Make a pay stub that adds up correctly.
Enter your pay, and the calculator works out federal, state, Social Security and Medicare for all 50 states. See every figure free, then download a print-ready PDF.
Free to build and preview. A plan is only needed to download without the watermark.
What you’ll need
- Your pay rate — hourly rate, or salary per period — on your offer letter, contract or rate agreement
- The pay period — start and end dates plus the pay date — match these to the deposit on your bank statement
- Your work state — where the work was performed — this sets the state tax and disability rates
Your figures carry over — free to build and preview.
Templates modeled on payroll formats from
A pay stub (also written pay stub or paystub, and sometimes called a check stub or earnings statement) is the itemised record that accompanies a payment of wages. It shows gross pay for the period, each tax and benefit deduction taken from it, the resulting net pay, and the year-to-date totals for all three.
ValidPaystubs is a free online pay stub generator that builds this document from the pay details you enter. It calculates federal withholding, Social Security, Medicare and state tax for all 50 states using the published tax tables for 2026 and 2025, shows every figure in a free preview, and produces a print-ready PDF once you have checked it.
From blank to downloaded in minutes
No account needed to start. Build it, check every figure, then download.
Pick a template
Start from a clean standard layout or an employer-style format. Every field stays editable, so you can match the structure your own records use.
Enter your pay details
Type in rate, hours and period. Federal, state, Social Security, Medicare and year-to-date totals are calculated as you go, and you can override any line.
Check it, then download
Read the free watermarked preview line by line. When the numbers are right, download a high-resolution PDF. Edits after download are free and unlimited.
What every section means
Each numbered part below appears on the stub you generate. This is also how to read one you have been given.
| Earnings | Hrs | Rate | Current | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 80.00 | 28.50 | 2,280.00 | 4,560.00 |
| Overtime | 6.00 | 42.75 | 256.50 | 256.50 |
| Deductions | Current | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal W/H | -235.49 | -470.98 | |
| Social Security | -157.26 | -314.52 | |
| Medicare | -36.78 | -73.56 | |
| CA State + SDI | -136.97 | -273.94 |
Employer details
Legal business name and address of whoever is paying the wages. Larger employers also print an EIN or company code here.
Employee and pay period
Who is being paid, and the exact window the money covers. The pay date is when funds arrive, which is usually after the period ends. Only the last four digits of an SSN should ever be printed.
Earnings
Each type of pay on its own line — regular hours at the base rate, overtime at time-and-a-half, plus any bonus, holiday or PTO hours. Added together these make gross pay.
Deductions and taxes
Everything subtracted from gross pay: federal income tax, Social Security at 6.2%, Medicare at 1.45%, state income tax, and state programmes such as California SDI. Pre-tax items like a 401(k) come out before tax is calculated.
Year-to-date column
Running totals since 1 January for every earnings and deduction line. Lenders and tax preparers rely on this column, and a stub without it looks incomplete.
Net pay
Gross pay minus every deduction — the amount actually deposited. This is the figure that should match your bank statement.
How the numbers are calculated
A single filer in California earning $28.50/hour for 80 hours, paid every two weeks in 2026 — the same figures the estimator above starts with.
Figures are rounded for display. Read the full methodology →
Every field on a complete stub
A stub missing sections looks wrong to anyone reading it closely. All 24 fields below are filled in.
Earnings8
- Regular hours and rate
- Overtime at 1.5× and double time
- Salary or per-period amount
- Bonuses and commission
- Holiday and PTO hours
- Shift differential
- Reimbursements
- Gross pay for the period
Taxes & deductions8
- Federal income tax withheld
- Social Security (6.2%)
- Medicare (1.45% + additional)
- State income tax, all 50 states
- State disability (e.g. CA SDI)
- Local and city tax where it applies
- Pre-tax: 401(k), HSA, FSA, premiums
- Post-tax deductions and garnishments
Identifiers & totals8
- Employer name, address and EIN field
- Employee name, address and ID
- Masked SSN (last four only)
- Pay period start and end dates
- Pay date and check number
- Filing status and allowances
- Net pay for the period
- Year-to-date for every line
Built for this. Not a spreadsheet.
Excel leaves the math to you. Payroll services charge a monthly subscription you do not need for a handful of stubs.
Build and preview at no cost. Pay once to download without the watermark — $8.99 for a single pay stub, and nothing recurring. See pricing →
Build free. Pay only to download.
One-time packs, nothing recurring. Credits never expire, and every pack includes every template, every state and unlimited edits.
No account, no card
- Build a complete stub
- Every figure calculated
- All 50 states
- Watermarked preview
One watermark-free download.
- Watermark removed
- Print-ready PDF
- Re-download any time
- Credit never expires
$5.66 per pay stub.
Save $9.98 vs buying singly
- Watermark removed
- Print-ready PDF
- Credits never expire
- Use them months apart
Every stub you ever make.
No recurring charge, ever
- Watermark removed
- Print-ready PDF
- Unlimited downloads
- Nothing renews
Nothing here renews and there is no subscription to cancel. Building and previewing a stub is always free — you only pay to download it without the watermark, and a free account keeps your credits attached to you. Pay stubs are generated from the details you enter and are for your own records; they are not employer-issued payroll documents.
Employer Database
Generate Paystubs for Major Employers
Walmart
Target
Dollar General
Amazon
Uber
Lyft
DoorDash
Instacart
McDonald's
Why use payroll-style templates?
Payroll-style templates help organize gross pay, deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals in a familiar structure. They should be used with accurate employer, contractor, or business records that you can verify.
