A pay stub is a pay record
A pay stub records one period of wages an employer actually paid: gross pay, taxes withheld, other deductions, net pay, and the year-to-date total. It belongs in the employer's payroll file and in the worker's own copy of that file.
It is not a document to create so someone can claim income they did not earn.
What the employer should keep
For each pay period, keep the pay date, the period start and end, hours or salary, overtime if any, the filing status used for withholding, and each tax amount. The year-to-date column has to rise by exactly the amounts on that stub.
Independent contractors who pay themselves a W-2 wage through their own company use the same kind of record. A 1099 is a different form. This generator makes a W-2 earnings statement only.
How to read the lines
Gross pay is before withholding. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and state income tax come out next. Net pay is what remains. Social Security stops after the annual wage base. Medicare does not.
On this site the federal and FICA lines are 2026 estimates. State rates are 2024 tables that were not re-checked against each state revenue department.
Formatting a record you already have
An employer who already ran payroll and needs a clean copy can create a free pay stub from those figures. Free: 3 PDFs every 24 hours. Do not change the wages to make the year look larger.
Do not misrepresent income
Do not use this PDF to misrepresent income for housing, credit, or any other application. If a third party asks for proof of pay, give them the stub the employer or payroll provider already issued, or ask that provider for a copy.