll department.
Understanding Your California Paycheck
A California payroll calculator helps employees and employers estimate the take-home pay after various deductions are applied to gross wages. Understanding these components is crucial for financial planning.
Key Components of a California Paycheck:
- Gross Pay: This is your total earnings before any deductions. It includes your regular wages, overtime, bonuses, and commissions.
- Pre-tax Deductions: These are amounts subtracted from your gross pay before taxes are calculated, reducing your taxable income. Common examples include contributions to a 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plan, health insurance premiums, and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) contributions.
- Federal Income Tax (FIT): This is withheld from your pay based on your W-4 form, which indicates your filing status and any additional withholding. The amount depends on your taxable income and the current federal tax brackets.
- Social Security Tax: Part of FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act), this tax funds retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. The employee portion is 6.2% of gross wages, up to an annual wage base limit (e.g., $168,600 for 2024).
- Medicare Tax: The other part of FICA, this tax funds hospital insurance for the elderly and disabled. The employee portion is 1.45% of all gross wages, with no wage limit. An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies to high earners.
- California State Income Tax (SIT): California has a progressive state income tax system. The amount withheld depends on your taxable income, filing status, and the allowances claimed on your California Form DE 4.
- California State Disability Insurance (SDI): This is a mandatory employee-paid program that provides temporary benefits to eligible workers who are unable to work due to non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. The rate and wage base limit are set annually (e.g., 1.1% up to $164,609 for 2024).
- Net Pay: This is your take-home pay – the amount remaining after all federal, state, and voluntary deductions have been subtracted from your gross pay.
How the Calculator Works (Simplified):
Our calculator takes your gross pay and pay frequency to annualize your income. It then subtracts pre-tax deductions to determine your federal and state taxable income. Federal and state income taxes are estimated using simplified tax brackets. Social Security, Medicare, and California SDI are calculated based on their respective rates and annual limits. Finally, all deductions are summed and subtracted from your gross pay to provide an estimated net pay.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates based on simplified tax rules and common deductions. Actual payroll calculations can be more complex due to various factors like local taxes, specific benefits, and detailed tax credits. Always refer to official tax resources or a payroll professional for precise figures.
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function calculatePayrollCalifornia() {
var grossPay = parseFloat(document.getElementById("grossPay").value);
var payFrequency = document.getElementById("payFrequency").value;
var federalFilingStatus = document.getElementById("federalFilingStatus").value;
var caFilingStatus = document.getElementById("caFilingStatus").value;
var caAllowances = parseInt(document.getElementById("caAllowances").value);
var preTax401k = parseFloat(document.getElementById("preTax401k").value);
var preTaxHealth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("preTaxHealth").value);
var otherPreTax = parseFloat(document.getElementById("otherPreTax").value);
// Input validation
if (isNaN(grossPay) || grossPay < 0 ||
isNaN(caAllowances) || caAllowances < 0 ||
isNaN(preTax401k) || preTax401k < 0 ||
isNaN(preTaxHealth) || preTaxHealth < 0 ||
isNaN(otherPreTax) || otherPreTax grossPay) {
document.getElementById("payrollResult").innerHTML = "Pre-tax deductions cannot exceed gross pay per period.";
return;
}
var federalTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions;
var stateTaxableIncome = annualGrossPay – annualPreTaxDeductions;
// — Federal Income Tax (FIT) – Simplified —
var annualFederalTax = 0;
if (federalFilingStatus === "single") {
if (federalTaxableIncome <= 15000) {
annualFederalTax = 0;
} else if (federalTaxableIncome <= 40000) {
annualFederalTax = (federalTaxableIncome – 15000) * 0.10;