We support W-2 employee records and 1099 contractor income summaries. Generated documents are not a replacement for official employer portals, tax transcripts, bank statements, or agency-issued forms when those are required.
The Definitive Guide to Professional Paystubs
Whether you are a freelancer, independent contractor, or small business owner, accurate income records are essential for bookkeeping, tax preparation, and payroll review. A paystub (also known as a payslip, paycheck stub, or earnings statement) summarizes earnings, deductions, and net pay for a specific period.
ValidPaystubs provides a payroll calculation engine that helps generate mathematically consistent paystub records using 2026 tax inputs across all 50 United States.
Why Income Records Matter
In the gig economy, traditional employment documents are often fragmented across invoices, apps, bank deposits, and tax forms. Keeping organized records makes review and reconciliation easier.
- Review payroll deductions
- Prepare tax records
- Organize contractor payments
- Compare gross pay and net pay
- Support accountant review
Did you know?
Over 57 million Americans are now freelancing. Clean, consistent records make it easier to reconcile invoices, deposits, pay periods, and year-to-date totals before sharing any document.
Legal Validity & Accuracy
One of the most common questions we receive is: "Is it legal to create my own paystub?"
The answer is Yes. If you are an owner-operator, contractor, or manage your own payroll, you are legally entitled (and often required) to generate your own earnings statements. The critical factor is accuracy.
Creating a document with false numbers is fraud. However, creating a document that accurately reflects your true income for record-keeping or payroll review is standard business practice. ValidPaystubs helps your document stay:
- Mathematically consistent: Our engine calculates FICA (Social Security and Medicare) from your payroll inputs.
- State-aware: We apply state income tax inputs for California, New York, Texas, and 47 other states.
- Easy to review: Standard layouts make gross pay, deductions, net pay, and YTD totals easier to compare.
Decoding Your Paystub: Key Terms
Gross Pay
The total amount of money earned before any tax or deductions are taken out. This is the starting point for most payroll calculations.
Net Pay
Also known as "Take Home Pay". This is the actual amount deposited into your bank account after Uncle Sam takes his share.
YTD (Year-to-Date)
The cumulative total of earnings and deductions from the beginning of the calendar year up to the current pay period.
FICA
Federal Insurance Contributions Act. This is the combination of Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) taxes mandated by federal law.
Every deduction traces to a published rate
The calculator is built from primary tax sources, not guesswork. You can check any figure it produces against the originals below.
Federal withholding
Income tax withholding follows the IRS Publication 15-T percentage method for the selected tax year, using filing status and Form W-4 inputs.
IRS Publication 15-TSocial Security & Medicare
FICA is applied at 6.2% Social Security up to the annual wage base, plus 1.45% Medicare with the Additional Medicare Tax above the threshold.
SSA contribution & benefit baseState income tax
State withholding uses each state’s published brackets and supplemental rates, including CA SDI and other state-specific payroll deductions.
State agencies & U.S. DOLSupport
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Create a Paystub Online
Creating a paystub (also called a pay stub) has never been easier. Our free paystub generator allows you to create professional paystubs in minutes. Whether you need a pay stub for income documentation, budgeting, or personal record-keeping, our paystub creator makes the process simple and fast.
What is a Paystub Generator?
A paystub generator is an online tool that helps you create professional paystub records instantly. Unlike manual methods or Excel templates, a pay stub generator can estimate federal and state payroll deductions from the information you enter. Our paystub creator supports all 50 states and uses 2026 payroll tax inputs.
Why Use Our Pay Stub Generator?
Our paystub generator is used by professionals nationwide for creating accurate paystubs. Key benefits include:
- Automatic tax calculations - No manual math required. Our pay stub generator handles all federal and state tax calculations.
- All 50 states supported - Whether you're in California, Texas, New York, or any other state, our paystub creator handles state-specific requirements.
- Professional templates - Choose from clean templates that make earnings, deductions, taxes, and net pay easy to review.
- Instant generation - Create your paystub in under 60 seconds. Preview for free, download instantly.
- Secure and private - Your data is never stored. Generate paystubs completely anonymously.
Common Uses for Paystubs
Paystubs are essential documents used for various purposes:
- Income documentation - Generate professional records for personal budgeting, tax preparation, and financial planning.
- Tax filing - Use paystubs to verify income when filing taxes or recovering lost W-2 forms.
- Employer verification - Confirm compensation details for HR processes and employment verification requests.
- Record-keeping - Maintain accurate records of your earnings and deductions for personal finance management.
Ready to create your paystub? Start using our free paystub generator now or learn more about creating paystubs online.
Payroll Resources
Pay stub guides and payroll tools
Start with the pages that explain how the tool works, where the numbers come from, and how to keep income records accurate.
Paystub vs W2: What's the Difference?
Understand the key differences between a paystub and a W-2 form, and when you need each document.
How to Create a Pay Stub for Self-Employed
Step-by-step tutorial on organizing accurate income records if you are a freelancer or contractor.
Pay Stub Requirements by State
Understand which payroll details employers may need to provide and how requirements vary by state.
Knowledge Center
Professional Payroll Tools & Resources
Paystub Generator
Create professional pay stubs with accurate 2026 tax calculations for all 50 states.
Check Stub Maker
Instant check stub creation with automatic deductions and professional formatting.
Paystub Templates
Browse 50+ professional templates for every industry and employer format.
Free Paystub Generator
Preview unlimited pay stubs at no cost. Pay only when you download the PDF.
Paycheck Codes Guide
FIT, FICA, SDI — every abbreviation on your paycheck explained in plain English.
Proof of Income Records
Organize income records and learn when official employer, bank, or tax documents may be required.
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