Category: Paychecks & Work
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When a Hobby Becomes a Business in the Eyes of the IRS
The IRS uses nine factors to decide if your side activity is a business or a hobby. The label decides whether your expenses are deductible at all.
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Health Coverage Options When No Employer Offers One
Freelancer or gig worker with no benefits department? The Marketplace, premium tax credits, Medicaid, and a self-employed tax deduction — how each works in 2026.
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FMLA Leave: Who Gets 12 Weeks and What It Protects
The FMLA gives eligible workers 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave. Here is who qualifies, what counts as a covered reason, and what your employer must do.
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Can Your Boss Cut Your Pay? What the Law Allows
Pay cuts are mostly legal going forward, but never backward. The federal floors, the notice rules some states add, and when a cut crosses the line.
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Minimum Wage Goes Up July 1: Check Your State
Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. raise their minimum wages July 1, 2026, along with Chicago, Los Angeles and more. Here are the new hourly rates.
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June Jobs Report: What It Says About Summer Hiring
Employers added 57,000 jobs in June 2026 and unemployment held near 4.2%, but leisure and hospitality shed 61,000 jobs in a weak start to summer hiring.
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How to Read Your Pay Stub, Line by Line
Gross pay, FICA, pre-tax deductions, YTD columns: what every line on your pay stub means, which numbers to check, and the errors worth catching early.
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Selling Online? What the 1099-K Rules Say Now
The 2025 tax law restored the $20,000-and-200-transaction 1099-K threshold. What online sellers get in the mail now, and what they owe either way.
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Before You Sign a Severance Deal, Know These Rules
A severance agreement usually asks you to give up your right to sue. Federal law gives some workers time to consider and revoke. Here is what to know first.
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Your Teen’s First Paycheck: The Rules Employers Must Follow
A first summer job comes with real rules about hours, pay, and taxes. Here is what federal law requires for teen workers, and what parents should check.