# First paycheck! Hooray! Got to keep a whole 28% of it... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 17, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203 "2016-09-17T21:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/121 "2016-09-21T15:44:42Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Agreed. > > And then, he did the classic rant about how this was the fault of “the government”, without stopping to think about who was actually responsible for the screw up. > > It’s a convenient thing to blame “the government” for shit that happens in your life. You don’t have to think or analyse much, or even get off your ass to rectify the problem. Yup. Chessic screwed up in the OP. He admitted later what really happened, but I’m not seeing that he’s learned a lesson about shooting from the hip, or about kneejerk blaming the gummint for everything. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/122 "2016-09-21T19:08:51Z")
I kinda stepped out of this conversation, but I mentioned earlier that I would try manually adjusting the taxes (in Quickbooks) to see what would happen. As soon as I even touched any employer or employee numbers I had to push through [this giant dialogue box](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/JoeyJoeyPP/20160921_123908_zpsigmz89c3.jpg). Now, I’ve never done this before so I don’t know if the “Don’t Tell Me Again” button is forever (I assume it is) or just for this check or this employee etc. Also of note, adjusting (by hand) any of those taxes, didn’t automatically adjust the matching one on the other side. They shouldn’t, since they’re individually percentage based, I’m just putting it out there. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/123 "2016-09-22T15:31:29Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I’m not payroll tax person so I will defer to people who know better. Its been 20 years since I’ve had to make payroll and IIRC, we paid by check on a periodic basis, I thought it was quarterly and we trued up the amounts if we under or over paid in previous periods. > > Is there not a process that would allow me to reduce deposits on day two if I deposited too much on day one? I seem to remember this as well, way way way back in the Dark Ages of the 20[sup]th[/sup] Century before we had things like “EFTPS”, “EFI” or Millennials. Ah, those were the good ol’ days, one had a damn good reason to go anti-tax every three months. Kids today don’t know what it’s like to struggle and scrape to get taxes in on time. Spoiled I say, spoiled … ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/124 "2016-09-22T15:56:58Z")
I haven’t calculated withholding for myself or anyone else recently, but I do recall the times I got paid a small salary, but in a large lump sum, the withholding was calculated as if the large lump sum was a weekly number. That is, a quarterly income was used as if it was a weekly income, inflating the apparent yearly number. This could have been an employer’s mistake or a deliberate plan, I don’t remember, but it looked funny on the pay stub. When my mother got paid as a teacher, the 3 summer months were paid as one, and her withholding ballooned. Of course, she got it back later. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/125 "2016-09-22T16:49:31Z")
Wait until they find out he didn’t pay FIT. They are so gonna get that last 28%. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/126 "2016-09-23T00:56:51Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Ever since the day I got married I get to keep much less than 28% of my paycheck. Where’s the “like” button? I bet its right next to the “I know, right?” button. You know how much a kid costs? Whatever you make plus a dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/127 "2016-09-24T00:55:47Z")
You guys are a strange bunch. So concentrated on whose fault it is that you fail to even comment on the fact that I’m missing a lot of money. If I were hit by a car, you’d all stand over my crumpled body, half arguing over whether the pickup truck can rightly be called a car, the other half telling me it probably had the right of way. At least one of you’d suggest I was never actually hit at all and probably just read something bad about diesel emissions. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/128 "2016-09-24T01:05:36Z")
Did you forget that you concentrated on whose fault it was in the OP? Here, let me remind you: > [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > The government took 62%. One for me, two for my uncle! You were wrong, of course, but don’t let that stop you from pretending to be smarter than everyone else. Just reading your OP, it sure doesn’t seem like _you_ understood that you were missing a lot of money - seems like you just figured you’d get it back with your tax return. The same posters who pointed out that it was probably payroll’s fault are the also the ones who pointed out that you probably weren’t going to get a lot of that back. You ought to be thanking them instead of… whatever the hell you were doing in that last post. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/129 "2016-09-24T01:21:44Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Did you forget that you concentrated on whose fault it was in the OP? Here, let me remind you: > > **You were wrong, of course, but don’t let that stop you from pretending to be smarter than everyone else.