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Worksheets

Income and Tax Basics

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 30mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which term means the total amount of money earned before taxes are taken out?

a)

Net income

b)

Gross income

c)

Withholding

d)

Payroll tax

2.

Which term describes the money you actually receive after taxes?

a)

Net income

b)

Sales tax

c)

Earned income

d)

Gross income

3.

Why should budgets be based on net income?

a)

Net income is higher

b)

Net income includes bonuses

c)

Net income is what you actually receive

d)

Net income avoids taxes

4.

What is earned income?

a)

Money received as gifts

b)

Money refunded by the IRS

c)

Money earned from working

d)

Money borrowed from a bank

5.

What is withholding?

a)

Money paid at the end of the year only

b)

Money paid when shopping

c)

Money taken from a paycheck for taxes

d)

Money saved for emergencies

6.

Why does the government use withholding?

a)

To spread tax payments throughout the year

b)

To collect taxes all at once

c)

To avoid filing tax returns

d)

To increase refunds

7.

Which tax is taken out of each paycheck to fund Social Security and Medicare?

a)

Property tax

b)

Payroll tax

c)

Income tax

d)

Sales tax

8.

What does FICA pay for?

a)

Roads and bridges

b)

State programs

c)

Schools and libraries

d)

Social Security and Medicare

9.

Which form do you fill out when you start a new job?

a)

Tax return

b)

Pay stub

c)

W-4

d)

W-2

10.

What is the purpose of the W-4?

a)

To report yearly income

b)

To calculate net pay

c)

To file taxes

d)

To tell your employer how much tax to withhold

11.

Changing your W-4 affects:

a)

How much tax is withheld

b)

Your hourly wage

c)

Your total income

d)

Your job title

12.

Which form summarizes your earnings and taxes for the year?

a)

Pay stub

b)

W-4

c)

W-2

d)

Budget

13.

Who sends you a W-2?

a)

The IRS

b)

You fill it out yourself

c)

Your bank

d)

Your employer

14.

What is a tax return?

a)

A savings account

b)

A weekly earnings report

c)

A form filed to settle taxes owed or refunded

d)

A paycheck

15.

What does filing a tax return do?

a)

Changes your pay rate

b)

Ends withholding

c)

Confirms if you overpaid or underpaid taxes

d)

Eliminates payroll taxes

16.

What does a tax refund mean?

a)

You avoided taxes

b)

You overpaid tax during the year

c)

You paid too little tax

d)

You earned more money

17.

What does a balance due mean?

a)

You paid the exact amount

b)

You underpaid taxes

c)

You received a bonus

d)

You paid sales tax

18.

According to the lesson, what is the ideal tax result?

a)

Large refund

b)

Balance due

c)

Break-even

d)

No filing required

19.

Why are large refunds not ideal?

a)

They are taxed again

b)

They increase payroll taxes

c)

They mean you gave the government extra money

d)

They reduce income

20.

Which action helps avoid tax surprises?

a)

Ignoring tax forms

b)

Budgeting with gross income

c)

Filing taxes on time

d)

Waiting until April

21.

Which is an example of income tax?

a)

Tax on shoes

b)

Tax on earned wages

c)

Tax on groceries

d)

Tax on gasoline

22.

Which is an example of sales tax?

a)

Social Security deduction

b)

Medicare deduction

c)

Tax added at a store checkout

d)

Federal withholding

23.

Payroll taxes are taken out:

a)

Once a year

b)

When filing taxes

c)

From each paycheck

d)

Only after overtime

24.

Which statement is true?

a)

W-4 controls withholding

b)

W-2 controls withholding

c)

W-2 changes your pay rate

d)

W-4 summarizes yearly income

25.

Why is filing on time important?

a)

To avoid paying taxes

b)

To confirm taxes are settled correctly

c)

To increase refunds

d)

To avoid payroll deductions

26.

Which action is risky?

a)

Budgeting with net income

b)

Relying on refunds to pay bills

c)

Filing on time

d)

Updating a W-4

27.

Federal income tax is based on:

a)

Your job title

b)

How much you earn

c)

Your employer

d)

What you buy

28.

Which form is used to file taxes?

a)

Tax return

b)

W-2

c)

W-4

d)

Pay stub

29.

Which tax is paid when buying goods?

a)

Income tax

b)

Sales tax

c)

Payroll tax

d)

Federal withholding

30.

What is the main purpose of filing a federal tax return?

a)

To increase income

b)

To change jobs

c)

To apply for benefits

d)

To settle taxes owed or refunded

31.

Gross & Net Pay

You work 25 hours at $14 per hour.
Federal income tax = 10%
Payroll tax (FICA) = 7.65%

  • Gross pay = __________

  • Federal tax = __________

  • Payroll tax = __________

4 lines
32.

Gross & Net Pay

You work 40 hours at $12 per hour.
Federal income tax = 10%
Payroll tax = 7.65%

  • Gross pay = __________

  • Net pay = __________

4 lines
33.

Overtime Pay

You work 46 hours at $15 per hour.
Overtime is paid at time-and-a-half after 40 hours.

  • Regular pay = __________

  • Overtime pay = __________

  • Gross pay = __________

4 lines
34.

Overtime + Net Pay

Using Question 33’s gross pay, calculate net pay.
Federal income tax = 10%
Payroll tax = 7.65%

  • Total deductions = __________

  • Net pay = __________

4 lines
35.

Application

Explain why someone could get a refund or owe money when filing a tax return.
(2–3 sentences)

4 lines