Side by side
| ThePayStubs | PayDocs | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per pay stub | Not shown as text on its home page, FAQ or stub form | $4.99 per pay stub, or packs of 4 ($14.99) and 12 ($35.99); pack credits never expire. Checkout opens soon: you can make and preview documents now |
| Free to try | Preview on the form before you pay | Unlimited free preview of the finished pay stub (watermarked), no account or card. No free PDF |
| Add-on fees | Not stated | None: every field, line and layout is included in the price |
| Layouts | 10 stub templates on its form | 6 layouts for US pay stubs |
| Other forms | W-2, 1099 (MISC, NEC, G, R, INT, DIV, OID, C), W-4, W-9, 940, 941, 944, 1040 and others | Form W-2 (employee copies), Form 1099-NEC (recipient copies) and Form 1099-MISC (recipient copies), each priced like one pay stub |
| Tax calculation | Its FAQ says the standard deductions for your state are calculated automatically; the tax year isn't stated | Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare for 2026 pay dates, plus state income tax in 40 states. You enter local taxes. Every line stays editable |
| Account | No accounts or subscriptions; one-time payments | Not needed to create or preview. A free account saves drafts, employees and documents |
| Corrections | Free after ordering, except changing the employer's or employee's name entirely | Free for 30 days for the same employer, employee and pay period, done yourself in the workspace |
| Refunds | Request within 30 days if not satisfied; not for disliking the stub, no longer needing it, or uncertainty about the calculations | Within 30 days if the document fails because of us, you were charged twice, or a pack is unused (less one document) |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, support tickets and phone | Email (support@paydocs.co), answered by a person |
| Who it's for | Its FAQ says its stubs can serve as proof of income for loans, rentals and employment verification | Employers, household employers and owners on payroll, recording pay they made. Not proof of income, and PayDocs verifies nothing |
Checked October 8, 2026. From thepaystubs.com (home page, /faq, /create-stub and /refund-policy). The stub form's search-engine markup lists offers from $3.84 to $8.99, but no price is shown as text and we didn't place an order, so we can't say what a stub costs. "Not stated" means the pages we read didn't say, not that the feature is missing. The PayDocs column is read from PayDocs' live prices and settings when this page is built.
What ThePayStubs charges
We couldn't find a price per stub written on ThePayStubs' home page, FAQ or stub form on 8 October 2026. The form shows an order summary that is filled in as you enter details, and its /pricing address returned a "not found" page. To know the cost, you fill in the form and look at the total before paying.
PayDocs shows its price before you start: $4.99 per pay stub once checkout opens, with packs of 4 and 12 that bring the price per stub down and credits that never expire. A W-2 or 1099 copy is priced like one stub.
Where ThePayStubs is better
- Far more forms. Its menu lists W-2s, eight kinds of 1099, W-4, W-9, Forms 940, 941 and 944, and several 1040 schedules. PayDocs makes pay stubs, W-2s, 1099-NECs and 1099-MISCs for the US.
- Support by phone and 24/7 live chat. PayDocs answers by email only.
- More templates: 10 on its stub form, against six PayDocs layouts.
- A 30-day window to ask for a refund if you're not satisfied, within the exclusions its FAQ lists.
- You can buy a stub today. On the day we checked, the PayDocs checkout wasn't open yet.
Where PayDocs is better
- A published price. You know what the PDF costs before you type a single figure.
- A preview you can keep reworking. The PayDocs preview is the finished document with a watermark, in any of six layouts, as many times as you like.
- A saved history. ThePayStubs has no accounts; a free PayDocs workspace keeps your employer, employees and past documents for the next payday.
- UK payslips and P60s as well as US documents, for anyone who pays people in both countries.
- Built for the employer's side. PayDocs documents record pay you made to people you pay. They aren't sold as proof of income, and PayDocs doesn't verify anyone's earnings.
On tax: PayDocs works out federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and supported state taxes for 2026 pay dates (see what we calculate). Each calculated line says which rule set produced it, and every line stays editable.
Which one should you choose?
Choose ThePayStubs if you need one of the IRS forms PayDocs doesn't make, such as a 941 or a W-9, or if you want to talk to someone by phone or chat while you fill in the form.
Choose PayDocs if you pay the same people every week or month and want the price up front, a saved workspace and free corrections for 30 days. It suits small employers and household employers keeping a record of pay they made.
A pay stub records pay that happened. Whichever tool you use, enter figures from your real payroll record; a stub made up to show income that wasn't paid can be fraud.
Questions
How much does ThePayStubs charge per stub?
We couldn't find out from its site. On 8 October 2026 no price was shown as text on its home page, FAQ or stub form; the total appears as you fill in the form. PayDocs charges $4.99 per stub once checkout opens.
Does ThePayStubs need an account?
No. Its FAQ says it offers no accounts or subscriptions and takes one-time payments. PayDocs needs no account to create or preview; a free account saves drafts, employees and documents for later pay periods.
Which makes more tax forms?
ThePayStubs. Its menu lists W-2s, 1099s of eight kinds, W-4, W-9, Forms 940, 941, 944 and 1040 schedules. PayDocs makes W-2, 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC copies for the US and P60s for the UK.
Can ThePayStubs stubs be used as proof of income?
Its FAQ says they can serve as proof of income. PayDocs takes a different line: its documents record pay an employer made, they aren't proof of income, and nobody at PayDocs verifies the figures. Lenders and landlords decide what they accept.
Do both offer free corrections?
Yes. ThePayStubs' FAQ says mistakes found after ordering are corrected at no extra cost, apart from changing a name entirely. PayDocs corrections for the same employer, employee and pay period are free for 30 days.
Other comparisons
Sources
- ThePayStubs: Home page (read October 8, 2026)
- ThePayStubs: FAQ (read October 8, 2026)
- ThePayStubs: Create a stub (form) (read October 8, 2026)
- ThePayStubs: Refund policy (read October 8, 2026)
- PayDocs: Pricing (read October 8, 2026)
- PayDocs: Refund policy (read October 8, 2026)
ThePayStubs facts come from its own public pages on the date shown; prices and features change, so check its site before you buy. We haven’t bought from ThePayStubs, and this page rates no one. Product names identify the services compared; PayDocs isn’t affiliated with ThePayStubs. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.