** Just reading your OP, it sure doesn’t seem like _you_ understood that you were missing a lot of money - seems like you just figured you’d get it back with your tax return. The same posters who pointed out that it was probably payroll’s fault are the also the ones who pointed out that you probably weren’t going to get a lot of that back. You ought to be thanking them instead of… whatever the hell you were doing in that last post. Maybe **Chessic’s** old buddy [Jamal](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=572402) is in payroll. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/130 "2016-09-24T04:17:56Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You accused him of lying about it. You are an idiot. Look you birdbrained hypocrite. I made a mistake, and he _did_ lie about it. It was not the Governments fault. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/131 "2016-09-24T04:19:56Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > As someone who used to do payroll, by hand and later by computer program, I find it not a simple error at all. There are multiple large errors and rather difficult to do. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/132 "2016-09-24T04:22:25Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Bottom line: > > Your EMPLOYER screwed up and took too much money off your paycheck. The government did not ask them to do this, the government did not want this extra money, the government did not make any laws or rules to get this extra money. > > It is now the responsibility of your EMPLOYER to get this money back to you, no matter where it now resides. It is YOUR responsibility to identify the party who took your money and get it back from them. (Hint: this would be your EMPLOYER) > > Your EMPLOYER screwed up. Stop blaming “the government” for other people’s screw-ups. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/133 "2016-09-24T05:02:25Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > You guys are a strange bunch. So concentrated on whose fault it is that you fail to even comment on the fact that I’m missing a lot of money. If I were hit by a car, you’d all stand over my crumpled body, half arguing over whether the pickup truck can rightly be called a car, the other half telling me it probably had the right of way. At least one of you’d suggest I was never actually hit at all and probably just read something bad about diesel emissions. So what did your employer say when you brought this error to their attention? Are they going to fix it? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/134 "2016-09-24T05:49:46Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > You guys are a strange bunch. So concentrated on whose fault it is that you fail to even comment on the fact that I’m missing a lot of money. If I were hit by a car, you’d all stand over my crumpled body, half arguing over whether the pickup truck can rightly be called a car, the other half telling me it probably had the right of way. At least one of you’d suggest I was never actually hit at all and probably just read something bad about diesel emissions. This is a pretty idiotic response. Who is to blame is rather basic to how you go about correcting the fact that you are out a lot of money. You need to talk to your payroll department rather than the government, who you originally blamed. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/135 "2016-09-24T15:20:46Z")
> [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](#): > > So what did your employer say when you brought this error to their attention? Are they going to fix it? They said they don’t know how it happened but they’ll fix it next check. I doubt we’ll ever get a specific answer as to how and why this all happened. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/136 "2016-09-24T16:54:59Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I doubt we’ll ever get a specific answer as to how and why this all happened. Can we get a specific answer as to how your job only pays $25/day? At the federal minimum wage, that’s only about 3 1/2 hours of work. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/137 "2016-09-24T17:03:25Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > They said they don’t know how it happened but they’ll fix it next check. I doubt we’ll ever get a specific answer as to how and why this all happened. So it’s going to be fixed by the party who was responsible for the mistake - YOUR EMPLOYER. That’s good. I hope in some small way, the responses in this thread helped you identify the solution to the problem (ie contact your EMPLOYER to fix it) Will you now acknowledge now that your initial rant against “the government” was misplaced? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/138 "2016-09-24T17:04:33Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Can we get a specific answer as to how your job only pays $25/day? At the federal minimum wage, that’s only about 3 1/2 hours of work. 😕 I’m pretty sure his figures were only an example, and not indicative of the actual pay he received. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/139 "2016-09-24T18:09:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look you birdbrained hypocrite. I made a mistake, and he _did_ lie about it. It was not the Governments fault. He made a mistake in attributing it to the government. If that was a lie, then your own “mistake” was a lie. If making a mistake means you’ve told a lie, then almost every post you’ve made on the board has been a lie. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203/140 "2016-09-24T18:31:53Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’m pretty sure his figures were only an example, and not indicative of the actual pay he received. Well, that’s one explanation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-paycheck-hooray-got-to-keep-a-whole-28-of-it/766203.md?page=8)