Are you taking home the correct amount of money each week in your paycheck? Are you verifying the totals, deductions, and calculations on your paycheck to ensure you're actually making - and receiving - what you should? Have you correctly calculated your dependents on your W2?

Many people receive a weekly paycheck and never look at the deductions or calculate whether they're correct or not. Many people claim the wrong number of dependents on their W2 or neglect claiming expenses they could write off on their taxes each year.

Safeguard yourself against these problems by ensuring every paycheck you receive is correct, claiming only the deductions you need on your W2, and getting all the allowances you can when you file taxes each year.

Don't use your tax return as a savings account – without interest! Instead, get more money during the year in your paycheck and put it into your own interest yielding savings account. Don't let Uncle Sam hang onto your hard earned money all year; he won't be paying a drop of interest to you.

Do some research on the number of deductions you can claim on your W2. Use the worksheet on the back to calculate how many dependents you have and claim the suggested number. This will give you a smaller tax return, but you can start a savings account with the money you are now bringing home each week that you were previously giving to Uncle Sam. Don't let your money work for the government all year. Let it work for you!

Take the time every payday to calculate the totals yourself. Look at the number of hours you worked, the hourly rate, overtime rate, insurance, other deductions, taxes, and anything else that affects your pay.

Verify the totals and be sure they're correct. If there is a problem, talk to the Human Resources or Payroll department to get it straightened out. Never assume that it's right. Doing so can cost you a lot of money over time.

In addition, be sure you (if you do your own taxes), or your accountant (if you pay someone to do them for you), search for and claim every single deduction you can. Interest paid, donations, expenses for a rental home you own, moving expenses for certain professionals, and more, can be legally written off your taxes and reduce the amount of tax you owe. Explore every option open to you.

If you own a small business, in or out of the home, check on the deductions you can claim for that as well. These might include a portion of your house payment, utilities, phone, cell phone, car expenses, mileage, office supplies, and much more. Do your research, or pay a tax professional, and get your tax burden reduced as much as you possibly can.

Be sure that you're getting every dime you earn, and that you're keeping every penny you can. You're the one who is working long, hard hours for your paycheck. Do your best to ensure it's reaching your pocketbook.