Paycheck & payroll tax guides
Clear, sourced explanations of every part of your paycheck โ written for the 2026 tax year and linked to the calculators.
All guides
How Paycheck Taxes Work (2026): Gross Pay to Take-Home Pay
Every deduction from gross to net pay, explained step by step with a worked example.
2026 Federal Tax Brackets, Standard Deduction & FICA Rates
Brackets for every filing status, standard deductions, Social Security and Medicare limits.
Form W-4 Guide (2026): How to Fill It Out and Change Your Withholding
Step-by-step help with each W-4 section, multiple jobs, dependents and extra withholding.
Pre-Tax Deductions Explained: 401(k), HSA, FSA and Health Premiums
What each pre-tax benefit saves, 2026 limits, and where states differ from federal rules.
Overtime Pay and Taxes (2026): How Much You Really Keep
Why overtime is not taxed at a higher rate, the new overtime deduction and state daily-overtime rules.
Bonus Tax (2026): How Bonuses Are Withheld and Taxed
The 22% flat rate, the aggregate method, the $1M rule and why withholding is not your final tax.
Hourly Wage to Salary Converter and Chart (2026)
Convert any hourly rate to weekly, monthly and annual pay with a full conversion chart.
States With No Income Tax (2026): Take-Home Pay and the Trade-Offs
The nine states that do not tax wages, with sales tax, cost of living and payroll programs compared.
State Disability & Paid Family Leave Payroll Deductions (2026)
Every state SDI, TDI and paid-leave premium: who pays, the rate and the wage cap.
State Tax Reciprocity Agreements (2026): Living in One State, Working in Another
Which states have reciprocity, how to claim it and what to do when there is none.
What Is FICA EE on My Paycheck? Pay Stub Abbreviations Explained
FICA EE, OASDI, MED, FIT, SIT, SDI, YTD and every other code on your pay stub, with a worked example.
What Is FITW on My Paycheck? Federal Income Tax Withholding Explained
How FITW is calculated from your W-4, why it changes, and how to raise or lower it, with 2026 examples.
What Is MED EE on My Paycheck? Medicare Tax vs Medical Insurance
MED EE is usually Medicare tax (1.45%), but on some stubs it means medical insurance. How to tell, plus the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.
2026 Take-Home Pay Study: $75,000 in All 50 States and DC
Original analysis: where a paycheck goes furthest, effective tax rates at three salaries, and how rankings change after cost of living.
What a Raise Really Pays (2026 Study): Marginal Tax Rates by State
How much of a $5,000 raise you keep in every state, and why the answer ranges from about 55% to 80%.
What Is OASDI on My Paycheck? Social Security Tax Explained
OASDI is Social Security tax: 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026. How it is calculated, why it stops mid-year for high earners, and what it funds.
What Does YTD Mean on a Paycheck? Year-to-Date Explained
YTD totals on a pay stub, why Social Security YTD stops growing, how to estimate your own, and what to check it against.
How Much Tax Is Taken Out of My Paycheck? 2026 Percentages by Income
Total tax as a percentage of gross pay at nine salaries, broken into federal, FICA and state, plus how to estimate your own.
Biweekly vs. Semi-Monthly Pay: What Is the Difference?
Why biweekly means 26 paychecks and two three-paycheck months, how semi-monthly differs, and how each affects budgeting.
What Is Withholding Tax? How Paycheck Withholding Works (2026)
Withholding is a prepayment of your tax, not an extra tax. What is taken from each paycheck, how the amount is set and how to change it.
Gross Pay vs Net Pay: What Is the Difference? (2026 Guide)
Gross is what you earn; net is what you take home. The formula, a worked $60,000 example and why net pay differs by state.
What Are Taxable Wages? W-2 Boxes 1, 3 and 5 Explained
Why Box 1, Box 3 and Box 5 differ from your salary, with a worked example of 401(k), health and HSA deductions.
What Your Employer Pays on Top of Your Salary: Payroll Taxes
Matching FICA, FUTA and state unemployment tax: what an employer pays beyond your salary, with figures at four salaries.
Which Months Have 3 Paychecks in 2026? Biweekly Calendar
A table of every biweekly schedule for 2026 showing your two three-paycheck months, plus how to budget the extra check.
Living Paycheck to Paycheck: 2026 Statistics Compared
What percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck? Survey results compared, why they differ and the Fed $400 question.
How to Read a Pay Stub: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
The six sections of a pay stub, a worked sample line by line, the YTD column and the errors to catch.
Paycheck & Payroll Tax Glossary: 60 Terms Explained
Plain-English definitions for every term on your pay stub and W-4.