Pay Stub Generator
Professional Paycheck Stubs

A standard pay stub should include: employee name and ID, employer name and address, pay period dates, pay date, gross earnings (before deductions), itemized deductions (federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, health insurance, 401k), net pay (take-home amount), and year-to-date (YTD) totals for all items. Some states legally require employers to provide pay stubs with each paycheck.

Gross pay is your total earnings before any deductions — for salaried employees this is your annual salary divided by the number of pay periods. Net pay (also called "take-home pay") is what you actually receive after all taxes and deductions are subtracted. The difference includes mandatory deductions like federal and state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, plus voluntary deductions like 401(k) and health insurance.

YTD stands for "Year-to-Date." On a pay stub, YTD columns show cumulative totals from January 1st (or your hire date) through the current pay period. For example, if you're paid monthly and it's June, your YTD gross will be roughly 6× your monthly gross. YTD figures are useful for tracking total income and deductions for tax purposes throughout the year.

In the US, pay stub laws vary by state. Most states require employers to provide some form of pay statement, but the format and required information differ. States like California, New York, and Texas require detailed written pay stubs. Some states allow electronic pay stubs. A few states (like South Dakota and Florida) have no specific requirements. In the UK, all employees have a legal right to an itemized payslip under the Employment Rights Act 1996.