Work Arrangements
This type of job usually means about 30–40 hours a week and often comes with benefits.
What is full-time?
A worker who gets a W-2 and has taxes taken out of every paycheck.
What is an employee?
This is your total pay before anything is taken out.
What is gross pay?
You fill out this form so your employer knows how much federal income tax to take out of your pay.
What is the W-4?
This form shows how much you earned and how much tax was withheld for the whole year.
What is the W-2?
A lifeguard job that lasts only from June to August is this kind of work.
What is seasonal?
A worker paid by the job who gets this tax form instead of a W-2.
What is a 1099?
This is the amount you actually take home after deductions.
What is net pay?
This form proves you are legally allowed to work in the U.S.
What is the I-9?
Employers have to send you your W-2 by this date.
What is January 31?
This arrangement usually means fewer hours and fewer benefits, and many high school students have one.
What is part-time?
Independent contractors have to set aside about this percentage of their pay for taxes.
What is 25–30%?
This is the name for money taken out of your paycheck, like taxes or insurance.
What are deductions?
You must finish your section of the I-9 by this day.
What is your first day of work?
This is the person who fills out and sends the W-2.
Who is the employer?
This short-term work experience helps you build skills in a career field, and it can be paid or unpaid.
What is an internship?
This is the name for the whole value of a job: pay plus benefits like health insurance and a 401(k) match.
What is total compensation?
This abbreviation on a paystub shows your total earnings so far this calendar year.
What is YTD (year-to-date)?
This one document can prove both your identity and your right to work on the I-9.
What is a U.S. passport?
You use your W-2 to do this every spring.
What is file your tax return?
This "earn while you learn" arrangement combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Virginia registers these through DOLI.
What is an apprenticeship?
An employer pays half of this tax for employees, but self-employed workers pay the full 15.3% themselves.
What is FICA (or self-employment tax)?
These two FICA taxes add up to 7.65% of an employee's pay.
What are Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%)?
You give this form to your employer, not the IRS, and you can update it any time your situation changes.
What is the W-4?
If the tax withheld on your W-2 is more than what you actually owe, you get this.
What is a tax refund?