Paycheck Guides

What comes out of your pay, why, and how to change it. Written to go with the paycheck calculator.

1. How to Calculate Take-Home Pay From Gross Pay

   How to calculate take-home pay from gross pay in seven steps: pre-tax deductions like a 401(k), FICA, federal withholding, state and local tax, with 2026 numbers.

2. How Much Is Taken Out of My Paycheck for Taxes?

   How much tax is taken out of a paycheck? See the 2026 withholding at $30,000 to $200,000, plus Texas vs California side by side and the federal share.

3. FICA Tax Explained: Social Security, Medicare and OASDI

   What FICA tax is, how it relates to Social Security, Medicare and OASDI, the 2026 rates and $184,500 wage base, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare tax.

4. How to Fill Out a W4: All 5 Steps and What Each One Changes

   How to fill out a W4 in 2026, step by step, with how much federal tax each choice withholds from a $60,000 paycheck and where allowances still exist.

5. No Tax on Overtime and Tips: What Changes on Your Paycheck

   How the no tax on tips and overtime deductions work for 2025 through 2028: caps, income phase-outs, what is still withheld, state rules and bonus tax.

6. Why Is My Paycheck Less This Week? Common Causes and a Checklist

   Why is my paycheck less this week? Check benefit changes, a new W-4, bonus or overtime withholding, new state or local tax, and the January reset.

7. Gross Pay vs Net Pay: How to Read Your Pay Stub

   Gross pay vs net pay, explained with a sample 2026 pay stub read line by line, from earnings and deductions to the YTD totals most people never check.

8. Claiming Dependents on W-4: How It Changes Your Paycheck

   Claiming dependents on W-4 cuts the federal tax taken from each check. See what single, married jointly and head of household withhold on $60,000.

9. How Many Paychecks in a Year? Weekly, Biweekly and Monthly

   How many paychecks in a year? 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly or 12 monthly, with the exact take-home math on a $60,000 salary and why months differ.

10. Why Is My Paycheck Less Than My Salary? Every Deduction Explained

    Why is my paycheck less than my salary? Taxes, FICA and benefits take the difference. See every line that shrinks your gross pay and how to check it.

11. Does a 401k Reduce Taxable Income? What a 1% Contribution Costs Your Paycheck

    Does a 401k reduce taxable income? Yes, and here is the per check math on a $60,000 salary: what 1% really costs you, plus Roth versus traditional.

12. What a Raise Adds to Your Paycheck After Taxes

    How to turn a raise percentage into a per-paycheck number, what federal tax and FICA take out of the increase, and why the bracket myth is wrong.

13. Take Home Pay by State: Why the Same Salary Nets Different Pay

    See why a $60,000 salary nets different take home pay in each state: federal tax is the same everywhere, state, local and disability rules are not.