Introduction

Unlocking the Potential of Your Paycheck: Harness the Power You Never Knew You Had

Your paycheck isn’t just a piece of paper or a digital deposit. It’s a potent financial tool, one that holds the potential to transform your financial life in ways you may not have considered. Have you ever stopped to truly scrutinize that paycheck, to dissect its contents and understand who’s claiming a share and why? It’s time to seize the reins of this mighty instrument and ensure that every hour you invest at work is working just as hard for you.

So, take a moment to grab your paycheck. In this section, we’re going to embark on an illuminating journey into the depths of your earnings. Get ready to discover what’s rightfully yours, who’s laying claim to it, and why. Your financial empowerment starts right here.

Payroll decisions

When you started your job, you decided withholdings decisions and tax exemptions. These are all decisions you can use to your advantage, and they will likely need to change as your life changes because as your life changes, your financial needs change.

The most important thing you need to know about withholding is this: The MORE withholding allowances you claim, the LESS money you will have withheld in income tax each pay period.

If you have too much tax withheld, your monthly budget will be tighter than it needs to be, and you’ll be giving the government an interest-free loan when you could be saving or investing that extra money and earning a return.

If you don’t have enough tax withheld— you could owe a surprisingly large sum to the IRS in April, plus interest and penalties for underpaying your taxes during the year.

Selecting the number of withholdings on your tax forms, typically on your W-4 form for federal income tax, affects how much tax is withheld from your paycheck. Here’s an explanation of the differences between selecting 0, 1, 2, or more withholdings:

1. 0 Withholdings:
   • Highest Tax Withholding: Choosing 0 withholdings means that the maximum amount of federal income tax will be withheld from your paycheck. This results in the highest level of tax withholding, reducing your take-home pay.
   • Useful for High Tax Liability: Opting for 0 withholdings can be appropriate if you expect a significant tax liability and want to ensure that you won’t owe a substantial amount at tax filing time. It can also be suitable for individuals with multiple jobs or those who have complex tax situations.
2. 1 Withholding:
   • Moderate Tax Withholding: Selecting 1 withholding results in moderate federal income tax withholding. It strikes a balance between having more take-home pay and ensuring that you don’t owe a large sum at tax time.
   • Common Choice: Many individuals choose 1 withholding because it often aligns with their expected tax liability. It provides a reasonable level of take-home pay while keeping their tax situation in check.
3. 2 Withholdings:
   • Lower Tax Withholding: Choosing 2 withholdings reduces the amount of federal income tax withheld from your paycheck. This results in more take-home pay but may lead to a lower refund or potential tax liability when you file your tax return.
   • Useful for Lower Tax Liability: Opting for 2 withholdings is often appropriate if you have fewer deductions or tax credits, which would result in a lower tax liability.
4. More Withholdings:
   • Even Lower Tax Withholding: If you select more than 2 withholdings, you’ll have even less federal income tax withheld from your paycheck. This will increase your take-home pay but could result in a significant tax liability at tax filing time.
   • Note: Choosing more than 2 withholdings should be done with caution and only if you’re confident that you can cover your tax obligations when you file your return. It’s less common and typically suited for specific situations. Keep in mind that the number of withholdings you choose should reflect your anticipated tax liability and financial situation.

To optimize your withholdings, consider using the IRS’s W-4 Calculator or consult a tax professional for personalized guidance.

Note: Choosing more than 2 withholdings should be done with caution and only if you’re confident that you can cover your tax obligations when you file your return. It’s less common and typically suited for specific situations. Keep in mind that the number of withholdings you choose should reflect your anticipated tax liability and financial situation. While selecting fewer withholdings increases your take-home pay, it can result in a larger tax bill when you file your return. On the other hand, choosing more withholdings increases your take-home pay but may lead to an unexpected tax payment. To optimize your withholdings, consider using the IRS’s W-4 Calculator or consult a tax professional for personalized guidance.

Why does your employer take money out of your paycheck for the government?

• Imagine if, in addition to paying your monthly utility bills, you also had to write a check for your federal and state income taxes every month. What a pain! And the government would likely harass you or fine you if your payment was late.
• This is why your employer does you the service of holding income tax out of your paycheck and making sure the government gets your tax payments. (That…and it’s also required by law!)

How does my employer know how much to take out for me?

