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Plain-English explanations of the numbers our calculators produce. No hot takes, no upsells.

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Featured Paycheck · 6 min read

Every Line on Your Pay Stub, Explained

Four sections and one equation. A whole stub worked line by line, why Social Security is not 6.2 percent of your gross, and the…

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Cafe 125 on Your W-2 Why your Social Security wages are less than your salary,…
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What Is FIT on Your Paycheck? Federal income tax withheld: the biggest deduction on most stubs,…
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What Is FICA on Your Paycheck? It is not a tax, it is the law behind…
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Deductions 6 min read
What a 401(k) Actually Costs Your Paycheck A $250 contribution does not cost $250 of take-home. What…
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What You Actually Keep from Severance Withholding takes about 30 percent, or nearly 42 on a…
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What Are Fed MED/EE and Fed MWT/EE? Both are Medicare, printed under two vendor codes. Here is…
A close up of a typewriter with a paper that says social security
Deductions 6 min read
OASDI on Your Pay Stub, and When It Stops It is the Social Security tax, it takes 6.2 percent,…