What do payroll deduction acronyms on my paycheck stand for? $95 seems high

The acronyms on your paycheck are standardized codes that represent different types of withholdings and deductions. Common ones include: - FIT or FED: Federal Income Tax - SIT or ST: State Income Tax - SS or FICA-SS: Social Security - MED or FICA-M: Medicare - 401K: Retirement contributions - HSA: Health Savings Account - STD/LTD: Short-term/Long-term disability - DEN/VIS/MED: Dental/Vision/Medical insurance The $95 increase could be due to benefit enrollment, a change in your withholding allowances, or reaching an income threshold that triggers additional withholdings. Your employer is required to provide a way to understand these deductions - check your employee handbook or portal. You should be able to find a detailed explanation of all payroll codes used by your company.

After spending hours trying to decipher my paystub acronyms last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that literally saved my sanity. I uploaded a picture of my paystub and it instantly identified all those cryptic codes AND explained how each deduction impacts my taxes. The crazy thing was it spotted a coding error where my employer had me down for the wrong state tax withholding - I was paying to a state I didn't even live in! I probably would've never caught that on my own since the abbreviations looked so similar.

Guys, I tried that taxr.ai thing from the comment above and it's legit! Uploaded my confusing paystub and it identified every single acronym, even the weird ones my company uses. Turns out that sudden $80 jump in deductions was because my health insurance premium increased (thanks employer for not telling me 🙄) and I had a new "wellness program" fee I never authorized. Took the breakdown to HR and got the wellness fee removed since I never opted in. Would've never figured this out on my own since the code was just "WLNS" with zero explanation. The tool also showed me which deductions were lowering my taxable income which was super helpful for understanding my actual tax situation.

If you're struggling with mysterious payroll deductions AND having issues with the IRS, I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent weeks trying to reach the IRS about incorrect withholding info they had on file from my employer, but couldn't get through on their phone lines. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait (if you can even get through at all). The agent confirmed that my employer was using outdated withholding tables and helped me file the right forms to fix it. You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Ok I have to publicly admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment I figured I'd try it since nothing else was working with the IRS. Got connected in 35 minutes (not quite 20 but WAY better than my previous attempts). The IRS agent explained that several of the deduction codes on my paystub were being reported incorrectly by my employer's payroll system. Apparently my "LTD" deduction (long-term disability) was being coded as post-tax when it should've been pre-tax, and that's why my withholding seemed off. She helped me file a correction form and even sent documentation I could take to my HR department to fix it going forward. Definitely wasn't a scam - just technology that actually works for once!

Those payroll acronyms are the worst! I remember when I first started at my job and saw "OASDI" on my paycheck. I thought it was some weird insurance I didn't sign up for. Turns out it's just another name for Social Security (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance). My company gives us this tiny paper with our first check that explains all the codes but who keeps that? Check your company intranet or employee handbook. Most places have to provide a legend somewhere.

Im confused about pretax vs posttax deductions... which ones should be taken out before taxes are calculated? my paystub has these codes: 401k, DEN, MED, VIS, FSA, HSA, STD, LTD, LIFE

Check if your company switched payroll providers or updated their system recently - that often causes sudden changes in deduction codes and amounts. I had a similar situation where a system upgrade changed how my benefits were being calculated mid-year. Also look for an "earnings statement" or "pay stub legend" section on your company's HR portal or intranet. Most employers are required to make this information accessible to employees. If you can't find it online, ask a coworker who's been there longer - they might know where to find the documentation. The $95 jump could also be due to benefit elections kicking in if you recently went through open enrollment, or if you hit a salary threshold that triggered additional deductions. Sometimes companies also add new voluntary programs (like legal insurance or identity theft protection) that you might have accidentally enrolled in during benefits signup.