The Official 2013 Take-Home Pay Cut thread

[hairysasquatch]

I get paid semimonthly, just saw my first paycheck of the new year - with all the great "progressive" changes in taxation and healthcare coverage costs - and I can proudly say that I will be bringing home $230.10 LESS per month than I was in 2012. It feels great to be American today, and I can just smell that economic recovery right around the corner - can't you? BTW I am nowhere near halfway to the $250k threshold we once heard about, let alone among the 1%-ers.

[gritt81]

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

I get paid semimonthly, just saw my first paycheck of the new year - with all the great "progressive" changes in taxation and healthcare coverage costs - and I can proudly say that I will be bringing home $230.10 LESS per month than I was in 2012. It feels great to be American today, and I can just smell that economic recovery right around the corner - can't you? BTW I am nowhere near halfway to the $250k threshold we once heard about, let alone among the 1%-ers.

Ouch, and I thought my 100$ less a month was bad.

[jubei777]

my hit was approx $160.

[56LightsOut56]

My hit was about 3,000$ a month.....Laid off on 01/02/13.

[JosieDively]

It is partially because social security went up 2%z

[fullmetal]

but, but....we'll see a return from it, right?

The SS pyramid will crash long before I receive what I earned during my working career. Let me invest my own retirement!

[JosieDively]

Originally Posted by fullmetal

but, but....we'll see a return from it, right?

The SS pyramid will crash long before I receive what I earned during my working career. Let me invest my own retirement!

Same here. It's pretty sad because I have been working since I was 14.

[gritt81]

Originally Posted by JosieDively

Same here. It's pretty sad because I have been working since I was 14.

This, detasseling corn when I was 14 at 4.25$. Glad I invested in BB-cards so I can retire on them one day...........

[thebear29]

Been married for almost ten years now, so I have not seen my paycheck in a little over 10 years. Plus she is the one that makes my checks. But from what I hear, my check is less than it used to be.

[fullmetal]

Originally Posted by JosieDively

Same here. It's pretty sad because I have been working since I was 14.

I was exempt from paying medicare and social security taxes when I was a minor. I delievered newspapers when I was 11 (and held at least two jobs almost throughout the age of 12-18). and half of every check went into an investment fund. By the time I left for college I already had a nice size retirement account.

[natbornkiller]

Originally Posted by fullmetal

but, but....we'll see a return from it, right?

The SS pyramid will crash long before I receive what I earned during my working career. Let me invest my own retirement!

[fduran27]

$220 a month here ...

[Ooosh]

I pay north of $1,000 in income tax a month, I know what you guys are experiencing is different but I still say 'Ouch!' every paycheck.

[armyatc22]

Difference is $80 for me but I'm not counting in the fact that we got a raise for 2013 so prob around the average.

I'm making less then I did in 2012 after our raise

[jimssouvenirs]

Doesn't matter, the tax revenue increase didn't do DICK for our country. Our budget is still close to twice as much as our revenue, and our debt is 7 or 8 times our revenue. We'd have to not spend a dime for 10 whole years to get out of this hole.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by JosieDively

Same here. It's pretty sad because I have been working since I was 14.

Haha - likewise - started my paper route when 11 and kept it until 19, worked part-time through college, including grad school, right up to the present day. Agree with fullmetal about the retirement scam - the 30- and 40-somethings will never see a f*k*g penny of the thousands and thousands we put into the "system." Fortunately I have a job I can work at until I die, and I fully plan to go out with my (hiking) boots on. Also agree with jimssouvenirs that this merely rearranges the deck chairs on the Titanic - still, it has rustled my jimmies and I wanted to vent here...

[fm8418]

Noticed no difference here, perk of being poor

[Bader]

Social Security Tax is at 6% now for the past 2 years (2011 & 2012) we paid 4% to help stimulate economy and bla bla bla prior to 2011 we always paid 6% so we got a 2 year break.....but to be fair, could've been lot worse as Social Security increased cost of living expenses to beneficiaries starting this year so....continue to spend your hard earned $$ on more vasoline for the American Government to keep taking it from you and their ain't a damn thing you can do about it!

