Those gas prices and the payroll tax hike are really hitting a lot of people hard.

If you've gotten a paycheck this year, you may have noticed a difference, and you aren't happy about it.

Starting January 1, social security taxes went up to 6.2-percent. That's up from 4.2-percent for the last three years.

That's billions aimed at propping up the ailing social security system.

CPA Steven Wendroff handles payroll checks for about a hundred companies and has received dozens of angry calls.

Shocked and upset, especially people who are payday to payday, Wendroff says, And are counting on a certain amount of take home pay. And all of a sudden it's less than they anticipated.

Amid the negotiations about income taxes and the fiscal cliff, Wendroff says the government didn't renew the two-percent payroll tax cut that's been in place for the past three years.

Some don't mind the money going towards social security.

For some, that two-percent really hurts.

You may be able to boost the amount that you get every month by changing your income tax withholding with your employer. But it could mean that you'll owe taxes at the end of the year.

Wendroff recommends talking to a tax professional for advice.

Read or Share this story: