Maeve Orenboz
How we check our facts →Articles by Maeve Orenboz
What Does YTD Mean on a Pay Stub?
What the year-to-date column on your pay stub actually totals, why it matters at tax time, and how to spot a mismatch before year-end.
Gross Pay vs. Net Pay: What Actually Reaches Your Bank
Why the figure you earn and the figure that reaches your bank are different, which one lenders ask for, and how to reconcile the two.
Final Paycheck Checklist After Leaving a Job
What to check on your last pay stub after leaving a job: hours, accrued time off, deductions and the year-to-date totals you will need.
FICA Tax on a Pay Stub: Social Security and Medicare 2026
FICA is 7.65% of your pay: 6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 and 1.45% Medicare with no cap. How to read both lines on a 2026 pay stub.
Direct Deposit and Pay Stubs: Why the Numbers May Differ
Why net pay on the stub and the amount in your account can differ, and how to match them without sharing sensitive bank details.
How to Build a Budget From Your Take-Home Pay
How to build a budget from the money that actually arrives rather than your headline salary, using the net pay line and your pay dates.
Sam's Club Pay Stubs: How to Get Yours
Sam's Club has no payroll portal of its own — it runs on Walmart's. Where to find your pay stub, before and after you leave the club.
Why Was So Much Tax Withheld From My Bonus Check?
Why a bonus check loses so much to withholding, how supplemental wages are treated, and why it is not the tax you finally owe.
Additional Medicare Tax on a Pay Stub: The $200,000 Trigger
When an employer starts withholding the extra 0.9% Medicare tax, why the trigger is not your filing status, and what to do at filing.
How to Check 401(k) Contributions on Your Pay Stub
How to check your 401(k) deduction against your election, tell traditional from Roth, and read the employer match correctly in 2026.
1099-NEC vs. Pay Stub: What a Contractor Should Expect
Why a contractor gets a 1099-NEC and not a pay stub, what records replace one, and how to document income without payroll behind you.
1099-NEC vs. 1099-MISC: Which Form Fits the Payment?
Which payments belong on a 1099-NEC and which on a 1099-MISC, how to decide by the nature of the payment, and what to verify each year.