Pay stubs, explained
What each line on a pay stub means, how the numbers fit together, and how to make one from your payroll record.
What is a pay stub?
A pay stub shows earnings, deductions and net pay for one pay period. What’s on one, and whether US employers must give one.
Read the guideGross pay vs net pay
Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out; net pay is what you receive. How to get from one to the other, with a worked example.
Read the guideHow to make a pay stub
How to make a pay stub from your payroll record: the information to gather, the order to put it in, and the checks to make before you hand it over.
Read the guideHow to read a pay stub
How to read a pay stub from top to bottom: where to find gross pay, what each deduction is, how net pay is reached and what the year-to-date column means.
Read the guideWhat is an earnings statement?
An earnings statement is another name for a pay stub: pay, taxes and deductions for one period. What it shows, and how it differs from a W-2.
Read the guidePay stub abbreviations explained
What the abbreviations on a pay stub mean: YTD, FIT, FITW, SIT, SS, OASDI, MED, FICA, SDI, GTL and more, in one table.
Read the guideWhat is OASDI on a pay stub?
OASDI on a pay stub is the Social Security tax withheld from your pay. What the letters mean, and how it relates to FICA and Medicare.
Read the guideWhat is FITW on a pay stub?
FITW means federal income tax withheld. How it’s worked out from your Form W-4, why it changes between paychecks, and how to change it.
Read the guideWhat is GTL on a pay stub?
GTL on a pay stub is the taxable value of group-term life insurance above $50,000 of cover. Why it’s added to your wages but not paid to you.
Read the guideWhat does YTD mean on a pay stub?
YTD on a pay stub means year to date: the running total since January 1 for each earning, tax and deduction. How to read and check it.
Read the guidePay stub deductions explained
Pay stub deductions fall into three groups: taxes, pre-tax and after-tax deductions. What each one is, and how it affects take-home pay.
Read the guideWhat is FICA tax?
FICA is social security and Medicare tax. The 2026 rates, the $184,500 wage base, the Additional Medicare Tax and what employers pay, with examples.
Read the guideHow to calculate payroll taxes
How employers calculate federal payroll taxes in 2026: income tax withholding, FICA, the employer share and FUTA, with a worked paycheck example.
Read the guideHow to do payroll for a small business
A step-by-step federal payroll checklist for small businesses: EIN, W-4 and I-9, pay schedule, withholding, deposits, Forms 941 and 940, and pay stubs.
Read the guideMedicare tax on a paycheck
How much Medicare tax comes out of a paycheck in 2026: 1.45% on all wages, the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax over $200,000, and the employer match.
Read the guidePre-tax deductions on a pay stub
Which pre-tax deductions lower which taxes: 401(k) versus cafeteria-plan (section 125) benefits and HSAs, with a worked 2026 paycheck.
Read the guide
Ready to make one? Open the pay stub generator.