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KnowledgeCity

Understanding Paycheck Withholdings & Deductions

Learn how to read your paycheck
Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 5 lessons.
Course: On-Demand
Essential Provider Pamela Weston  5 Lessons ·  12m  in English, Spanish 

Course Description

Knowing how your earnings are impacted by deductions and taxes is important to being able to determine your income. Your paycheck will have your pay broken down into gross pay and net pay, along with different itemized taxes and deductions. Learning about your taxes will help ensure you understand the more complicated deductions on your paycheck. Considering the different offerings of additional deductions, like retirement plans, will help you make educated decisions as to what money you are taking out of your check.

In this Understanding Paycheck Withholdings and Deductions course, you will learn how to identify different types of income. You will learn about state, federal, and local taxes and how these might be related to your paycheck. You will also learn about the different types of deductions that can come out of your paycheck: this may include retirement plans, such as a 401(k) or a 457. We’ll also discuss how taxes apply to these different plans.

What You'll Learn

  • Identify the ways your earnings and income are expressed on a paycheck, including gross pay and net pay
  • Recognize how state, federal, and local taxes are taken out of a paycheck
  • Distinguish different types of income shown on a paycheck
  • Understand different types of paycheck deductions, including retirement plans such as a 401(k) or 457
  • Explain how taxes apply to retirement plan deductions

Key Takeaways

  • A paycheck breaks pay down into gross pay and net pay, along with itemized taxes and deductions.
  • Paycheck taxes can include state, federal, and local taxes related to your earnings.
  • Deductions taken from a paycheck can include retirement plans such as a 401(k) or a 457.
  • Understanding your taxes helps you make sense of the more complicated deductions on your paycheck.
  • Considering additional deductions like retirement plans helps you make educated decisions about what money is taken out of your check.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

You will learn how to identify different types of income, how state, federal, and local taxes relate to your paycheck, and the different types of deductions that can come out of your paycheck, including retirement plans such as a 401(k) or a 457 and how taxes apply to them.

Who is this course for?

It is for anyone who wants to understand how their earnings are impacted by deductions and taxes so they can determine their income.

What topics does the course cover?

The course covers understanding your paycheck, tax withholding, and FICA, Social Security, and other deductions, with an introduction and a knowledge check.

Does the course explain retirement plan deductions?

Yes. It discusses additional deductions like retirement plans, including a 401(k) or a 457, and how taxes apply to these different plans.

What lessons are included?

The lessons are Introduction; Understanding Your Paycheck; Tax Withholding; FICA, Social Security, and Other Deductions; and Test Your Knowledge.