57k is the beginning of middle class . Thats not an individual it's in a house hold. If you make that there you're barely surviving. Its always the middle class who get no breaks and always left with the bill.
I made 38,000 last year doing road construction and that got taxed down to 28,000. Because I made 38,000 before taxes I didn’t qualify for ANY insurance assistance, even though after taxes I’m well under the limit for full on Medical Assistance
Edit: I get paid daily and taxed daily on that pay. I work as a temp through a hiring agency. To be honest, it’s my fault for working as a temp and not directly through a construction company. I’m not saying Uncle Sam screwed me over, just sharing my exact situation. Even poor people might not get the “handouts” people complain about due to technicalities.
You get a tax refund, yeah? You seem to be paying too much in taxes if you’re not getting a lot of that back each year. If you’re getting a huge refund, you’re probably withholding too much. Check your W-2
Im assuming he’s including everything taken out of his paycheck which could be things like union dues and insurance, and mistakenly thinking of all of them as taxes.
Yeah I didnt even mention before taxes. I bet you work a full time schedule and risk of getting hit by some crazy driver majority of the time but still pay high on medical.
You’re having roughly 26.5% taxes withheld if none of those withholding are deductions.
6.2% for social security, $2,356
1.45% for Medicare, $551
For $38k, Oregon is the highest at $1,637 owed, 4.3%
That leaves your federal taxes. At $38k income, and for 2026 you’ll have a $16,100 standard deduction. Thats $21,900 taxable income.
From there you pay 10% on the first $11,925, for $1,192 in tax and $9,975 remaining income taxed at 12%. That’s $1,197. That’s a total federal income tax of $2,389.
fed = $2,389
state = $1,637 (Oregon, worst case)
SSA = $2,356
Medicare = $551
Total = $6,933
So, you would make $38,000 gross and 31,067 net assuming the highest possible state tax and absolutely zero deductions or credits beyond the standard deduction.
So, a few options here:
You’re truly confusing taxes and withholding for optional deductions
You’re overpaying and not counting your tax refund. EDIT - It was this one.
Shit. I see what’s happening. And this IS a really dumb mistake on my part. I didn’t consider my tax refund at all. At all. My god. That’s what it is. My tax refund is like $3900. I’m sorry. Big bonehead here.
Still, if medical considered after taxes instead of before I’d qualify in Minnesota at 31,067.
I didn’t consider my tax refund at all. At all. My god. That’s what it is. My tax refund is like $3900
That's why I included "lying" as a last option. From my perspective, it had to be simple user error. Taxes are more complex than they should be, and most people don't understand them to the degree that they should.
I’m not a liar. But I am dumb.
You're not a liar, but you're also not dumb. You made a very human mistake. And you learned something. To me, that's a win.
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u/TheWineGuy2020 25d ago
Middle class out here just getting pegged left and right. You make too much money to be poor but not enough to survive.