Because you had the right to receive it in December it is taxable then even though you might not pick it up until January.

FORBES: Should You Grab Pay In 2012 Or Defer 'Til 2013?

If Mr Hatzius is right, then jobs have been slow to pick up largely because this has been, at least until now, an exceptionally weak economic recovery.

ECONOMIST: Are official statistics exaggerating America's growth?