Also called Gross wages.
Authority: IRS Pub. 15 (2026), §5 (opens in a new tab). Sources
The lessons that teach this
From the free founder back-office course, taught on one company's books, with exercises to work it yourself.
- Gross to net pay$8,400 earned, $6,707.40 paid: federal income tax from each W-4, Social Security and Medicare on their own bases, and net pay as the remainder.12 min
- Recording payroll in the booksJE-11 posts $8,400 of wages against $1,692.60 withheld and $6,707.40 paid; AJE-4 adds $642.60 of employer FICA; the October deposit clears the liability.9 min
For founders
The same idea written for a founder: what it costs a startup that ignores it, and what to do in a real month.
What it is not called
Each of these means something else. Use one here and an accountant reading the product notices.
- net pay
- take-home pay
Components that render the terms it depends on
No component names this concept outright, but it's built from terms that components do name. These render expense, period.
4Swaps & FX
Family spec5Ledger & tables
Family spec- PeriodPickerFiscal-aware. Never assumes January.
- FluxAnalysisPeriod-over-period explanations.
- ProfitAndLossP&L with period comparison and variance.
- ReportHeaderEntity, statement, period, basis, currency, as-of. Every figure states its basis.
- StatementTableThe shared shell: hierarchy, periods, rules.
- StatementToolbarBasis, period, comparison, currency, consolidation.
9Accounting core (GL)
Family spec12Close, controls & consolidation
Family spec13Metrics & analysis
Family specAlso in Payroll
Defined in Lexicon. This page is generated from that document, so the two can't disagree.