California pay stubs
Free California Pay Stub Generator
Create a California pay stub with accurate withholding, preview it live, and download the PDF free — no account and no watermark.
Create a California pay stubHow California income tax affects a paycheck
California uses progressive tax brackets, so the rate applied rises with annual income. Payroll annualizes each paycheck, applies the brackets below, then converts the result back to a per-period amount for the stub.
| Annual income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0.00 – $10,412.00 | 1.00% |
| $10,412.00 – $24,684.00 | 2.00% |
| $24,684.00 – $38,959.00 | 4.00% |
| $38,959.00 – $54,081.00 | 6.00% |
| $54,081.00 – $68,350.00 | 8.00% |
| $68,350.00 – $349,137.00 | 9.30% |
| $349,137.00 – $418,961.00 | 10.30% |
| $418,961.00 – $698,271.00 | 11.30% |
| $698,271.00 and above | 12.33% |
Some California municipalities also levy a local income tax on top of the state rate. This generator calculates state tax only — add local withholding separately if it applies where you work.
Worked example: $25/hour in California
An hourly employee earning $25.00 an hour, working 80 hours in a bi-weekly period, filing single:
| Gross pay | $2,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$163.69 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$124.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$29.00 |
| California income tax | −$67.04 |
| Net pay | $1,616.27 |
That is 80.8% of gross pay taken home. Estimates for a standard W-2 employee with no pre-tax benefit deductions; not tax advice.
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Open the generatorOther California documents
Need a California W-2 or a 1099 instead of a pay stub? JustPayStubs.com handles those. For California bills of sale, invoices, contracts and other business paperwork, see iRunDocs.com.