Paycheck guides
Every line on a US pay stub, explained in plain English and checked against the 2026 IRS, Social Security Administration and Department of Labor figures. Start with whichever question brought you here.
Pay stub basics
- How to read a pay stub
Every section of a pay stub explained, plus a decoder for the abbreviations payroll systems use.
- What does YTD mean on a paycheck?
Year-to-date totals, why they reset in January, and the three things they let you check in two minutes.
- Why is my paycheck less than usual?
Ten reasons a check shrinks between one payday and the next, and how to tell which one hit you.
Taxes on your pay
- What is FICA tax?
The 7.65% pair on every US paycheck: what Social Security and Medicare take, and where each one stops.
- What is OASDI on my paycheck?
The line labelled OASDI or Fed OASDI/EE is Social Security. What it funds, what it costs and when it stops.
- Are bonuses taxed at a higher rate?
The flat 22% supplemental rate is withholding, not tax. What that means for the bonus you actually keep.
- What is imputed income?
Benefits you never see as cash but still pay tax on, from company life cover to a partner on your health plan.
Payroll timing
- How many pay periods are in a year?
52, 26, 24 or 12 - and the years a biweekly payroll quietly produces a 27th paycheck.
- When do you get your first paycheck?
Why a new job's first deposit lands two to four weeks in, and how to work out the exact date.
- What time does direct deposit hit?
Why payday money lands overnight, which banks post early, and what happens on weekends and holidays.
Pay and benefits
- Pre-tax vs. post-tax deductions
Which benefits come out before tax, which come out after, and why a 401(k) still pays Social Security.
- Salary vs. hourly pay
Exempt and non-exempt explained, the $684-a-week federal salary floor, and which arrangement pays more.
- Retro pay and back pay explained
The difference between the two, why they are taxed the way they are, and how to check the amount is right.
- How to budget a paycheck
Budget from net pay, not salary: splitting a real take-home figure across bills, savings and spending.
Pay problems and rights
- How much of my paycheck can be garnished?
The federal caps on wage garnishment, the higher limits for child support, and the pay that is protected.
- When do I get my final paycheck?
What federal law guarantees when a job ends, the three patterns state deadlines follow, and unused vacation.
Working out the numbers
- How much tax is taken out of a paycheck
Every tax on a US pay stub with 2026 numbers: federal brackets, FICA and state ranges.
- How to calculate take-home pay
The five steps from gross pay to net pay, worked through on a real $65,000 paycheck.
- Gross pay vs. net pay
The difference between what you earn and what you keep, and how to go from one to the other.
- What time does DailyPay deposit your paycheck
DailyPay deposit times for instant and next-business-day transfers, payday remainder pay, and weekends.
Prefer to run the numbers?
The guides explain what each line means; the calculators work out what it costs. Start with the paycheck calculator for take-home pay in any state, or the W-4 calculator to set how much federal tax comes out in the first place.