Major California metros covered
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- San Diego
Same builder works equally well for rural counties and smaller employers across CA.
California ({s.Abbr}) paystubs
Create a California paystub online in under two minutes.
Built for California employers, contractors, and freelancers — accurate 2026 federal and CA state tax calculations, instant live preview, downloadable PDF. Used by businesses across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.
Starting at $4.99 per paystub · Launch price
Built for California
One paystub builder, tuned for CA employers and workers.
California has a state income tax line, so generated paystubs include both federal withholding and the CA-specific state withholding row for the selected pay period.
Common California employer types
- technology
- entertainment
- agriculture
And every other small-business category that issues paystubs to employees or contractors.
What gets calculated
- Federal income tax withholding
- FICA (Social Security) + Medicare
- CA state income tax withholding
- Year-to-date totals across pay periods
2026 tax tables, refreshed every year.
Where every line on a California paystub comes from
California employee paystubs in this app automatically show California State Income Tax and CA SDI as separate employee deduction lines. California UI and ETT are employer-paid and are not shown as employee deduction rows.
| Line | Who pays | Rate | Wage base | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Employer Medicare
Employer Medicare tax is 1.45% of wages with no annual wage base limit.
|
Employer | 1.45% | No cap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Employer Social Security
Employer Social Security tax is 6.2% of taxable wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.
|
Employer | 6.2% | $184,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FUTA
Federal unemployment tax is an employer-paid tax. The gross FUTA rate is 6.0% on the first $7,000 of wages before any state-credit reduction adjustments.
|
Employer | 6% | $7,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Federal Income Tax
Federal employee withholding uses the 2026 federal wage-bracket or percentage-method rules.
|
Employee | Bracket or formula based | No cap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medicare
Employee Medicare withholding is 1.45% of wages with no annual wage base limit.
|
Employee | 1.45% | No cap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Social Security
Employee Social Security withholding is 6.2% of taxable wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500.
|
Employee | 6.2% | $184,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CA ETT
California Employment Training Tax is employer-paid at 0.10% on the first $7,000 of wages for employers with a positive UI reserve balance in 2026.
|
Employer | 0.1% | $7,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CA SDI
Employee SDI withholding at 1.30% of wages for 2026. California UI and ETT remain employer-paid.
|
Employee | 1.3% | No cap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CA State Income Tax
Annualized California withholding brackets from the current state-tax model. The current runtime uses different schedules for married versus non-married filers.
10 annualized brackets
|
Employee | Progressive brackets | No cap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CA UI
California unemployment insurance is employer-paid on the first $7,000 of wages per employee. New employers are assigned a 3.4% UI rate for two to three years, and established employers use their current DE 2088 notice rate within the 2026 Schedule F+ range of 1.5% to 6.2%.
|
Employer | User supplied | $7,000 |
California paystub law
What California law actually requires on a paystub.
Wage statement requirements
California Labor Code § 226 is the most detailed paystub statute in the country. Each wage statement must include nine specific items: (1) gross wages, (2) total hours worked (non-exempt), (3) piece-rate units (where applicable), (4) all deductions itemized, (5) net wages, (6) pay period dates, (7) employee name and the last 4 digits of SSN or employee ID, (8) employer's legal name and address, and (9) hourly rates and hours per rate. Statements must be furnished semi-monthly or with each paycheck. § 226(e) authorizes statutory penalties of $50 per employee for the first pay period in violation and $100 per pay period thereafter, capped at $4,000 — plus attorneys' fees in successful actions.
Using a California paystub for proof of income
California's tight rental markets (San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego) often require 3 months of stubs and gross income at 2.5–3× monthly rent. Tech employers in the Bay Area provide standard electronic stubs through Workday / ADP / Gusto. Entertainment-industry workers (writers, actors) often have variable paystubs across multiple production companies — landlords in West LA frequently accept business manager letters in addition to stubs. Agricultural workers in the Central Valley have specific protections under the FLSA + California Labor Code; H-2A guest worker paystubs must show piece-rate units explicitly.
How it works
Three steps to a finished California paystub.
-
1. Enter employer + employee details
Company name, address, employee name, pay period, hours, and pay rate or salary.
-
2. Review the live preview
Watch gross pay, federal withholding, CA state withholding (when applicable), FICA, and net pay update as you type.
-
3. Download the PDF
Pay once, get a print-ready paystub PDF and a copy in your account for re-download later.
California paystub FAQs
Common questions from CA employers and workers.
Are paystubs required for employees in California?
California Labor Code § 226 is the most detailed paystub statute in the country. Each wage statement must include nine specific items: (1) gross wages, (2) total hours worked (non-exempt), (3) piece-rate units (where applicable), (4) all deductions itemized, (5) net wages, (6) pay period dates, (7) employee name and the last 4 digits of SSN or employee ID, (8) employer's legal name and address, and (9) hourly rates and hours per rate. Statements must be furnished semi-monthly or with each paycheck. § 226(e) authorizes statutory penalties of $50 per employee for the first pay period in violation and $100 per pay period thereafter, capped at $4,000 — plus attorneys' fees in successful actions.
Does the calculator handle California state income tax?
California has a state income tax line, so generated paystubs include both federal withholding and the CA-specific state withholding row for the selected pay period.
Can I use this for contractor pay in California?
Yes — the same builder produces paystubs suitable for 1099 contractors and freelancers operating in California. If you also need to file IRS Form 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC at year end, use our 1099 generator.
How accurate are the federal + CA tax calculations?
The same 2026 federal withholding tables published by the IRS and the CA state tax data used by our state-specific paycheck calculators. The calculations are auto-updated each year.
Nearby states
Paystub generators for states near California.
Different state, same fast builder — same 2026 tax tables, free preview, instant PDF download.
Ready to create a California paystub?
$4.99 per paystub. Free preview before you pay. Instant PDF download after.