paycheck

Paycheck is the payment given to an employee for work performed, typically issued on a regular schedule such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly. It can be paid as a physical check or via direct deposit and is accompanied by a payslip that itemizes gross pay, deductions, and net pay. Gross pay includes regular wages or salary and any overtime or bonuses, while deductions cover taxes, social security or pension contributions, health insurance, retirement plans, and other withholdings. The net pay is the amount the employee takes home. Paychecks are governed by labor laws and payroll practices that vary by country and jurisdiction, and are often defined in employment agreements or collective bargaining agreements.

In addition to its monetary sense, Paycheck refers to a cultural product in the realm of film. Paycheck is a 2003 American science fiction thriller directed by John Woo and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. The film stars Ben Affleck as Michael Jennings, an engineer who signs a secret project contract and later discovers his memory has been erased. To uncover what happened, he follows a trail of clues left by objects and events from his recent past, uncovering a conspiracy surrounding the project. The movie explores themes of memory, identity, and corporate power, and is notable for its adaptation of a PKD story and its action-oriented suspense.

See also: wages, salary, payroll, and related labor terms.