Pay stub & payroll guides
How paychecks are calculated, what belongs on a stub, and how employers keep a record of wages actually paid.
employment
Employee and Contractor Pay Records
Learn why accurate employee contractor pay records are vital for legal compliance and financial health. Discover how to manage payroll and protect your business.
6 min read
employment
Consecutive Pay Periods for Employer Files
Understanding Consecutive Pay Periods in Employer Filing and Record Keeping For small businesses, employers, and independent contractors, maintaining accurate and
5 min read
employment
How Employers Keep Pay Records
Learn what details must be included in employer pay records. Understand legal requirements and best practices to ensure payroll compliance and avoid penalties.
5 min read
employment
Employee and Contractor Pay Records
What belongs in an employee or contractor pay record. A generated PDF records wages paid. Do not use it to misrepresent income.
6 min read
taxes
Why Bonus Withholding Looks Higher
Supplemental wages are often withheld at a flat rate. Why the bonus line can look steeper than regular pay. This site's form does not use that flat rate.
5 min read
taxes
Single vs Married Withholding
How filing status changes federal withholding. This generator offers single and married filing jointly.
6 min read
payroll
How to Spot a Paycheck Math Error
Hours times rate, tax lines, and year-to-date totals. A checklist for the stub you already received.
6 min read
payroll
Direct Deposit vs a Paper Check on a Stub
What changes on the earnings statement when pay is deposited instead of handed over as a check.
7 min read
small business
Payroll Records Employers Must Keep
The payroll records a small employer hangs onto, and how a pay stub fits that file.
6 min read
taxes
Who Pays the Extra 0.9% Medicare Tax
The additional Medicare tax on wages over the threshold, and how it differs from the base 1.45%.
7 min read
small business
Pay Stubs for a Small Employer's Real Payroll
What a small employer records when wages were actually paid. Up to 3 free PDFs every 24 hours on this site.
6 min read
small business
Do Small Employers Have to Provide Pay Stubs?
Federal record-keeping versus state rules on giving employees a stub. Check the state before you rely on it.
6 min read
pay stub
Pay Period vs Pay Date
The days you worked and the day you were paid are different lines. Why both belong on the stub.
7 min read
payroll
Salary vs Hourly on a Pay Stub
How a salary amount and an hourly rate plus hours each appear on an earnings statement.
6 min read
taxes
Check the Withholding on Your Stub
Compare gross, filing status, and the tax lines on the stub your employer already issued.
6 min read
pay stub
What the YTD Column Means
Year-to-date totals are the running sum for the calendar year. How to read them on your own stub.
6 min read
taxes
What Is FICA on a Pay Stub?
Social Security and Medicare, the rates employees see, and the extra Medicare rate above the threshold.
6 min read
payroll
Gross Pay vs Net Pay
Gross is before withholding. Net is what remains. A short definition with the taxes in between.
6 min read
payroll
How Overtime Shows on a Pay Stub
Regular hours, overtime at 1.5×, and why the year-to-date column has to include overtime.
6 min read
taxes
States With No Wage Income Tax
What no state wage tax does, and does not, change on a paycheck. Federal tax and FICA still apply.
6 min read
taxes
Why You Do Not Pay Your Top Rate on Every Dollar
How a progressive federal bracket actually works on a paycheck. Educational. Not a filing guide.
7 min read
payroll
Why Take-Home Pay Rises Late in the Year
Social Security withholding can stop after the annual wage base. How that shows up on a stub, using the tax year printed on the page.
6 min read
payroll
Bi-Weekly vs Semi-Monthly Pay
Why 26 paychecks a year and 24 paychecks a year produce different amounts. This generator currently emits weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
6 min read
employment
Consecutive Pay Periods for Employer Files
How consecutive pay periods belong in an employer file, with year-to-date totals that match wages actually paid.
6 min read
employment
How Employers Keep Pay Records
A pay stub is a record of wages actually paid. Keep it in the employer file. Do not create one to misrepresent income.
6 min read
pay stub
How to Replace a Lost Pay Stub
Ask your employer or payroll provider first. A generator can format numbers you already know. It cannot verify income.
7 min read
pay stub
What a Pay Stub Looks Like, Line by Line
A line-by-line look at gross pay, taxes, deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals on a standard earnings statement.
6 min read
pay stub
Make a Pay Stub PDF in Minutes
How the free generator works: edit the example, check the withholding, download a PDF. Up to 3 free PDFs every 24 hours.
6 min read
pay stub
What Must Be on a Pay Stub?
Earnings, taxes, deductions, and year-to-date totals that belong on a W-2 pay stub, plus why the figures have to match the wages paid.
6 min read
payroll
Calculate Take-Home Pay From Gross Wages
Step through federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state tax from a gross wage. An estimate, not payroll advice.
7 min read