Pay stub generator
Type the pay, watch the stub build. Free to preview, as often as you like.
Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare are worked out for you, and state income tax for 40 states. See what we calculate
Closing this page clears unsaved changes.
- Employee
- Employee name
- Pay period
- —
- Pay date
- —
- Pay frequency
- Every two weeks
- Work state / year
- — / —
Earnings
Net pay$2,000.00
Preview free · PDF $4.99 when checkout opensRefund policy
Type the pay, watch the stub build. Free to preview, as often as you like.
Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare are worked out for you, and state income tax for 40 states. See what we calculate
Net pay$2,000.00
What’s on a pay stub or check stub
A pay stub (also written paystub, and called a check stub, pay slip or earnings statement) is the record of pay that goes with each paycheck or direct deposit. Every PayDocs pay stub has the same six parts, in the order a reader looks for them.
- Employer and employee
- The business paying, the person being paid, and an optional employee reference.
- Pay period and pay date
- The dates the pay covers and the day it was paid.
- Earnings
- Salary for the period, or hours × rate, plus any overtime, bonus or other earnings lines.
- Deductions
- Taxes withheld and other deductions such as benefits or retirement contributions, copied from your payroll record.
- Net pay
- What the person actually received: earnings minus deductions, plus any reimbursements.
- Year-to-date totals
- Running totals for the year, carried from the figures you enter.
Sample · fictional employer and employee
Alder Lane Household
Portland, OR
Earnings statement
Classic layout
| Earnings | This period | Year to date |
|---|---|---|
| Regular pay80.00 hrs × $28.00 | 2,240.00 | 40,320.00 |
| Gross pay | 2,240.00 | 40,320.00 |
| Deductions | ||
| Federal income tax | −111.61 | 2,008.98 |
| Social Security | −138.88 | 2,499.84 |
| Medicare | −32.48 | 584.64 |
| State income tax | −110.88 | 1,995.84 |
| Total deductions | −393.85 | 7,089.30 |
| Net pay | 1,846.15 | 33,230.70 |
Making your own pay stub: short answers
Can I make my own pay stub?
Yes, if you pay the person. Employers, household employers and the bookkeepers who run their payroll can make pay stubs from their own payroll records: enter the real gross pay, deductions and dates, and the stub adds them up. If you are the employee, ask your employer or payroll provider for your stub.
Is it legal to make a pay stub?
Yes, when it records wages that were really paid. The U.S. Department of Labor says the FLSA does not require pay stubs, but many states require employers to give a pay statement each payday, and a stub made from your own payroll is how a small employer does that. A stub with an invented employer or figures, used to get a loan, lease or benefit, is fraud.
Can ChatGPT make a pay stub?
It can draft a layout, but it doesn't run payroll. Withholding depends on the W-4, the pay frequency, the state and the year's running totals, and a chatbot can produce figures that look right and aren't. PayDocs works out federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and supported state tax from published rules, shows how, and keeps every amount editable.
Can AI spot a fake pay stub?
Often, yes. Lenders and landlords check stubs against bank deposits and with the employer, and automated checks look for withholding and year-to-date totals that don't add up. A stub made from real payroll passes because its figures are true. No layout makes invented figures pass, and PayDocs isn't built to.
Three steps in the generator
Who.
Your business, the person you are paying and the state they work in. The address is optional.Pay.
Salary for the period, or hours × rate. The pay date and period fill themselves in. Federal and state taxes we support are one click; add other deductions from your payroll record.Check.
Pick one of six layouts and read the pay stub line by line. The PDF will be $4.99 once checkout opens.
Is the pay stub generator free?
Making and previewing a pay stub is free, as many times as you like, with no account or card. You pay only for the finished PDF without the watermark.
Checkout isn’t open yet. When it opens, the PDF will cost $4.99, or a pack of 4 for $14.99 or 12 for $35.99 if you pay someone every week or month. Pack credits never expire. No subscription.
See pricingPay stub generator: common questions
How do I make a pay stub?
Enter the employer and employee details, the pay period, then the earnings and deductions from your payroll record. The pay stub builds in the preview as you type. Pick one of six layouts and review it before you finish.
Is the pay stub generator free?
Creating and previewing a pay stub is free, with no account or card. The finished PDF, without the watermark, will cost $4.99 when checkout opens.
Does PayDocs calculate taxes?
Yes, for pay dates from 1 January to 31 December 2026: PayDocs can calculate federal income tax withholding (Form W-4, IRS Publication 15-T), social security and Medicare, and state income tax withholding in 40 states (listed on the PayDocs trust page, /trust#calculations), from the published rules named on each result. Every calculated line stays editable. You enter local taxes, state income tax in states not listed and benefits, retirement and other deductions from your own payroll records.
Is this a free check stub maker?
Making and previewing is free. The finished PDF, without the watermark, will cost $4.99 when checkout opens.
Is a check stub the same as a pay stub?
Yes. Check stub, paystub, pay slip and earnings statement are other names for a pay stub: the record of gross pay, deductions and net pay that goes with a paycheck or direct deposit. This generator makes all of them.
Can I make pay stubs for hourly employees?
Yes. Choose hourly pay and enter the hours and rate; add an extra rate for overtime and any other earnings as separate lines. Each line is worked out as hours × rate for you.
Does the pay stub show year-to-date totals?
Yes. Enter the totals from the year so far before this payment, and PayDocs adds this period to them.
Which pay stub templates can I choose from?
Six: Classic, Modern, Compact, Executive, Bold and Minimal. You can switch layout at any point while you create, and the figures stay the same.
Can I use a PayDocs pay stub as proof of income?
No. PayDocs lays out figures you provide. It does not verify employment, certify income, or guarantee that anyone will accept the document. Only enter real figures from payroll you are authorized to prepare.
Do I need an account?
Not to create or preview. You need a free account to save drafts, keep your employees and documents, and duplicate a document for the next pay period. An unsaved draft is kept only in the browser tab you work in: refreshing the page offers to restore it, and closing the tab clears it.
Start with this pay period’s figures.
Preview free. $4.99 for the PDF once checkout opens.