I'm a college student doing an internship in Pa...does this pay seem right?
Question:
Answer:
No, that doesn't seem right. I work in PA (Pittsburgh) and net 76% of my gross income (and that's after my contributions to health insurance and such). Look at your pay stub and figure out where the money is going.
Also, where do you work and is this your first paycheck? I know Pittsburgh has this insane "privelege to work" tax they take out of your first paycheck at a new job. The tax is $50. So, if they took $50 out for this (which is only an annual tax), you would have made $490, which is 76.5% of your gross income.
Ask your employer for the break down of your pay check. How it was calculated, the tax rates, and deductions and so on. It is your right and responsibility.
If the calculations are legitimate, he/she should have no problem providing you this info; if they make some kind of excuse, something is wrong.
Almost all employees go through this process at-least once at their new jobs.
Usually Internship involves room and board at a large business. It also mean your at a lower pay rate and higher tax rate (because your single) it is the nature of internship.
Also, maybe the state and city of your last internship had no state tax, but PA does; this could be the difference. Ask your employer.
Good Luck
Sounds high, but it could be right. I've been taxed anywhere from 1/4th to 1/3rd of my pay, depending on where I've worked. Get an itemized breakdown of the deductions. State and local taxes vary and if you claimed 0 or 1 dependent on your W4 it will affect it. Medical insurance, union dues and other fees where you work could affect the net amount. Go over your deductions line-by-line and if you have questions, meet with your employee services/human resources dept.
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