Recently received a signing bonus and it ended up getting taxed at 51.5%...wtf is that normal or did something get messed up? I got taxed in NY, so I know there will be some state tax, just don't know how it ends up being greater than 50% all in.
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you will end up getting some of that back at the end of the year in your tax return...
I realize that I will get some of it back in tax returns. Just didn't know a bonus (barring something like $1M+) could be taxed that high
The big machine that taxes us (shout out big government) doesn't know the difference between bonuses and paychecks. It taxes you automatically, then when you do your taxes it pays you back the amount they overtaxed you. This is what happened. Most companies pay their employees every two weeks, so the IRS taxes you like that. If you got a $10,000 signing bonus, the big "machine" is going to think that every two weeks you are getting a paycheck from your bank of $10,000. So over 52 weeks in a year that amounts to 26 pay periods for a pro rates base salary of $260,000. So you got taxed as if you were making $260,000. When you do your taxes at the end of the year, it will adjust and the Government will give you a refund.
lol welcome to the real world kid. Better think twice next time you vote dem.
Best comment ever
Dems tax for social good. Republicans tax to fund a bloated war machine, that accounts for >50% of the discretionary budget. I vote Dem BECAUSE they are more fiscally responsible.
The Republican Party did such a fantastic job the past 2 years fixing the tax code with all 3 branches of federal government under their control. Thanks Republicans!
It's amazing how you lemmings just blindly follow the Republican Party no matter what they actually do.
BERNIE SANDERS 2020
Lol I was going to say- And democarats want us to pay more
That seems a little high. But your bonuses are, depending on employer, often withheld at the highest possible incremental amount. That seems to be what your employer did (37% federal + 8.8% ny state + 3.8% nyc). For you to actually pay that much in incremental taxes you'd have to make $1.1m or more (for the state amount) and $600k+ (For the federal amount). And obviously your effective rate wouldn't be that high because that's just the marginal rate.
It seems like your employer is being ultra conservative, which sucks for you. But you'll get much of it back.
Look at the breakdown of deductions more carefully - may include 401k contribution...happened to me as a first year i forgot to adjust it (idiotic, i know)
That moment a democrat becomes a republican
^FTW
Ugh. I wish I could disagree, but today makes me ponder
Like, WTF
That would be a very uninformed decision given that Republicans are no better than Democrats on this and often much worse, preferring to blow up the deficit to allow future generations to deal with it.
Sadly, the deficit is just a point that both parties use to point fingers at each other when they are out of power. SB given.
Let's resurrect Von Mises - Hayek - Menger's brigada!
Kind of upset your rip-off comment got more SBs than the original (my comment).
Everyone on here is right, but I'll add a little bit more detail.
Most places treat a bonus like a paycheck. So say you get paid every 2 weeks (26 times a year) and it's 5k of gross salary per check, they'll calculate your taxes as a $130k/year salary. Then, if you get a $30k bonus you'll get withholdings like you make $780k/year (30k*26). Like everyone says, this works itself out when you actually pay your taxes, but this is why you're normally taxed at a higher rate on a bonus.
Also, look to see because that might include 401k witholding or anything else you've got going on.
Beyond that....you're in NY and you got a bonus, this is pretty standard stuff. I have a bad feeling that the next President will be looking to take more of the $.
Pay your fair share! Millions depending on you.
I believe the correct term is billions, billions depending on you.
Then give it back. That will lower your taxes.
This vile creature. This picture is scary.
accountingbyday is absolutely right. The next president will be a lefty. America is being flooded by people from 3rd world shitholes (I came from one, so Fk off!) who will demand more government services and higher taxes on working professionals.
The future is very bleak.
hell yeah bro, props. you're my type of immigrant - Trump's too! lol
They immigrate here so they can vote to make this country more like their home country---the one they fled from.
Canadian here. Our taxes are abhorrent as well, pisses me off because it breeds laziness. I have side income where I'm paid in cash though so that mitigates some of it.
Shouldn't you be paying taxes on your side income as well?
Sometimes
See my comment https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/new-tax-law-how-if-affects-bonus…</a">here for some tips on how to keep a bit more of your check instead of having to wait for your tax return.
But yeah, as others have said, if you live in NY / CA you best get used to all-in tax rates creeping towards 50% or more.
Thank you for the link labanker . I am looking through it.
Live on your bare minimum and do the deductions so you get a nice return?
Doing any sort of OT, I get taxed a lot more.
*Father and son are walking in the city one day and see a homeless man. They return home and the son asks if they should give the man some money the next time they are in the city.
The father says:
"Alright son, I'll tell you what. You mow the lawn tomorrow and I'll give you $20 that you can give to the homeless man".
The son responds:
"Well why doesn't he just come over and mow the lawn for the money"
Father smiles and says:
"Welcome to the Republican Party"
Either Republican or Democrat both should see a neurosurgeon for the lack of both hemispheres of the brain from communicating, A ophthalmologist because of their nearsightedness and an E.N.T (figure that one out), because both parties get paid from every trough they can get their lips on.
