Payroll taxes are the federal, state, and local taxes that come out of your paycheck and that employers pay on your behalf. If you work as an employee, you'll see these deductions on your pay stub—Social Security tax, Medicare tax, federal income tax withholding, and possibly state or local taxes. Understanding what these deductions are and why they happen helps you make sense of your take-home pay and your tax obligations.
The articles here answer common questions about how payroll taxes work: what each type of tax does, how withholding amounts are calculated, what to do if too much or too little is being withheld, and how self-employed workers handle payroll taxes differently. You'll also find information about tax forms like the W-4 and what happens during tax season.