(a) (1) The Franchise Tax Board shall annually (or more often if necessary) prepare and make available to the Employment Development Department, wage withholding tables that shall be used by every employer making payment of any wages to a resident employee for services performed either within or without this state; or to a nonresident employee for services performed in this state, to deduct and withhold from those wages for each payroll period, a tax computed in a manner as to produce, so far as practicable, with due regard to the credits for personal exemptions allowable under Section 17054, a sum that is substantially equivalent to the amount of tax reasonably estimated to be due under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) resulting from the inclusion in the gross income of the employee the wages which were subject to withholding.
(2) For wages paid on or after November 1, 2009, wage withholding tables prepared by the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to this subdivision shall produce, so far as practicable, with due regard to the credits for personal exemptions allowable under Section 17054, a sum that will significantly prevent underwithholding by using an amount equal to 10 percent more than the sum described in paragraph (1).
(b) (1) (A) For supplemental wages paid on or after January 1, 1992, the rate of withholding that may be applied to supplemental wages in lieu of the wage withholding tables specified in subdivision (a) shall be 6 percent.
(B) For supplemental wages paid on or after November 1, 2009, the rate of withholding shall be 6.6 percent.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “supplemental wages” includes, but is not limited to, bonus payments, overtime payments, commissions, sales awards, back pay including retroactive wage increases, and reimbursements for nondeductible moving expenses that are paid for the same or a different period, or without regard to a particular period.
(c) (1) For stock options and bonus payments that constitute wages paid on or after January 1, 2002, the rate of withholding that may be applied to those stock options and bonus payments in lieu of the wage withholding tables specified in subdivision (a) shall, notwithstanding subdivision (b), be 9.3 percent.
(2) For stock options and bonus payments that constitute wages paid on or after November 1, 2009, the rate of withholding shall be 10.23 percent.
(Amended by Stats. 2009, 4th Ex. Sess., Ch. 15, Sec. 1. (AB 17 4x) Effective October 23, 2009.)