I would assume $250K and other figures relate to AGI (adjusted gross income). That's how taxes are usually based. As to how to calculate AGI from nominal salary, there's a reason there are 1.7 million accountants in the US :) US tax code is one messed up piece of spaghetti code.
For the $250K figure, you would be wrong. When that number was being cited, the top tax bracket started at something north of $350K ($366something, IIRC, but I may not) which wound up being $250k after taxes. This is, of course, precisely what is bugging me.
