<prompt> Human: I will preface this by saying that this is not my first experience with a 401k plan, and in general I understand how they work when it comes to employee contributions and employer matching. No Socrates here, so dont harp on me personal finance redditors. I just have became very frustrated with this situation and am confused with what to do next. With that said, my silly question...After starting a new job, I had to wait 3 months before I could enroll in the companys 401k plan. No problemo. After the waiting period, I received the welcome packet and enrollment form. I did not have a 401k plan to rollover from my previous company I took that as a disbursement as opposed to rolling it over due to circumstances too long to explain in this post so I wanted to start a new one here. I elected to have a modest 3 contribution, as this is what I could afford and what my employer matches 100.Fast forward to my first paycheck since my 401k enrollment. This paycheck had a different salary listed than what was on my previous checks - my salary had decreased by 3 percent. Under that decreased salary number was a deduction for 401k...and at the end my taxes were listed. As I held the two paychecks up next to each other, it appeared to me that I was paying 6 into my 401k 3 decrease in salary, minus another 3 401k deduction, and my employer was paying 0. I have stared at the two paychecks, thought it was very apparent that it was simply an accounting error, and went into my bosss office second in command to the owner to discuss further. His response threw me for a loop. He said that the decrease in salary was the companys contribution, and the deduction marked 401k was my contribution. I explained to him that I have never heard an explanation like this before. I have always seen my salary remain unchanged, then I see my employee contribution taken out. I have not seen employer contributions on my paychecks previously. I would see those when logging into my retirement account. I explained that if one would want to calculate contributions in that manner, wouldnt it make sense for my salary to increase by 3, then take the 3 away as an employer contribution? He stated to me that would be incorrect, as that would be a 3 raise for me. I ended the conversation feeling more confused than when I walked in, and said that I would try to look at things again to see if they made sense. When I log into my new retirement account, it shows that 3 came from my employer, and 3 came from me. I feel like perhaps I am delusional, but I do not believe this to be true. My salary was reduced by 3, then a 3 401k contribution was taken off. Thats 6 by me, right? If I were to quit the plan, then would my salary go back up 3? The other wrinkle is that we are a small company, around 20 ish employees total, and do not have an HR individual to discuss these matters with. I have copies of my paychecks before and after the 401k enrollment, and am dropping them off at my accountants office for them to also take a look at.If anything, can someone either tell me I am crazy, or reaffirm that I am not crazy? This has been driving me nuts the last couple of days. Thank you and happy Wednesday!EDIT 1 - There is a 5.67 difference between my net take home pay beforeafter 401k enrollment.UPDATE 1 - Sorry for the long wait, after work yesterday I had to go to a family get together and forgot to get back on reddit. Meeting with boss went very well; he apologized for his confusion and said after looking at it I was correct. It was a payroll error, and I was issued a check for the 3 of my salary. Payroll has been fixed, and my next check next week will reflect the proper amount. Not sticking up for my employer at all because their error was egregious, but the company has essentially zero turnover. Two employees have left the company in last 7 years, so its not often that they have to onboard and enroll people into new retirement accounts.  <response>: Mistakes happen. This sounds like either:x200B;1. A Scummy business practiceor2. A genuine mistake from payroll.x200B;2 is much more common than people care to admit, especially in small companies such as yours source: lots of real world experience.Take this up with your payroll or HR manager. 401k contributions will be deducted from your gross earnings, but your gross earnings should not be reduced as a result. Your gross pay should equate to the salary that you signed on for. The 3 EE contribution should be deducted from this amount. x200B;Simple trick: take your gross pay and multiply it by 12 if paid monthly or 26 if paid bi-weekly. This amount should total back to your salary.x200B;My recommendation: do the math, check the figures, and then go to payroll and inform them of the error. If they do not act, escalate as needed. Do not assume that this was a willful practice, as it generally will be simple human error. 