About FirstJobQuest
FirstJobQuest makes the paperwork of your first job clear. It targets the exact moment a 16–18-year-old enters the workforce and meets forms nobody taught them: a W-4, a pay stub, a lease, an interview, and the scams that target new workers. It picks up where LifeQuest (consumer skills, ages 11–14) and LedgerQuest (money decisions) leave off — the actual paperwork.
What you can do
- Pay-stub predictor — predict how much of a paycheck you keep, then reveal the real breakdown: Social Security, Medicare, and illustrative federal withholding.
- Your W-4 — change each box (filing status, a second job, dependent credits, extra withholding) and watch your take-home move. See the trade-off between more money now and a refund later.
- Cases — predict-then-reveal decks for renting red flags, strong interview answers, and spotting a job scam.
How it works — and stays honest
- A deterministic engine computes every figure. Withholding (Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%, and an illustrative federal estimate) is computed exactly, from a table — no AI is ever near the money.
- Illustrative and year-versioned. Tax figures use simplified 2026 tables to show how withholding works. They are not a tax calculator, and a real pay stub depends on your state, benefits, and exact W-4.
- On-device, no accounts. Nothing is sent anywhere; nothing is stored beyond this page.
Illustrative only — not tax, legal, or financial advice, and not a certification. For real decisions, check the current IRS forms and, when it matters, a qualified professional. The scam-spotting content teaches common warning signs; it cannot cover every scam.
Where this idea comes from· 1937 · 1943
The lines on a pay slip
On 1 January 1937 American workers started paying Social Security tax: one per cent of their wages, on the first $3,000 a year, with the employer paying the same again. Income tax was usually paid in a lump the next year until the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 had employers take it out of every pay packet: withholding.
One thing to hold: A pay slip: gross pay at the top, the lines taken out, and net pay, what reaches you, at the bottom.
Why it matters: Most of the lines between gross and net are older than your grandparents. Knowing what each one is for is the first step in reading any pay slip.
Two words:
Gross
From the old French gros, "big": the whole amount before anything is taken. What is your gross pay?Withhold
To hold back. What does your employer hold back, and where does it go?
Dates:
- 1935 the Social Security Act is signed
- 1937 the first Social Security line on a pay slip
- 1943 income tax withheld from every pay packet