} else if (federalTaxableIncome <= 90000) {
annualFederalTax = (25000 * 0.10) + (federalTaxableIncome – 40000) * 0.12;
} else {
annualFederalTax = (25000 * 0.10) + (50000 * 0.12) + (federalTaxableIncome – 90000) * 0.22;
}
} else if (federalFilingStatus === "married") {
if (federalTaxableIncome <= 30000) {
annualFederalTax = 0;
} else if (federalTaxableIncome <= 80000) {
annualFederalTax = (federalTaxableIncome – 30000) * 0.10;
} else if (federalTaxableIncome <= 180000) {
annualFederalTax = (50000 * 0.10) + (federalTaxableIncome – 80000) * 0.12;
} else {
annualFederalTax = (50000 * 0.10) + (100000 * 0.12) + (federalTaxableIncome – 180000) * 0.22;
}
}
var federalTaxPerPeriod = annualFederalTax / annualizationFactor;
// — Social Security (SS) and Medicare —
var ssWageBase = 168600; // 2024 SS wage base limit
var medicareRate = 0.0145;
var ssRate = 0.062;
var annualSS = Math.min(annualGrossPay, ssWageBase) * ssRate;
var annualMedicare = annualGrossPay * medicareRate;
var ssPerPeriod = annualSS / annualizationFactor;
var medicarePerPeriod = annualMedicare / annualizationFactor;
// — California State Income Tax (SIT) – Simplified —
var annualStateTax = 0;
if (caFilingStatus === "single") {
if (stateTaxableIncome <= 10000) {
annualStateTax = stateTaxableIncome * 0.0110;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome <= 25000) {
annualStateTax = (10000 * 0.0110) + (stateTaxableIncome – 10000) * 0.0220;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome <= 40000) {
annualStateTax = (10000 * 0.0110) + (15000 * 0.0220) + (stateTaxableIncome – 25000) * 0.0440;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome 55000
annualStateTax = (10000 * 0.0110) + (15000 * 0.0220) + (15000 * 0.0440) + (15000 * 0.0660) + (stateTaxableIncome – 55000) * 0.0880;
}
} else if (caFilingStatus === "married") {
if (stateTaxableIncome <= 20000) {
annualStateTax = stateTaxableIncome * 0.0110;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome <= 50000) {
annualStateTax = (20000 * 0.0110) + (stateTaxableIncome – 20000) * 0.0220;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome <= 80000) {
annualStateTax = (20000 * 0.0110) + (30000 * 0.0220) + (stateTaxableIncome – 50000) * 0.0440;
} else if (stateTaxableIncome 110000
annualStateTax = (20000 * 0.0110) + (30000 * 0.0220) + (30000 * 0.0440) + (30000 * 0.0660) + (stateTaxableIncome – 110000) * 0.0880;
}
}
// Apply CA Allowance Credit (simplified: $146.50 per allowance annually)
var caAllowanceCredit = caAllowances * 146.50;
annualStateTax = Math.max(0, annualStateTax – caAllowanceCredit); // Tax cannot be negative
var stateTaxPerPeriod = annualStateTax / annualizationFactor;
// — California State Disability Insurance (SDI) —
var sdiWageBase = 164609; // 2024 CA SDI wage base limit
var sdiRate = 0.011; // 2024 CA SDI rate
var annualSDI = Math.min(annualGrossPay, sdiWageBase) * sdiRate;
var sdiPerPeriod = annualSDI / annualizationFactor;
// — Total Deductions and Net Pay —
var totalDeductionsPerPeriod = totalPreTaxDeductionsPerPeriod + federalTaxPerPeriod + ssPerPeriod + medicarePerPeriod + stateTaxPerPeriod + sdiPerPeriod;
var netPayPerPeriod = grossPay – totalDeductionsPerPeriod;
// Format results
var formatter = new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
style: 'currency',
currency: 'USD',
minimumFractionDigits: 2,
maximumFractionDigits: 2,
});
var resultHTML = "
Estimated Paycheck Breakdown:
";
resultHTML += "
Gross Pay per Period: " + formatter.format(grossPay) + "";
resultHTML += "
Total Pre-tax Deductions: " + formatter.format(totalPreTaxDeductionsPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Federal Income Tax: " + formatter.format(federalTaxPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Social Security Tax: " + formatter.format(ssPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Medicare Tax: " + formatter.format(medicarePerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
California State Income Tax: " + formatter.format(stateTaxPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
California SDI: " + formatter.format(sdiPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Total Deductions: " + formatter.format(totalDeductionsPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Estimated Net Pay per Period: " + formatter.format(netPayPerPeriod) + "";
resultHTML += "
Note: This is an estimate based on simplified tax calculations and does not include all possible deductions or credits.";
document.getElementById("payrollResult").innerHTML = resultHTML;
}