Paystub creator · Since 2017
Online Pay Stub Generator
Create your paystub in 2 minutes.
We calculate the taxes, and you download a ready-to-print PDF.
How to make pay stubs and check stubs in 3 steps
Here's how to make a pay stub with our online paystub creator. You fill in one short form with the pay details, and most people finish in about 2 minutes. It builds the whole stub and calculates the taxes for you.
1. Enter the details
Add the business name, address and EIN, plus your logo if you have one. Then add the worker's name, choose Employee or Contractor, and set the pay type, schedule and pay dates. For employees, add their Form W-4 details.
2. Check the preview
The pay stub generator calculates gross pay, federal and state income tax, Social Security, Medicare and your deductions. Check every line and fix anything that's wrong. Your final PDF shows every amount in full, with no watermark.
Downloaded 3. Download your PDF
Your pay stub is ready to print, save, or email to an employer, bank or landlord. Need stubs for several pay dates? Add them to the same order. Lost the file later? You can resend your order.
Choose your pay stub template
Pick the layout that suits your business: horizontal or vertical, in blue or black. Every template can carry your company logo.
Whichever you pick, each stub shows the same details: company and employee information, earnings, taxes, deductions, net pay and year-to-date totals. Switch templates on the preview at any time before you download.
Who uses our paystub creator
Different work needs a different pay record. These are the people who create pay stubs with us most often.
Employers and small businesses
Run payroll for a small team with a pay stub generator instead of payroll software. Make paystubs for several employees in one session, each with their own federal and state tax worked out. Add overtime, bonuses, commissions and deductions, and every stub shows year-to-date totals your staff can check.
Household employers
Paying a nanny, caregiver or housekeeper can make you a household employer, with Social Security and Medicare tax to handle (IRS Publication 926). A paycheck stub each payday gives you both a clear record of hours, pay and taxes.
Self-employed and freelancers
When you pay yourself, our paystub generator gives you a clear record of what you earned and when. You act as both the business and the worker on the stub, and you can pick any pay schedule, from weekly to monthly. Here are 6 ways to prove self-employed income.
Contractors and 1099 workers
Paid on a 1099? Record your contract or project income on a clean stub: the pay stub maker has a contractor format. Tax usually isn't withheld from contractor pay, and the stub shows that clearly. See what a 1099 pay stub looks like.
Bookkeepers and HR teams
Use one paycheck stub generator for several businesses or teams. Pick a template for each company, add its logo, and keep every stub as a PDF with your payroll records.
Federal and state taxes, calculated by our check stub generator
Every pay stub shows each tax on its own line, calculated from the pay details you enter.
- Federal income tax, using the IRS withholding methods in Publication 15-T and the employee's Form W-4, including the newer W-4 steps for multiple jobs, dependents and other income.
- State income tax for all 50 states and DC, plus city and county taxes where they apply, and state programs such as California SDI.
- Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%, with the extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on high wages (IRS Topic 751). Social Security stops at the yearly wage base set by the Social Security Administration.
- Year-to-date totals for pay, taxes and deductions, carried on from the pay dates earlier in the year.
- Exemptions: mark a worker as exempt from a tax, such as federal income tax, when their situation calls for it.
For example, on gross pay of 2,000.00, the paystub generator shows Social Security of 124.00 (6.2%) and Medicare of 29.00 (1.45%). Those two lines work the same way in every state.
We update our tax calculations whenever the IRS or a state changes its tax rates or withholding rules, not just once a year. So your stubs always use the current rules.
Why choose our check stub maker
Here's what you get when you make pay stubs and check stubs with PayStubCreator.
Taxes worked out for you
Our paycheck generator calculates federal, state and local taxes, Social Security and Medicare from the details you enter, for all 50 states and DC. When federal or state tax rules change, we update the calculator.
Preview before you download
Preview the stub before you download it. Check the names, dates, gross pay and net pay, and fix anything that's off.
No account, no software
There's nothing to install and no account to set up. The pay stub creator works online in any browser, on a computer or a phone.
Real people, 24/7
Our support team answers by chat, phone and email, day and night. If a stub needs fixing, we'll help you fix it.
Any pay schedule
Pay daily, weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, monthly, quarterly, twice a year or once a year. The pay dates and year-to-date totals follow the schedule you pick.
Your logo, your layout
Choose from 10 pay stub templates and add your company logo, so every stub from our paycheck stub creator looks like it came from your business.
30-day money-back guarantee
Ask for a refund within 30 days of your order. Our refund policy explains when it applies.
Secure by design
Your connection to our site is encrypted with SSL. Social Security numbers are optional.
The questions people ask most about pay stubs, answered in plain English.
What is a pay stub?
