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Only last 4 digits shown on stub
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Legal reminder: Pay stubs must reflect accurate, truthful information. This tool is for legitimate payroll record-keeping only. Using false income information to deceive a lender, landlord, or government agency is fraud.
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What's on a Pay Stub?
Gross Pay — Total earnings before deductions.
Federal Tax — Withheld based on W-4 and tax brackets.
Social Security — 6.2% of gross wages up to $176,100.
A pay stub (also called a pay slip or earnings statement) is a document your employer provides with each paycheck that details how your gross pay was calculated and what was deducted. Understanding every line helps you verify your paycheck is correct, catch errors before they compound, and have accurate records for taxes, loan applications, and financial planning.
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Gross Pay
Your total earnings before any taxes or deductions. For salaried employees this is your annual salary divided by your number of pay periods. For hourly workers it's your hourly rate multiplied by hours worked, plus any overtime (at 1.5× your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek under federal law).
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Year-to-Date (YTD)
YTD figures show the running total of your earnings and deductions since January 1st of the current year. Your YTD gross pay should match Box 1 of your W-2 at year end (adjusted for pre-tax deductions). YTD figures are critical for verifying Social Security withholding stops at the wage base ($176,100 in 2025).
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Net Pay
Net pay is your take-home pay — what's actually deposited in your bank account or written on your check. It equals gross pay minus all taxes (federal, state, local) and all deductions (health insurance, 401k, etc.). The difference between gross and net is often called the "paycheck gap."
Required Deductions on Every Pay Stub
Regardless of where you work or what you earn, these deductions appear on virtually every US pay stub:
Deduction
Rate (2025)
Notes
Federal Income Tax
10%–37%
Based on brackets; W-4 determines withholding
Social Security
6.2%
On wages up to $176,100; stops at wage base
Medicare
1.45%
No wage cap; +0.9% over $200,000
State Income Tax
0%–13.3%
9 states have no income tax on wages
Who Needs a Pay Stub?
Pay stubs serve several important purposes beyond just tracking your paycheck:
Loan and mortgage applications — Lenders typically require 2–3 recent pay stubs to verify income and employment status
Rental applications — Landlords often require proof of income showing earnings of 2–3× the monthly rent
Tax filing — Pay stubs help verify W-2 accuracy and support Schedule A deductions if you itemize
Unemployment claims — Pay stubs document wages and separation dates for state unemployment offices
Child support and legal proceedings — Courts frequently require recent pay stubs to calculate support obligations
Self-employed and freelancers — Independent contractors and gig workers use pay stubs to document income from clients
Small business payroll — Employers use pay stubs for recordkeeping, IRS compliance, and employee transparency
State Pay Stub Requirements
While federal law doesn't require employers to provide pay stubs, most states do. State laws vary widely: some require written stubs with each paycheck, some allow electronic stubs, and a few states have no pay stub requirement at all. California, New York, and Texas all have specific requirements about what information must appear. If your employer fails to provide pay stubs where required, you can file a complaint with your state's Department of Labor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a pay stub and a W-2? +
A pay stub is issued with each individual paycheck and shows your earnings and deductions for that pay period plus YTD totals. A W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) is an annual document your employer provides by January 31st summarizing your total annual wages and withheld taxes for the entire calendar year. Your last pay stub of the year's YTD totals should closely match your W-2 — any significant discrepancy may indicate an error worth investigating with your payroll department.
Can I use a generated pay stub for a loan application? +
Only if the information on the pay stub is completely accurate and truthful. Lenders often verify income through third parties, tax transcripts from the IRS, or direct employer verification. Submitting a pay stub with false income information to a lender constitutes mortgage fraud or loan fraud — a federal crime. Our generator is intended for legitimate purposes: creating records of your actual income, documentation for self-employment, or recreating lost pay stubs using correct figures.
How long should I keep my pay stubs? +
Keep pay stubs until you receive and verify your annual W-2. Once confirmed accurate, you can shred them — but keep your W-2s for at least 3 years (the IRS standard audit period) and ideally 7 years if you claim losses or file complex returns. If you're applying for a loan or lease, have at least 2–3 months of recent stubs readily accessible. Digital records stored securely are perfectly acceptable.
What should I do if I find an error on my pay stub? +
Contact your employer's payroll department promptly with the specific discrepancy in writing. Common errors include incorrect hours, missed overtime, wrong benefit deduction amounts, or incorrect state tax withholding. Keep a copy of your original pay stub. Employers are legally required to correct pay errors — if underpaid, you're owed the shortfall regardless of when it's discovered. If your employer refuses to correct a clear wage error, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
Disclaimer: This pay stub generator creates formatted documents for legitimate informational and record-keeping purposes only. All information entered must be accurate and truthful. Creating pay stubs with false income information for the purpose of deceiving a lender, landlord, government agency, or any other party is illegal and may constitute fraud. See our Terms of Use for full details.