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Personal Finance · LessonHub

Paycheck & Taxes: Where Does It All Go?

You earned $1,000. Your bank gets less.
Here's the whole story.

Your gross pay is what you earn. Your net pay is what actually lands in your account. The gap is taxes and deductions — money pulled out before you ever see it. This hub breaks down every line on a paystub, shows how U.S. taxes are calculated, and lets you run real numbers on your own salary.

6.2%Social Security tax
1.45%Medicare tax
10–37%Federal income brackets
April 15Tax filing day

The six things to understand

Work through these, then jump into the Paycheck Lab to see them stack up on a real check.

Paycheck Lab

Type in a salary and watch a paycheck get built and torn apart in real time. Every number updates live using 2026 U.S. tax rules.

0%
4.0%
$0take-home per paycheck

Simplified 2026 estimate for learning. It assumes the standard deduction, applies federal brackets to annualized pay, and uses a flat state rate. Real checks also depend on your W-4, local taxes, extra withholding, and other deductions — so treat this as a model, not tax advice.

Flashcard Vault

Tap a card to flip it. Mark the ones you know to track your progress.

Term
click to flip
Definition
click to flip back

A Year With Your Paycheck

Follow one dollar from the moment you're hired to the day you file your taxes.

Matching Game

Pair each term with its definition. Tap one from each column.

Moves 0Time 0s

Knowledge Check

Ten questions on paychecks, deductions, and taxes. You get instant feedback on each one.

Teacher note: Self-contained single file — works offline on a Chromebook, no logins. Flashcard and quiz progress save to the browser via localStorage. Tax figures reflect 2026 U.S. federal rules (standard deduction, seven brackets, 6.2% Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base, 1.45% Medicare). To retopic this hub, edit only the LESSON data object near the bottom of the file — the engine stays untouched.