It's the record that comes with each paycheck. You may also hear it called a check stub, a paycheck stub, a pay slip or an earnings statement. It shows what was earned in the pay period (gross pay), what was taken out for taxes and deductions, and what was actually paid (net pay), with running totals for the year.
Employers usually hand out pay stubs on payday: on paper with a paper check, or online when pay goes by direct deposit. Workers use them to check their pay and taxes, and banks, landlords and lenders often ask for recent paystubs to confirm income. Self-employed people and contractors don't get one from an employer, so many create their own with a paystub maker. Read more about pay stubs.
How to read a pay stub
What does a pay stub look like? Most follow the same order, from top to bottom, so once you can read one, you can read almost any of them:
- Who and when: employer and employee names and addresses, the last four digits of the employee's Social Security number or an employee ID, the pay period and the pay date.
- Earnings: hours and rate, or salary, plus overtime, bonuses or commissions. Together they make gross pay.
- Taxes: federal and state income tax, Social Security and Medicare, each on its own line.
- Deductions: health insurance, retirement savings and similar items.
- Net pay: what's left after taxes and deductions. It's the amount actually paid.
- Current and YTD: "Current" is this pay period. "YTD" (year to date) adds up every pay period since January 1.
Pre-tax deductions work differently. Traditional 401(k) contributions aren't subject to federal income tax withholding, but Social Security and Medicare still apply to them (IRS Topic 424). Health insurance paid pre-tax through a cafeteria plan is usually exempt from federal income tax withholding and from Social Security and Medicare (IRS Publication 15-B).
The short codes can be hard to read. Our guide to pay stub abbreviations explains them, and this one covers year-to-date earnings.
Can a pay stub be used as proof of income?
Yes. Landlords, car dealers and lenders often ask for recent pay stubs because they show steady income over time. The year-to-date figures also show what you've earned so far this year. Many compare the stubs with bank statements or tax returns, or call the employer, so every figure has to match what was really paid.
If you're self-employed, pay stubs carry more weight alongside the records that back them up, such as bank statements, 1099s and tax returns. How many stubs you need depends on who's asking. See how many pay stubs you need for an apartment or for a car loan, and use the checklist below before you send them.
Do employers have to provide pay stubs?
Not under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act makes employers keep accurate records of hours worked and wages paid, but it does not require them to hand out pay stubs (U.S. Department of Labor).
Some states do. California, for example, requires an itemized statement with each payment of wages. It must show gross and net wages, total hours worked, deductions, the dates of the pay period, the employer's name and address, and only the last four digits of the employee's Social Security number or an employee ID (California Labor Code section 226). Other states set their own rules on what the statement shows and whether it can be electronic.
Whatever your state's rule, a paycheck stub generator lets a small employer give a clear statement every payday.
Check your paystub before you download
A pay stub is only useful if every figure is right. Run through this list on the preview, then again on your PDF:
- Names and addresses: the business and the worker are spelled right, with current addresses.
- Dates: the pay period and pay date match your payroll calendar. The pay date usually falls on or after the last day of the period.
- Pay: hours times the rate, or the salary for the period, adds up to the gross pay shown.
- Tax details: the state, filing status and W-4 details match the worker's situation and the form they gave you.
- Year-to-date totals: the number of earlier pay dates and the wages paid so far this year are right, so the YTD column carries on from the last stub.
- Deductions: health insurance, retirement and any other deductions show the right amounts.
- Net pay: it matches what was actually paid, by check or direct deposit.
- Privacy: only the last four digits of a Social Security number appear on the stub.
- Records: save the PDF with your payroll records. Federal wage rules say to keep payroll records for at least three years (29 CFR 516.5). For employment tax records, the IRS says at least four years after you file your fourth-quarter return for the year.
Spot a mistake? Fix it in the paystub generator before you download. Our support team can help 24/7.
Real check stubs, not fake pay stubs
PayStubCreator is a check stub creator for real pay. It calculates the taxes on the numbers you enter and lays them out clearly. A real check stub maker does not invent income. Fake paystubs with made-up figures are a different thing: using one to rent a home or get a loan is fraud. Landlords and lenders often check income with the employer, bank statements or tax records, so false figures tend to come out.
Real pay stubs have:
- Figures that match the bank deposits
- Taxes worked out on the real pay
- Year-to-date totals that add up from one stub to the next
Enter accurate details, run the checklist above, and your check stub will hold up when someone checks it.
Also make W-2s, 1099s and other tax forms
Year-end paperwork uses the same pay details as your pay stubs, so it helps to keep them in one place.
W-2 form
The yearly wage and tax statement for each employee.
Open →1099-NEC
Report what you paid independent contractors.