The father never considered the homeless man could have been a veteran or even bipolar. He just blames the nearest person he is able to see because of his lack of introspection based on avarice.
Impressive, plugging a completely moronic argument into a thesaurus makes it sound even more ridiculous...
What exactly do you think are the flaws in Republicans / Democrats that result from a "lack of both hemispheres of the brain from communicating"
Since you seem to be such an intellectual I'd like to point out that your message should have read "An ophthalmologist"
Also the ENT argument was cute, I suppose. Spruced up ad hominem attacks insinuating that both parties suck ye ol proverbial dick to get paid just completely detracts from whatever argument you were trying to make initially.
Thanks for educating me though. It was a fun little joke implying that everyone wants to "make the world a better place" so long as it isn't them that has to pay for their insane plans. So what, we give preferential treatment to veterans and bipolar homeless individuals? Is my joke any less offensive if the individual was just a bum and not a vet / mentally suffering? Does the fact that hes a vet in this example of yours detract from the notion that he could come and, oh, I don't know, work for $20?
Anyways. I ranted long enough. Either this was truly your first post and you wasted it on a half- assed "burn" or you made a new account specifically to reply to the joke. I'm not sure which one is more pathetic...
Once someone shared with me, "When someone responds profanely it is because you have exhausted the persons limited knowledge on a subject." So I read and listen to others to get understanding. So that I can have an answer, instead of blaming other people for issues in my life. The poor have nothing because they choose not to work or they may have disabilities. But for an able bodied person to blame others, they are just as lazy as those they point a finger.
You people would jump on the crazy train just for a few extra bucks in your (already comparatively large) paychecks? Sad!
You mean the crazy train as opposed to this beacon of common sense and righteousness?
Ceteris paribus, yes.......................................................................................................
F-35's, welfare, police body cams, roads, Obamaphones, green energy subsidies, health insurance mandates and congressional pensions do not pay for themselves!
Now now, according to the news, the rich dodge taxation and does not pay their fair share of taxes despite being taxed to death already.
roll eyes
This is a classic partisan issue: the immediate surprise plays to GOP populism but after a delayed process (taxes) you’ll get a chunk back, and once you start utilizing the various tax shelters + deductions available to you...it will change your perspective on what you’re actually paying. It’s almost as if critical thinking is a partisan issue.
You can thank your blue state Obama supporters.
Tired of the taxes? Come to Hong Kong or Singapore.
Alright I'm not going to lie I posted that joke because I heard it somewhere and thought it would get a chuckle out of some people.
I generally lean independent but lets be real with all of the academics / intellectuals / high striving individuals on here can't we all agree Trump is intellectually and physically the WSO equivalent of a BO moron that thinks hes the shit and just immensely misunderstood / never given a chance.
There is a reason you and other BO morons are posting on an internet board while he is the billionaire president.
According to your post history you are 25 years old, quit finance because you "couldn't handle the grind", looking for a roommate in SF, that thinks hes better than everyone else and posts troll responses.
Yeah you're definitely one of those idiots that justifies our tweeter in chief's stupidity with the fact that hes rich.
You also couldn't "move up in finance" (either you are a BO moron like the rest of us, or even more pathetic, a FO idiot that thought he was the shit but couldn't cut it)
Good luck in SF, I'm sure all the liberals in Cali will have a field day with you.
Agreed. If his daddy did not give him money to hire lawyers to hold on to his money and entourage of chimps and chimpettes were not eating his table droppings he would be a nobody like us.
Must have something to do with the SALT (state and local taxes) tax in addition to the tax differential between base pay and bonus pay. In fact, I think you guys get charged both a NY state tax, and depending on where you live, you may be getting charged a NYC tax as well.
Anyway, in Kansas City, if I work within the city limits of KC, I pay the city tax. If I'm out of town, not working in KC, the tax gets waived. My first year, I received both a signing bonus and a production bonus, but neither were really big enough for me pay that much attention.
The next year, I received a production bonus again at the end of the year. It was then that I realized how differently the IRS taxes bonuses as opposed to straight pay. My percentage was not 51%, but it was well north of 40. It took a couple of years, but I kept playing with my withholdings until I got to the point where, even with the bonus, I typically owed around $500 - 1k between state and fed every year. However, it took me claiming 16 fed and 8 state, if I recall correctly. It's been nearly 10 years now.
It's not a bad problem to have, and getting a big chunk at the end of the year helped make sure I had enough to completely max out funding my 401k and ROTHS for both my bride and me each year. Still, when you really get to see just how much of a greasy, wet bite the government takes from us tax-payers, it seems damned near criminal.
Agreed. If his daddy did not give him money to hire lawyers to hold on to his money and entourage of chimps and chimpettes were not eating his table droppings he would be a nobody like us.
Next time ask your employer for a "true-up" on your bonus where they pay the taxes for you.
tax on your bonus (Originally Posted: 10/22/2017)
hi, just curious if there's any best practice to optimize the tax structure of your bonus? What's the preferred / optimal spilt between cash bonus and carry?
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