Employment Income
Employment Income: Understanding and Managing Your Earnings
Getting a paycheck is one of the biggest milestones of entering the workforce—but knowing how to understand, manage, and make the most of your income is what leads to long-term financial stability. This course introduces young adults to the basics of employment income, from reading a paycheck to building healthy money habits that maximize their earnings.
Participants will learn how to:
Understand employment income – Gross pay vs. net pay, and how taxes, insurance, and other deductions affect take-home pay.
Read and interpret pay stubs – Identifying hours worked, overtime, benefits, and mandatory withholdings like Social Security and Medicare.
Budget with income in mind – Learning how to create a spending plan that balances needs, wants, savings, and debt repayment.
Use income wisely – Prioritizing bills, saving consistently, and avoiding the trap of spending everything earned.
Plan for irregular income – Understanding how to manage part-time jobs, hourly wages, or seasonal work with varying pay.
Build toward financial goals – Connecting income with saving, investing, and preparing for future milestones.
Recognize the value of benefits – Seeing income beyond just wages, including health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off.
By the end of this course, participants will not only know how to read and understand their paycheck but also how to use their income strategically—ensuring that their hard-earned money supports both their immediate needs and their long-term financial future.