Open →All tax forms
W-9, W-4, 940, 941, 1040 and more.
Open →You can also make your pay stub with our AI paystub generator.
About PayStubCreator
PayStubCreator has made pay stubs online since 2017. We built our pay stub maker for small employers, household employers, freelancers and contractors who need an accurate pay record without running full payroll software.
Payroll software is built for companies that run payroll every week. Many people only need an accurate stub now and then, and that's who our paystub creator is for.
Our paystub generator follows the IRS withholding methods and each state's rules, and we keep its tax tables current. Our pay stub guides are written by Phil Baker, Kevin Morgan and Rachel Simmons.
Our support team is here 24/7 by chat, phone and email. More about us →
Paystub generator FAQ
How long does it take to make a pay stub?
About 2 minutes to create a paystub. You fill in one form, check the preview and download the PDF. Stubs for several pay dates or employees take a little longer.
Can I make pay stubs for 1099 contractors?
Yes. Choose Contractor where the form asks for the worker's status. Contractor stubs show the payments without tax withholding, because contractors usually handle their own taxes.
Which states do you cover?
We cover all 50 states and Washington, DC, including city and county taxes where they apply.
How accurate is the paystub maker?
It uses the IRS withholding methods in Publication 15-T, each state's rules and the current tax tables, which we update whenever the IRS or a state changes them. You check your details, gross pay and net pay on the preview before you download.
Can I fix a mistake before I download?
Yes. Change any detail and preview again as many times as you need before you download.
What format is the pay stub?
A PDF you can print, save or email. The watermark you see on the preview isn't on your final file.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account to set up and no email confirmation step. You only need an email address.
Can I add my company logo?
Yes. Upload your logo and it appears on the stub.
What information do I need to make a pay stub?
The employer's name and address, and the EIN if you have it; the worker's name and, if you want them shown, their address and the last four digits of their Social Security number; the pay period and pay date; the pay rate and hours, or the salary; and any deductions, such as health insurance or retirement savings. For employees, have their Form W-4 details to hand for federal withholding.
Can the check stub generator handle overtime, bonuses and tips?
Yes. Add overtime hours, bonuses, commissions and tips, and each shows as its own earnings line, with taxes calculated on the total.
What's the difference between a pay stub and a W-2?
A pay stub covers one pay period and comes with each paycheck. A W-2 is the yearly wage and tax summary. The employer files it with the Social Security Administration and gives a copy to each employee. For 2026 wages, employers must send it to employees by February 1, 2027. Mailing it by that date counts (IRS). You can make both here: pay stubs with the paystub generator and year-end forms with the W-2 form creator.
Can I make check stubs for several employees?
Yes. The check stub maker handles several employees in one session, each with their own tax figures.
Can the stub show direct deposit details?
Yes. Add the bank name, account number and routing number, and they appear on a direct deposit slip with the stub. All three are optional.
Can I make a pay stub for cash wages?
Yes. A pay stub records the pay, however it was paid: by check, direct deposit or cash.
Is my information safe?
Yes. The site is encrypted with SSL. We only ask for the last four digits of a worker's Social Security number, and we store them securely and never share them with third parties.
How do I create a check stub?
Choose Generate Your Paystub, enter the company, worker and pay details, check the preview and download the PDF. The check stub generator works out the taxes as you go.
Is it legal to make my own pay stubs?
Yes, when every figure is true. Employers, household employers and self-employed people make pay stubs with software all the time. Fake pay stubs with made-up figures are another matter: using one to get a loan or a lease can be fraud.
Can I make a pay stub if I'm self-employed?
Yes. Enter your business as the employer and yourself as the worker, then pick your pay schedule. Keep your stubs with your bank statements and tax returns: together they give a full record of your income.
Can I use the paycheck stub maker on my phone?
Yes. You can make paystubs online in any phone browser, with every feature of the desktop site. Our mobile app is coming soon.
What's the difference between a paystub generator and payroll software?
Payroll software runs your whole payroll, from paying people to filing payroll taxes. A paystub generator, also called a paycheck maker, does one job well: it makes accurate pay stubs whenever you need one.
I lost my pay stub. Can I get it again?
Yes. Use Resend your order and we'll send it again.
What if something is wrong with my pay stub?
Contact our support team and we'll help you fix it. You can also ask for a refund within 30 days of your order. Our refund policy explains when it applies.
Create your pay stub now
Fill in the paystub generator's short form, check the preview and download your PDF in about 2 minutes.
Generate Your PaystubQuestions? Our team answers 24/7 by chat, phone or email.
The PayStubCreator appComing soon
Soon you'll be able to make pay stubs in our mobile app. Until then, the online paystub generator works in any phone browser, with every feature of the desktop site.
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