Yeah, she has a problem with her math and her understanding of stuff that happens with her salary prior to the disposable portion of it reaching her hands.
Still, she’s not that far off. That 15% should be taken out pre-tax, right? So it’s $6750 or so, reducing her pre-tax income to about $38,250.
I wonder how much non-tax money is taken out upfront too. Any idea what union dues would be?
MEA Dues are 1.5% of your gross income IIRC.
Other costs for her would be mandatory 3-4% retirement healthcare tax, depending on defined contribution retirement plan another 3-6%, Health Insurance costs based on MESSA rates around 500 per month for a couple a bit higher for Family plan.