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Dananyl Lear

What does Medical EE - SR mean on my paycheck? Confused about this deduction

Hey everyone, I just got my latest paycheck and I'm trying to make sense of all the different line items on my pay stub. There's this one deduction that appears every paycheck labeled "Medical EE - SR" and I have no idea what it actually is. I've been getting it for months but never really paid attention until now. I'm wondering if it's something related to healthcare but I'm not really sure what the "SR" part means. Is this a tax deduction? Insurance payment? Something else entirely? The amount is around $87.50 every two weeks. My HR department is notoriously slow to respond to emails so I thought I'd ask here first. Anyone familiar with payroll codes who can explain what "Medical EE - SR" actually means and if it's something I should be concerned about?

Medical EE -" SR typically stands for Medical Employee - Senior Rate. This is likely your contribution to your employer-sponsored health insurance plan, "where" EE stands "for" Employee "and" SR indicates either "a" Senior level plan or a rate specifically for senior employees depending on your'company s benefit structure. This is a pre-tax deduction in most cases, which means'it s taken out of your paycheck before taxes are calculated. This actually works in your favor as it reduces your taxable income. The $87.50 biweekly seems within normal range for an employee contribution to health insurance. You can verify this by checking your benefits enrollment information or the summary of benefits your employer should have provided when you enrolled in the health plan. The deduction should match what you agreed to duringenrollment.

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Ana Rusula

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Thanks for explaining! So is this different from a Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution? I have both "Medical EE" and "HSA" on my pay stub and I'm trying to understand the difference.

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They're definitely different things. The Medical EE - SR is your premium payment for your health insurance coverage - it's what you pay to have the insurance plan active. An HSA contribution is money going into a tax-advantaged savings account that you can use to pay for qualified medical expenses like deductibles, copays, and other out-of-pocket costs. The HSA is optional and functions as a savings vehicle with special tax benefits, while your Medical EE deduction is the required payment to maintain your insurance coverage. Both provide tax advantages, but they serve different purposes in your overall healthcare financial picture.

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Fidel Carson

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I was confused by similar codes on my paystub last year and discovered this incredibly helpful tool at https://taxr.ai that can analyze your pay stubs and explain all those confusing abbreviations and codes. It saved me so much time trying to figure out what everything meant! I uploaded my pay stub and it immediately identified that my "Medical EE - SR" was actually my employee contribution for a Senior health plan option (as opposed to the standard plan). The site broke down each deduction and explained which were pre-tax vs post-tax and how they impacted my overall tax situation.

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How accurate is it with the explanations? My pay stub has like 15 different codes and abbreviations that I've never bothered to understand.

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Xan Dae

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Does it work for all companies? My employer is pretty small and uses some weird proprietary payroll system. Not sure if a tool would recognize their specific codes.

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Fidel Carson

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It's surprisingly accurate! I was shocked at how it correctly identified nearly all of my deductions, even the weird ones like our company's special supplemental life insurance code. For smaller companies with proprietary systems, it actually worked well for my friend who works at a startup with only about 30 employees. The system seems to recognize common patterns in how payroll codes are formatted, even when they use unusual abbreviations. If it can't identify something with 100% certainty, it gives you the most likely options and explains each possibility.

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Just wanted to follow up - I tried https://taxr.ai with my confusing pay stub and it was a game changer! Not only did it explain my "Medical EE - ST" (standard tier in my case) deduction, but it also helped me understand that I wasn't maximizing my pre-tax contributions to my 403(b). Made adjustments to my withholdings and I'll save about $1,200 in taxes this year! The site flagged several deductions that seemed higher than average for my income level, which led me to discover I was enrolled in some supplemental coverages I didn't even know about.

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If you're still confused after checking your benefits paperwork and need a definitive answer, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to your HR's benefits department. I had a similar issue with payroll deductions that nobody could explain, and I was getting frustrated with waiting for HR to respond. Claimyr got me connected to our benefits admin in minutes when I had been waiting for weeks for email responses. They have this cool demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) that shows how it works. Basically, they wait on hold for you and call you when someone actually picks up. Solved my mystery deduction issue in one phone call that I would've probably given up on otherwise.

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Thais Soares

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Wait, you pay a service to wait on hold for you? Couldn't you just put your phone on speaker and do something else while waiting?

