After School: CASE 5

My deposit is smaller than my hours times my rate

Gross/net pay and deductions

1: STORY

What happened?

The first deposit is smaller than expected. Eighteen hours at sixteen dollars should equal $288. Source A confirms those hours and that rate. The worker's arithmetic is right, but it describes gross earnings. The deposit is net pay after the deductions shown on the statement.

Source B starts with the same $288 gross amount. It lists $34.21 in taxes and a $12 meal deduction, then reports $241.79 net. Those numbers reconcile: the deductions total $46.21. This rules out a mismatch between the displayed gross earnings and the displayed deposit, but it does not establish that every deduction was calculated or authorized correctly.

The meal line creates a specific question. The receipt does not say when the meal was provided, what agreement applies, or why twelve dollars was deducted. Guessing that every meal deduction is prohibited would go beyond the evidence. Assuming the deduction must be correct because payroll printed it would do the same. The worker can request an itemized explanation without deciding the answer in advance.

Source C names payroll as the contact and provides five business days for timecard corrections. That instruction should not become an invented deadline for every concern. Save the timecard and statement, ask promptly about the unexplained line, and record the response. A specific question makes the issue easier to investigate.

2: EVIDENCE

Open the receipts.

These are NPW practice documents. Real-world sources are credited separately below.

SOURCE A — Timecard

NPW practice document. 18.0 hours at $16/hour = $288 gross expected before deductions.

What it establishes: Establishes hours/rate.

Question while reading: What record checks whether payroll used the same hours?

SOURCE B — Pay statement

NPW practice document. Gross $288; taxes $34.21; meal deduction $12; net $241.79.

What it establishes: Shows deductions and net. It does not establish whether every deduction is permitted.

Question while reading: Which line requires explanation?

SOURCE C — Employee handbook/payroll contact

NPW practice document. “Questions about hours or deductions: payroll@…; report timecard corrections within 5 business days.”

What it establishes: Establishes a correction route and deadline.

Question while reading: What exact question would you bring to payroll?

A and B agree about gross earnings, so the known issue is not a missing displayed hour. B explains the numerical gap between gross and net. It does not verify the underlying tax calculation or meal authorization. Arithmetic consistency and proper payment are related checks, but passing one does not automatically establish the other.

C supplies an internal contact and a particular correction process. Its five-business-day instruction cannot establish any statutory deadline or waive rights not discussed in the receipt. A useful payroll message identifies the pay period from the actual statement, names the disputed line and asks what documentation supports it instead of accusing an unnamed person.

3: PRACTICE

Try your read.

What can the matching calculation establish?Every deduction is permitted because the net pay adds up.The timecard correction deadline governs all legal complaints.The displayed deductions explain the gross-to-net difference, but their basis still needs checking.

Check the reasoning

The figures reconcile. Neither arithmetic nor a payroll label establishes authorization, legal compliance or the correct deadline for an outside process.

FIRST READ: What did you think was happening before you opened the sources?LUPA FOUND THE ORIGINAL: Which source is closest to the event or rule? Why?ONDA CHECK: Who could experience the situation differently, and through what mechanism?WHAT ARE WE MISSING? Name one fact you cannot establish.

Responses stay in this browser. Use “Download my notes” to keep a copy.

4: TASK

Read the paycheck line by line and draft a payroll question.

Read the paycheck line by line and draft a payroll question. Include one clear claim or question, at least two source references, one statement of uncertainty/scope, the person or office with relevant authority, and one realistic next step.

Compare with a worked response

My timecard shows 18 hours at $16, which equals $288 gross (A). The statement also shows $288 gross, then $34.21 taxes and a $12 meal deduction, producing $241.79 net (B). Payroll, could you explain what the meal deduction covers and the policy or authorization supporting it? I am attaching the timecard and pay statement. The arithmetic matches, but that alone does not confirm every deduction is appropriate. C directs questions to payroll and gives five business days for timecard corrections. I will ask promptly and save your response rather than assume that deadline governs every possible concern.

Before you close the case

What is one thing the strongest source establishes?
What can it not establish?
Who can decide or clarify the issue?
What changed between your first read and your read now?

One step further

If the gross line showed fewer hours than the timecard, how would your first payroll question change?

Behind the Case: educator notes

45–55 min core, 80–100 min full

Teaching moves

Let students calculate gross and net separately. Ask where each number comes from before discussing whether a deduction is appropriate.
Present two possible messages: a broad accusation and a request naming the $12 line. Have students improve specificity without requiring a deferential tone.
Underline the phrase timecard corrections in C. Ask whether the receipt supports extending that deadline to taxes, deductions or an external complaint.

Supports and response choices

Preview the three most important terms with examples.
Allow oral, typed, handwritten, or visual-map response when format is not the learning goal.
Keep the original source excerpt beside a plain-language annotation.
Keep formal English institutional terms visible beside translated explanation.
Advanced extension: compare the practice document with a real current local source.

Criterion	Beginning	Developing	Strong	Advanced
Accuracy & scope	Repeats claim.	Mostly accurate; scope incomplete.	Accurate and properly scoped.	Accurate, scoped, and explicit about uncertainty.
Evidence	Little or unrelated.	Relevant source, sometimes overstated.	Explains what sources establish.	Compares sources and limits.
Authority	Names actor without role.	Plausible authority.	Explains who decides and why.	Maps proposal, approval, implementation, review.
Communication	Vague or audience-mismatched.	Main point understandable.	Clear, specific, audience-aware.	Clear, accessible, precise, well-qualified.