If I'd been able to pay attention to what the government was doing all year, I might not be so confused now about the tax law changes going into effect. But I was a little put off by what was going on in Washington and Sacramento, so I tuned them out. They probably weren't spending their time elucidating anything I needed to know anyway.

To get ready for the next payroll I have to write, which will be next week, which will be in the new year under the new laws, I did some Internet searching today. Little did I know that the social security deduction will be lower, while the state disability deduction will go up. Those are easy changes to make in my program, and the net effect on my own personal weekly take is good, I think.

But what about income tax withholding? The state of California has already published a new book with the new rules, but the IRS hasn't mailed me anything and the only information they have posted on line is vague and incomplete and contradictory. All I know is that I'll have to withhold a different amount than I did in 2010. More? Less? So far, I can't tell.

This is the kind of thing that gives me headaches. It also gives me backaches, because I was at the computer all day long. Some of that time was spent looking for information that wasn't there, but a lot of it was spent taking information that was there and entering it, line by line, into my handmade payroll program. The thought of starting over with real payroll software occurred to me, but then where would I be? Anyone could use it, and I'd be even more redundant than I already am.