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Nalani Liu

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This sounds like a paid ad. Does anyone actually use services like this? Seems like a waste of money when you could just be persistent with emails or walk into HR if you're in the office.

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You totally can put your phone on speaker, but have you tried calling HR or benefits departments lately? I was on hold for over 90 minutes last time before I gave up. With Claimyr, I just went about my day and got a call when a real person was on the line. It's definitely not for everyone, but when you've sent 5 emails with no response and can't physically walk into an HR office because you work remotely, it's worth it. I was skeptical too until I spent literally hours of my life trying to get an answer about my benefits. Sometimes your time is worth more than the cost of the service.

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Nalani Liu

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I take back what I said about Claimyr. I actually ended up using it yesterday after our HR system went down and nobody was responding to tickets. Got connected to benefits in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days. Found out my "Medical EE - SR" was actually a supplemental insurance plan I enrolled in during our last benefits period that I completely forgot about. Would have been overcharged for months if I hadn't gotten through to check. Sometimes it's worth paying for convenience when dealing with bureaucracy.

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Axel Bourke

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Just to add my two cents - "Medical EE - SR" on my pay stub turned out to be "Medical Employee - Spousal Rate" because I have my wife on my insurance. Different companies use these codes differently, so definitely check with your specific employer!

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Dananyl Lear

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Thanks for your input! That's interesting - I didn't realize the "SR" could stand for different things at different companies. I'm single so it's not a spousal rate in my case, but maybe it's a "standard rate" or "senior rate" like someone else mentioned. I'll definitely follow up with HR to get the exact meaning for my company.

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Axel Bourke

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No problem! Yeah, these codes aren't standardized across companies. At my previous job, the same type of deduction was labeled "MED-FAM" for family coverage. Payroll systems are all over the place with their abbreviations. Definitely check with your HR for the specific meaning at your company.

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Aidan Percy

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Pro-tip: Check your company's benefits portal online. Most companies now have all this information accessible online where you can see a breakdown of all your deductions and what they mean. Saved me a lot of headaches trying to decipher pay stub codes.

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I tried that but our portal is terrible! Half the links are broken and the "deduction glossary" page just says "coming soon" (has been that way for a year lol).

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Another thing to check is your W-2 from last year if you have it handy. The "Medical EE - SR" deduction should show up in Box 12 with a code (usually "DD" for employer-sponsored health coverage). This can help you verify that it's indeed your health insurance premium and see the total annual amount you paid. Also, if you're still within your company's open enrollment period or just started a new job, you might want to compare the different medical plan options to make sure you're on the right tier. Sometimes people get automatically enrolled in a "standard" or "senior" plan when a basic plan might be more cost-effective for their needs. The $87.50 biweekly ($2,275 annually) seems reasonable for employee-only coverage, but if you don't need all the bells and whistles of a higher-tier plan, you might be able to save some money.

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Zoe Stavros

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I had the exact same confusion when I first started looking at my pay stub closely! In my case, "Medical EE - SR" ended up being my employee contribution for the "Standard Rate" health insurance plan at my company. One thing that helped me figure it out was looking at my benefits enrollment confirmation email from when I first started - it usually breaks down exactly what you selected and how much each option costs. If you can't find that email, most companies also send out an annual benefits statement that shows all your elections and their costs. The $87.50 biweekly amount you mentioned is pretty typical for employee-only coverage on a standard plan. Just make sure you're actually getting value from whatever plan you're on - sometimes people end up on more expensive plans than they need. During your next open enrollment period, it might be worth comparing the different medical plan options to see if a basic plan would work better for your situation and save you some money.

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Jamal Brown

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This is really helpful, thanks! I never thought to look back at my enrollment confirmation email. I just searched through my inbox and found it from when I started 8 months ago. You're absolutely right - it shows I selected the "Standard Rate" plan which explains the "SR" designation. Looking at the breakdown now, I can see there were actually three options: Basic, Standard, and Premium. I think I just went with Standard because it seemed like the "safe" middle option without really comparing what I actually needed. The Basic plan would have saved me about $40 per paycheck, which adds up to over $1,000 a year! I'm definitely going to pay more attention during the next open enrollment period. Do you know if there's usually a way to change your plan mid-year if you realize you picked wrong, or do you have to wait for the annual enrollment window?