[deboesports]

i get paid every week but i only work from march till dec. cant wait for my first beating in march!

[37Jetson]

Wait to everybody sees the impact of Obamacare on their paychecks over the next few years. Mark my words for posterity, if you have a job you will be shocked.

[Sikkcaden]

This was a hot discussion in my Personal Finance class last semester (Business Major), it was predicted people would think they're taxes were raised, rather than a short-term tax cut expired.

Ok so the payroll tax or FICA cut expired (after it was cut in 2011 by the turrible President Obama) and the rate has returned to it's normal rate. Everyone begins to cry foul, although its back at its pre-2011 level. Taxes werent raised, the tax cut simply expired. This tax pays for social security as well as Medicare. There is no doubt that social security is in danger of running out in the mid 2030's under current projections, but this move was done to stimulate the economy in the short term rather than put money into the system over the long term.

Social Security and Medicare are very important programs. However, they are flawed due to change in population and life expectancy. Luckily, something's can be done. They can either 1) Continue to raise the retirement age, 2) raise FICA taxes or 3) both. We need to decide which is most effective and reasonable for all parties involved. People need to stop playing victim and realize the bigger picture. More $ may need to be taken from you now in order to benefit you in the long term, as well as those less fortunate/skilled than you are.

Also to the argument about privatizing your investment for social security, feel free to put $ in your 401k's and IRA's (I highly suggest everyone has a Roth IRA) however, trusting the average citizen to invest into an economy greatly increases the risk individuals are left with nothing when they reach their golden years. I would rather improve the current system which was worked pretty well, rather than create a new one.


And for anyone interested, from the Washington post about the tax cut expiration: With the end of the payroll tax holiday, a worker earning $50,000, for instance, will pay $1,000 more in taxes this year; a worker earning less than $20,000 a year will pay about $100 more. Someone in the upper fifth of households, making $150,000 a year, will pay about $2,200 more.

[fungi2510]

Originally Posted by Sikkcaden

This was a hot discussion in my Personal Finance class last semester (Business Major), it was predicted people would think they're taxes were raised, rather than a short-term tax cut expired.

Ok so the payroll tax or FICA cut expired (after it was cut in 2011 by the turrible President Obama) and the rate has returned to it's normal rate. Everyone begins to cry foul, although its back at its pre-2011 level. Taxes werent raised, the tax cut simply expired. This tax pays for social security as well as Medicare. There is no doubt that social security is in danger of running out in the mid 2030's under current projections, but this move was done to stimulate the economy in the short term rather than put money into the system over the long term.

Social Security and Medicare are very important programs. However, they are flawed due to change in population and life expectancy. Luckily, something's can be done. They can either 1) Continue to raise the retirement age, 2) raise FICA taxes or 3) both. We need to decide which is most effective and reasonable for all parties involved. People need to stop playing victim and realize the bigger picture. More $ may need to be taken from you now in order to benefit you in the long term, as well as those less fortunate/skilled than you are.

Also to the argument about privatizing your investment for social security, feel free to put $ in your 401k's and IRA's (I highly suggest everyone has a Roth IRA) however, trusting the average citizen to invest into an economy greatly increases the risk individuals are left with nothing when they reach their golden years. I would rather improve the current system which was worked pretty well, rather than create a new one.


And for anyone interested, from the Washington post about the tax cut expiration: With the end of the payroll tax holiday, a worker earning $50,000, for instance, will pay $1,000 more in taxes this year; a worker earning less than $20,000 a year will pay about $100 more. Someone in the upper fifth of households, making $150,000 a year, will pay about $2,200 more.

How dare you bring facts and not attack. This will not be allowed

[Sikkcaden]

Originally Posted by fungi2510

How dare you bring facts and not attack. This will not be allowed

LMAO my bad, my bad.

[redsoxx11]

I had this argument with my factually challenged brother the other day. He was crying about social security and how he was going to never get as much back as he paid into it... after I used an actually calculater to show him that for his working life he might put in maybe 30k but will get back over 300k+ over say 20 years. Then he called the unemployment office and filed for his check during his winter layoff....

[texas]

only an 80 dollar difference for me