I see my gross pay on my W2, then it subtracts GTL (C-box 12), which is.....group life insurance. Which.....I dont have. Then...a couple thousand for 401k. Then another couple thousand for Other Cafe 125. So I "Google" what Cafe 125 and that ALSO (like the group life insurance) doesnt apply.
Futhermore, GTL (box C) matches up - then there is the 401k (box 12b - D), matchs up. then there is DD in 12C which does NOT match up to the Cafe 125. Which, ok fine. There's no indication that it should. But it's 8 times as much as the Cafe25 amount.
What am I looking at here?? I guess, as I mentioned, I already Googled the terminology. But can I assume my company messed up if I dont have group life insurance, and all that? And everything I just mentioned lowered my gross amount.
I havent filed my taxes yet, but I filled them in "just to see", and I am getting money back as I normally do...but WAY lower of an amount. Is that because my gross was lowered??
If you don’t understand your W2 ask the employer. You might have imputed income for life insurance. It means something like if they give you over 50,000 of ins they add the premium on to your income. I had that once on a job. Search for imputed income. Here’s one
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-imputed-income/
I'll have to give them a call. They sent me to the payroll preparing company who was of no help, as one would expect. I didn't actively asking for any life insurance because I am getting it outside of my company. So either I accidentally chose it (??) or they messed up. Otherwise I am at a loss.
if you have pay statements from ADP or another provider for 2024 they should show details for each pay period and YTD for the Cafe 25 items, certain pre-tax benefits like AD&D, Dental etc - which reduces your taxable wages.
Box 12 DD is your total healthcare benefit paid by the company which should be much larger than Cafe 25 as it's medical insurance (which presumably you have). It's informational only and does not affect your tax liability.
your Box 1 W2 wages should be your Gross Pay, PLUS Gtl, LESS 401K pre-tax contributions (Box 12 Code D), LESS Cafe 25.