Year-End Pay Stubs and Tax Filing
Reconciling your final pay stub to your W-2, calculating take-home pay, and, for employers, filling out and filing the W-2s and 1099s.
Your last pay stub of the year should match your W-2 box for box. It also shows whether too much or too little tax was withheld, and tax software asks for it if you file before the W-2 arrives. These articles walk through year-end reconciliation, the math behind take-home pay, and every deduction that shows up on a US pay stub. Employers issuing the forms have their own guides here too: the W-2 box by box, 1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC, the filing calendar, and the W-2 and 1099-NEC generators at the end of the list.
Articles and tools in this topic
How to Match Your Final Pay Stub to Your W-2
Box-by-box reconciliation: W-2 box 1, box 3, and box 5 each have different rules. Here's how they map to YTD on your December stub.
How to Calculate Your Take-Home Pay (2026 Tax Brackets)
Five-step calculation from gross to net pay using current federal brackets, FICA, and pre-tax deductions. Worked examples at $40K, $75K, and $120K.
Every Pay Stub Deduction Explained (2026)
Federal tax, state tax, FICA, health insurance, 401(k), HSA, FSA — every line item explained with current rates and thresholds.
Why Is My Federal Withholding So Low or High?
How W-4 settings, bonuses, pre-tax deductions, second jobs, and pay frequency change the federal tax line.
What Does YTD Mean on a Pay Stub? (And Why It Resets)
Year-to-date totals, why they reset on January 1, and the multi-employer trap that causes Social Security over-withholding.
Pay Stub Abbreviations: Complete Glossary
FED, FICA, OASDI, MED, SUI, SUTA, GTL, FSA, HSA — every cryptic acronym on your stub explained.
How Long Should You Keep Pay Stubs?
IRS retention rules, secure-disposal advice, and a simple system for keeping records without a filing cabinet.
How to Fill Out Form W-2, Box by Box (2026)
Employer-side guide to every W-2 box: box 1 vs box 3, boxes 4 and 6, the new box 12 codes TP, TT and TA, box 14b, and the SSA deadline.
1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC: Which Form to Send (2026)
The $2,000 threshold, which payments go on which form, the new tips and overtime boxes, copies, and the two different IRS deadlines.
W-2 or 1099-NEC: Which Form to Issue (2026)
The employer's side: the IRS control test, what each form commits you to, section 3509 misclassification rates, Section 530 relief and the VCSP.
How to Give Your Nanny a W-2 (2026)
The $3,000 household threshold, why it is a W-2 and not a 1099, box 1 when you pay the FICA yourself, Schedule H, and the February 1, 2027 deadline.
Year-End Filing Calendar for Small Employers
Every W-2, 1099, 941, T4, T4A and RL-1 date for 2026 income, in order, with e-file thresholds and penalties.
W-2 box 12 codes, A through TT
All 33 codes for 2026 with what each reports, which change box 1, and the new TP, TT and TA codes.
W-2 generator
Form W-2 employee copies (B, C and 2) for 2025 or 2026, with boxes 4 and 6 calculated and the new box 12 codes.
1099-NEC generator
Recipient copies of Form 1099-NEC for a contractor paid for services, for 2025 or 2026.
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