I think we all know that we can adjust our W-4s anytime we really need to with our payroll depts. But has anyone ever thought about adjusting the 401k type deductions at the time of bonuses and such? I haven't. But, it's occurred to me now that when you know you'll be getting a bonus check, that's the perfect time to play with your deduction amount so that most, if not all, of the gross earned will be tax-deferred into a retirement account. And, then of course, adjust your deduction back to the level it normally is right after the bonus check is cut. So for example, if you'll be getting a $2000 bonus at Christmas time, go in and take out whatever amount you can as a pre-tax deduction into your 401k, 403b, 457 plan and you'll be able to save so much in taxes and so forth. In our system, we have folks retiring that get a final paycheck "payout" consisting of leave balances that total up in the thousands - what a great way to tax shelter those dollars! We had financial advisors in here yesterday explaining how all this works throughout our system and how people really have benefited from it... I just never thought about it this way before -