California State Income Tax: Rates and Brackets for 2023-2024

California has nine state income tax rates, ranging from 1% to 12.3%. Your tax rate and bracket depend on your income and filing status.

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Tina Orem is an editor at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has been a financial writer and editor for over 15 years, and she has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. Previously, she was a financial analyst and director of finance for several public and private companies. Tina's work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets.

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California income tax brackets and rates

California has nine state income tax rates, ranging from 1% to 12.3%. The state also levies a 1% mental health services tax on income exceeding $1 million.

The tax rates and brackets below apply to income earned in 2023, reported on 2024 returns.

Taxable income bracket

1% of taxable income.

$104.12 plus 2% of the amount over $10,412.

$389.56 plus 4% of the amount over $24,684.

$960.56 plus 6% of the amount over $38,959.

$1,867.88 plus 8% of the amount over $54,081.

$68,351 to $349,137.

$3,009.40 plus 9.3% of the amount over $68,350.

$349,138 to $418,961.

$29,122.59 plus 10.3% of the amount over $349,137.

$418,962 to $698,271.

$36,314.46 plus 11.3% of the amount over $418,961.

$67,876.49 plus 12.3% of the amount over $698,271.

Source: California Franchise Tax Board.

Taxable income bracket

1% of taxable income.

$208.24 plus 2% of the amount over $20,824.

$779.12 plus 4% of the amount over $49,368.

$77,919 to $108,162.

$1,921.12 plus 6% of the amount over $77,918.

$108,163 to $136,700.

$3,735.76 plus 8% of the amount over $108,162.

$136,701 to $698,274.

$6,018.80 plus 9.3% of the amount over $136,700.

$698,275 to $837,922.

$58,245.18 plus 10.3% of the amount over $698,274.

$837,923 to $1,396,542.

$72,628.92 plus 11.3% of the amount over $837,922.

$1,369,543 or more.

$135,752.98 plus 12.3% of the amount over $1,396,542.

Source: California Franchise Tax Board.

Taxable income bracket

1% of taxable income.

$208.39 plus 2% of the amount over $20,839.

$779.03 plus 4% of the amount over $49,371.

$1,349.95 plus 6% of the amount over $63,644.

$2,257.21 plus 8% of the amount over $78,765.

$93,038 to $474,824.

$3,398.97 plus 9.3% of the amount over $93,037.

$474,825 to $569,790.

$38,905.16 plus 10.3% of the amount over $474,824.

$569,791 to $949,649.

$48,686.66 plus 11.3% of the amount over $569,790.

$91,610.73 plus 12.3% of the amount over $949,649.

Source: California Franchise Tax Board.

Taxable income bracket

1% of taxable income.

$104.12 plus 2% of the amount over $10,412.

$389.56 plus 4% of the amount over $24,684.

$960.56 plus 6% of the amount over $38,959.

$1,867.88 plus 8% of the amount over $54,081.

$68,351 to $349,137.

$3,009.40 plus 9.3% of the amount over $68,350.

$349,138 to $418,961.

$29,122.59 plus 10.3% of the amount over $349,137.

$418,962 to $698,271.

$36,314.46 plus 11.3% of the amount over $418,961.

$67,876.49 plus 12.3% of the amount over $698,271.

Source: California Franchise Tax Board.

Note: If your taxable income was $100,000 or less, use the tax table on the California Franchise Tax Board's website to figure taxes owed instead.

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Who pays California state income tax?

Generally, you have to file a California state tax return if you’re a resident, part-year resident or nonresident and :

Am I a resident of California for income tax purposes?

Your residency status also determines what portion of your income the state will tax.

California residents are taxed on income from sources inside and outside of California; part-year residents are taxed on income received while a resident, plus income from California sources while a nonresident; and nonresidents are taxed on income from California sources.

Here are the general rules that help determine residency status:

For tax purposes, you’re a resident of California if your presence in California wasn’t temporary or transitory. Generally, you’re a resident if you lived in California, even if you were temporarily out of state.

Here are some examples of situations that can make you a California resident for tax purposes, according to the state:

Students from California who go to college out of state do not automatically become nonresidents. Likewise, attending school in California doesn’t automatically make a student a California resident. The California Franchise Tax Board's website has the rules on how California determines residency status [0]

State of California Franchise Tax Board . 2023 Guidelines for Determining Resident Status. Accessed Jul 19, 2024.

Generally, you’re a part-year resident of California if you were a nonresident for some of the tax year. This is often the case for people who moved to California from another state.

If you’re a part-year resident, you pay California state tax on all income you received during the part of the tax year you were a resident of California, plus state income tax on income just from California sources while you were a nonresident.

Nonresidents may still have to pay California state tax on income they receive from California sources. This means you may need to file a California state tax return even if you live in another state but made money from California-related things such as:

In some cases, you might be a nonresident for tax purposes even if you live in California but you were out of state for at least 546 consecutive days because of an employment-related contract.

However, that exception won’t apply if you had more than $200,000 of intangible income while the employment-related contract was in effect, were in California for more than 45 days during the tax year, or if the state thinks the point of your absence is to evade state income taxes [0]

State of California Franchise Tax Board . 2023 Guidelines for Determining Resident Status. Accessed Jan 17, 2024.

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California standard deduction

The California standard deduction for 2023 tax returns filed in 2024 is $5,363 (single or married filing separately) and $10,726 (married filing jointly, qualifying widow/er or head of household).

California state tax credits

Tax credits are benefits that decrease taxes owed by the credit amount. Some credits may also be refundable, meaning if the credit amount exceeds the amount you owe in taxes, you might be able to get the overage back in the form of a refund.

If you have yet to file or are filing late, here is an overview of a few popular tax credits available in California for the 2023 tax year (taxes filed in 2024).

California earned income tax credit (CalEITC)

The CalEITC is a tax benefit that mirrors the federal earned income tax credit . Californians with earned income and federal AGI of up to $30,950 in 2023 may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $3,529 [0]

State of California Franchise Tax Board . California Earned Income Tax Credit. Accessed Jan 17, 2024.

. The exact credit amount depends on your filing status and the number of qualifying children. (People without kids also qualify.)

California young child tax credit (YCTC)

The refundable young child tax credit is another state-level tax credit modeled after the federal version of the child tax credit . People who qualify for the California earned income tax credit mentioned above and who also had a child younger than 6 by the end of the 2023 tax year are generally eligible for the YCTC. The maximum credit for 2023 is $1,117. The credit begins to phase out for those with an earned income of $25,775 and above and is not available for anyone making above $30,931 [0]

California child and dependent care tax credit

The state of California also offers a nonrefundable tax credit for people who may have expenses related to the care of a child, a spouse or another type of dependent. Similar to the federal child and dependent care tax credit , eligible taxpayers can claim a certain limited percentage of their expenses on their state tax returns. For more details about who qualifies as a dependent, see the Instructions for Form FTB 3506 on the California Franchise Tax Board’s website [0]

State of California Franchise Tax Board . Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit. Accessed Jan 17, 2024.

California adoption cost tax credit

To help offset the costs associated with adoption, California offers a tax credit that can help cover up to 50% of certain adoption-related expenses. The maximum you can claim for the credit is $2,500 per child per tax year, but the remaining amounts can be claimed on tax returns in future years. Typical expenses covered by the credit include travel, unreimbursed medical costs, and other adoptions and agency fees. The child must have been adopted from California [0]

State of California Franchise Tax Board . Credit for Child Adoption Costs – Code 197. Accessed Jan 17, 2024.

California nonrefundable renters tax credit

If your income fell below a certain threshold in 2023, you may be able to claim a nonrefundable tax credit for having paid your rent for at least half of the year (six months). Those who are single/married filed separately and made $50,746 or below can qualify for a $60 credit, and those who are head of household, married filing jointly or qualified widow/er with an income at or below $101,492 can qualify for double, at a total of $120 [0]

California income tax deadlines and extensions

California state income tax returns follow the federal tax deadline, which was April 15, 2024.

Taxpayers who didn't file a return on time are given an automatic six-month extension until mid-October. However, if you owe taxes, payment was still due by the regular April tax deadline.

How to track your California state tax refund

If you've submitted your California state income tax return and are due a refund, there are several ways to keep tabs on the processing of your funds. The California Franchise Tax Board runs its own refund tracking service, similar to the federal "Where's My Refund?" tool. To use the tracker, you'll need to enter your Social Security number, ZIP code, the exact refund amount you're expecting, and your mailing address.

Per the Board, you should expect your California state tax refund about three weeks after e-filing or three months after mailing a paper return. This timeline may be longer if your return is flagged for additional accuracy checks, though.

» Wondering where your CA refund is? You can check the status of your state tax refund online

4 things to know about California state income tax

If you can’t pay your California state tax bill on time, you can request a one-time, 30-day delay [0]

If you can’t afford your tax bill and you owe less than $25,000, California offers payment plans. Typically, you get three to five years to pay your bill. There’s a fee to set up an agreement [0]

You can also apply for the state’s offer in compromise program, which might allow you to pay less than you owe [0]

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Tina Orem is an editor at NerdWallet. Before becoming an editor, she was NerdWallet's authority on taxes and small business. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national outlets. See full bio.

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Sabrina Parys is a content management specialist on the taxes and investing team at NerdWallet, where she manages and writes content on personal income taxes. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Yahoo Finance. See full bio.

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