California State Income Tax Calculator (2025)

Built on California’s 2025 filing framework. California taxes most ordinary income (including capital gains) at the same rates. The Mental Health Services Tax adds 1% of taxable income over $1,000,000. Use this tool for quick planning—your final return can differ based on credits and adjustments.

Inputs

Filing status

Wages & other CA taxable income ($)

Include all ordinary income. CA taxes capital gains at ordinary rates.

CA adjustments (Schedule CA) ($)

Nonrefundable credits ($)

Deduction

Choose

If itemized, enter amount ($)

Can be claimed as a dependent?

If yes, CA uses a special standard deduction rule.

Dependent earned income ($)

Used only if “dependent” is set to Yes.

Summary

Total CA income tax	—

Bracket breakdown (CA 2025)

Bracket	Taxed amount	Rate	Tax

How this calculator helps

This page gives you a fast, transparent way to estimate your 2025 California state income tax. Enter income, pick your filing status, and choose a deduction path (standard vs. itemized). We’ll compute California AGI, taxable income, tax by bracket, and add the Mental Health Services Tax (an extra 1% on taxable income above $1,000,000). You’ll also see your marginal and effective rates at a glance. Everything runs right in your browser—no data leaves your device.

How to use it

Pick filing status: Single, MFJ, MFS, or Head of Household. Status drives both the brackets and the standard deduction.
Enter income & adjustments: Add your California-taxable income (wages, interest, capital gains, etc.) and any Schedule CA adjustments you expect.
Choose the deduction: Use the standard deduction or enter an itemized amount if you know your total itemized deductions will be higher.
Dependent rule: If you can be claimed as a dependent, California caps the standard deduction using a special rule tied to your earned income.
Credits: Enter nonrefundable credits you expect (this tool doesn’t model refundable credits like CalEITC).
Calculate: Hit Calculate to see the bracket-by-bracket tax and totals. Use Download CSV to export a clean breakdown.

Reading your results

CA AGI: Your income after CA adjustments.
Taxable income: CA AGI minus your deduction (standard or itemized). This is what flows through the brackets.
Bracket table: Shows how much of your income fell into each rate and the tax from that slice.
Mental Health Services Tax (MHST): If your taxable income exceeds $1,000,000, we add 1% of the amount over that threshold.
Marginal vs. effective rate: Marginal is the rate on your last dollar (plus 1% if you’re over the MHST threshold). Effective is total tax divided by taxable income.

FAQ

Do capital gains get a special rate in California? No. California taxes long-term and short-term gains as ordinary income at the same rates.

What about standard deduction amounts? For 2025 filing, widely referenced guidance shows the same levels as last year—$5,540 (Single/MFS) and $11,080 (MFJ/HOH). We’ll update quickly if FTB publishes new amounts.

Can I rely on this for filing? Treat it as planning info only. Real returns also include additional credits, phase-outs, and special rules. When in doubt, check with a tax pro or the FTB.

Need federal or other states too? Try our 2025 Federal Income Tax Calculator, New York State & NYC Calculator, or see all tax tools.