Kal's Kweries**

KWERY:
My husband gets a weekly paycheck, but I don’t get to see it. He cashes the check and deposits only some part of it into our checking account. I do not know how much is not being deposited. How can I get a better understanding of what the real number is?

RESPONSE:
If you can wait until he gets his W-2 (and assuming that you will see a copy of it – which you should because it will be part of a joint tax return), then compare the amount in Box 1 of the W-2 minus the federal withholding in Box 2 and the state withholding in Box 17 (that’s if there is state withholding where you are), as well as subtracting local withholding if it applies to you. This will give you a rough estimate of your husband’s year’s total net after tax withholding paycheck. Compare that to the amounts deposited in your checking account during the year. If there is a difference of significance, then you can be pretty sure that something is being kept from you. If the numbers are pretty close, then you can be pretty comfortable that you’re getting an honest count. If you can’t or won’t wait to see the W-2, you can try to get a copy of a cumulative paystub or equivalent – but that may be unlikely since if you’re not getting the weekly paycheck, your husband probably will not share with you the paystub.