• You tell your employer how much to withhold by declaring how many exemptions—also called allowances—you want to claim when you fill out a W-4 form when you start a job. (W stands for Wages)
• Some states have state income take, and you may need to complete a separate withholding form for your state.
  • If there are new tax credits or changes in tax law
• You can change your withholding amount at any time – but most people fill it out and never make any changes. THIS CAN BE A MISTAKE.

Meet Dorothy Gale

Let’s walk through Dorothy’s paycheck to understand all the components. Dorothy is married, has no kids, and has been working for ten years. Let’s look at her paycheck.

Here’s a sample paycheck for Dorothy Gal. Much of the information here is similar to your paycheck. Let’s take a look.

A. Exemptions. Shows that Dorothy Gale claims only one exemption for Federal income tax and none for State income tax, even though she’s married.

B. Additional Withholding. Dorothy has designated an additional withholding amount of $250. This amount will be withheld from her paycheck—above what she designated on her W-4—and paid to the Federal government.

• Dorothy’s husband is self-employed as a writer and pays estimated taxes four times per year. One year, on April 15, they found they owed a large amount of income tax, so Dorothy and her husband decided to have a little bit more withheld from her paychecks to avoid that scenario happening again in the future. They monitor their annual income tax and withholding every year and may adjust this amount if needed.

C. Earnings. These are all of Dorothy’s income sources from her employer.

• Regular Pay Exempt is her salary.
• Medical Credit is most likely a portion of Dorothy’s medical insurance premium that her employer pays in excess of a specific amount.
• Non-cash G/U Award Tax and the Non-cash G/U Award Net in Section (D) is from a gift card that Dorothy received from a colleague to thank her for her work on a project. Dorothy’s employer has a rewards program where employees can issue “thank you” gifts to one another for a job well done. These gifts have cash value and are recorded in the Income column.
• The G/U Award Tax was an amount paid on Dorothy’s behalf by the company for a non-cash awards.
• Many companies use non-monetary awards for recognition purposes, and the tax rules governing which types are taxed is complex and beyond the scope of this course.

D. Non-cash.

• Non-cash G/U Award Net. (See the previous bullet point.)
• Group Term Life Insurance.

E. Pre-tax Deductions. These deductions are for benefits that Dorothy pays for that she does not have to pay tax on. Pre-tax deductions are subtracted from her gross income amount before her Federal and State taxes are calculated.

• Dorothy pays for medical and dental insurance plans. She also contributes money to retirement accounts. The final item, the FSA (Flexible Spending Account) is a special type of savings account that can be used to pay certain out-of-pocket medical expenses such as co-pays for doctor visits or medications.
• The EE code before some of these amounts shows that these are employee contributions. Likely, Dorothy’s employer also contributes a portion of the cost of these plans on her behalf.

F. Taxes – Federal. Federal tax amounts that are being withheld from Dorothy’s paycheck and deposited with the Federal Government. There are three different Federal taxes shown:

• The income tax is shown first.
• The next two items, Social Security and Medicare taxes, may be shown on some paystubs as FICA, which stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, a tax imposed on both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare—federal programs that provide benefits for retirees, the disabled, and children of deceased workers. The EE Social Security tax is the employee’s contribution to the Social Security fund. The reason it’s labeled “EE” for employees is because her employer also pays Social Security tax for Dorothy. As of this writing, the employee and employer each contribute 6.2% for a total of 12.4%. The EE Medicare Tax is Dorothy’s contribution to the Federal Medicare system. Again, both she and her employer pay a portion of this tax, so it’s labeled “EE” to identify that this is the employee’s contribution amount. As of this writing, the employee and employer each contribute 1.45% for a total of 2.9%.

G. Taxes – State. Some states, including Dorothy’s state of Illinois, withhold state income tax.

H. Other/Post-tax Deductions. This section shows some additional deductions, mostly for employee benefits that are not able to be excluded from being taxed.

• The first item, Combined Appeal, is an amount that Dorothy gives to an animal welfare charity in her community. Her company encourages employees to give to approved charities and takes care of sending this amount to the charity directly. Dorothy receives regular statements from the charity showing her contributions so that she can take the charitable gift deduction on her annual tax return.
• The other items listed here are optional insurance plans that Dorothy buys through her company. The fees are automatically taken out of her paycheck so that she doesn’t risk losing these benefits. They include life insurance for herself and disability insurance for herself and for her spouse, who is self-employed. These types of benefits are available at a greatly reduced cost than on the open market due to the large number of employees at Dorothy’s employer who contribute to these group plans.