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Alicia Stern

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Generally, you can only change your health insurance plan during open enrollment unless you have a "qualifying life event" like getting married, having a baby, losing other coverage, or experiencing certain other major life changes. These events trigger what's called a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that allows you to make changes mid-year. However, some companies do allow you to switch to a lower-cost plan if you can demonstrate that your current plan is causing financial hardship, but this varies by employer and isn't guaranteed. Your best bet is to contact your HR or benefits department to ask about your specific company's policies. In the meantime, you might want to calculate whether the Standard plan's additional benefits (like lower deductibles, better prescription coverage, or wider provider networks) justify the extra cost based on your actual healthcare usage. Sometimes the middle-tier plan does provide good value if you use healthcare services regularly, but if you're young and healthy, the Basic plan might indeed be the smarter financial choice. Make a note in your calendar for your next open enrollment period so you don't forget to review and potentially switch plans!

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Dmitry Ivanov

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Just wanted to share my experience since I had this exact same question a few months ago! In my case, "Medical EE - SR" stood for "Medical Employee - Standard Rate" which was my contribution to the company health insurance plan. What really helped me was requesting a detailed breakdown of all deductions from payroll. Most companies are required to provide this if you ask, even if it takes them a while to respond. They sent me a document that explained every single code on my pay stub, which was super helpful for understanding not just the medical deduction but also things like life insurance, disability, and other benefits I didn't even know I had. The $87.50 biweekly amount sounds about right for employee-only standard tier coverage. One thing I'd suggest is making sure you're actually using the benefits you're paying for - I discovered I was paying for dental coverage that I never used because I already had dental through my spouse's plan. Saved me about $30 per paycheck once I dropped the duplicate coverage during open enrollment. If your HR is slow to respond via email, try calling them directly or stopping by in person if possible. Sometimes a quick 5-minute conversation can clear up what might take weeks of back-and-forth emails to resolve.

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This is really great advice about requesting a detailed breakdown from payroll! I never thought about asking for that - I just assumed the cryptic codes on my pay stub were something I had to figure out on my own. Your point about duplicate coverage is especially helpful. I should probably do an audit of all my benefits to make sure I'm not paying for things I don't need or already have covered elsewhere. The dental example you mentioned makes me wonder if I might have similar overlaps. I think I'll try calling HR directly like you suggested. Sometimes it's just easier to have a real conversation rather than trying to explain everything in an email and waiting days for a response. Thanks for sharing your experience - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who was confused by these deduction codes!

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I had this exact same confusion when I first started working! "Medical EE - SR" typically means "Medical Employee - Standard Rate" and represents your portion of the health insurance premium that gets deducted from your paycheck. The "EE" definitely stands for "Employee" to distinguish it from employer contributions. One thing that really helped me understand all my deductions was downloading my pay stub and looking at it alongside my benefits enrollment materials. Most companies provide a benefits guide during onboarding that breaks down all the different plan options and their costs. If you can't find yours, definitely ask HR for a copy - it should show exactly what "SR" means at your specific company (could be Standard Rate, Senior Rate, or even Single Rate depending on your employer). The $87.50 biweekly amount seems very reasonable for employee-only health coverage. That works out to about $2,275 annually, which is actually on the lower end for decent health insurance these days. Just make sure you're enrolled in the plan that makes the most sense for your healthcare needs - sometimes people pick the middle-tier option without really comparing what they'd actually use versus the cost savings of a basic plan. If HR is being slow, try giving them a call directly rather than email. In my experience, a quick phone conversation often resolves these questions much faster than waiting for email responses!

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This is really helpful! I'm new to understanding payroll deductions and this whole thread has been incredibly informative. The $87.50 biweekly amount the original poster mentioned actually seems pretty good compared to what some of my friends are paying at their jobs. I'm curious though - when you mention comparing what you'd "actually use" versus cost savings of a basic plan, how do you predict your healthcare usage for the year? I'm young and generally healthy, but I worry about unexpected medical issues. Is there a good rule of thumb for deciding between basic and standard plans? Also, does anyone know if these pre-tax health insurance deductions affect things like Social Security or unemployment benefits calculations, since they reduce your taxable income?

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