<prompt> Human: Hi,I will try to keep this short and to the pointI am a Wisconsin Resident and tax payer.I make 42,500 a year, which comes out to roughly 2445 a month after taxes and insurance and all that jazz.I got a bonus check today, it came the same day as my 2nd bi-monthly check, as it does every year.My bonus this year was 3500. I received 1927.80 for my bonus, as well as the typical 1222.50 with my normal check. That means my 3500 bonus was taxed at 45.Call me crazy but that seems like a lot more than it should. Could I either get an explanation with a source as to why this is wrong? Or could someone give me advice on howwho to approach on this at my company?Thanks in advance.PS - This is my first ever reddit post so if I am in the wrong r just let me know. EDIT: Thanks everyone for the assurance that this is being done correctly. I looked at my bonus from last year and realized that a similar amount was taken out. although my bonus was substantially less I guess I can hope that some of last years withholding are applied this year when I file. Thanks again reddit!  <response>: Tax withholding is not the same as tax owed. Your withholding can change from paycheck to paycheck depending on how large the paycheck is - the amount withheld is calculated from IRS formulas and assumes each check is representative of your annual salary. Thus, if one paycheck is larger because of OT or a bonus, you have more withheld because the formulas dont account for that being a one-time thing.Tax owed is calculated from your annual wagessalarytips as reported on your W-2. If youve withheld more throughout the year than you owe when you file, you get a refund. If not, you might owe the IRS some money.The bottom line is that you arent taxed more if you get OT or a bonus, its just withheld at a different rate. 