Paycheck decoder

Your pay stub shows how much you earned and everything that came out before you got paid. The words can be confusing, so here's what they mean.

Enter the numbers from one pay stub. Social Security and Medicare are figured for you.

Your pay stub, explained

Gross pay: $1,000.00; What you earned before anything comes out.
Federal income tax: −$52.00; Paid toward your yearly federal tax. How much comes out depends on the W-4 form you filled out. Too much taken out means a refund when you file.
State and local tax: −$30.00; Paid toward your state and local income taxes. Some states don't have an income tax.
Social Security: −$62.00; 6.2% of your pay. It goes toward retirement and disability benefits later. Sometimes called OASDI or FICA.
Medicare: −$14.50; 1.45% of your pay. It goes toward health insurance for people 65 and older. Sometimes called FICA or Med.
Other deductions: −$45.00; Things like health insurance or retirement savings that you signed up for.
Net pay (take-home pay): $796.50; What actually lands in your account.

Where your paycheck goes

You take home $796.50 of every $1,000 you earn, about 80%.
Want a bigger paycheck or a bigger refund? You can change your W-4 form with your employer to have less or more federal tax taken out. The IRS has a free Tax Withholding Estimator to help.

Free tax help (VITA and TCE)
IRS-certified volunteers prepare and file tax returns for free for people with low to moderate incomes, people with disabilities, people who speak limited English, and older adults. Most sites are open during tax season.