Free Pay Stub Templates and Generator
Download pay stub templates in Excel and Word with working formulas for gross pay, taxes, deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals. Or create a pay stub online in the generator below and print it to PDF.
Download Templates
Five Excel versions and two Word versions. The Excel files calculate gross pay, FICA, income tax at an editable rate, deductions, net pay, and YTD totals from the yellow input cells. The Word files are blank forms for filling in by hand or in a word processor.
| Template | Best For | Excel | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic pay stub | Hourly or salaried employees with standard deductions | Download | Download |
| Pay stub with PTO | Employees who accrue vacation or sick time; includes a PTO balance block | Download | Download |
| Pay stub with overtime | Non-exempt hourly employees; overtime line calculates at 1.5x automatically | Download | Download |
| Pay stub with PTO and overtime | Hourly teams that track both time off and overtime, such as contact centers and shift work | Download | Download |
| Contractor pay stub (1099) | Independent contractors and freelancers; no tax withholding rows | Download | Download |
To use a template in Google Sheets, upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Sheets. The formulas carry over. Federal and state tax rates in the templates are placeholders; replace them with the withholding from the employee's W-4 and your state tables.
Online Pay Stub Generator
Enter employer and employee details, add earnings and deductions, then print or save as PDF. No account required, and nothing is stored on our servers.
Employer Information
Employee Information
Pay Period
Earnings
Taxes & Deductions
Other Deductions
Year-to-Date (Prior Periods)
Enter cumulative totals from previous pay periods. Current period will be added automatically.
What a Pay Stub Must Include
No federal law dictates the format of a pay stub, but the states that require one converge on the same list. Every template on this page includes all nine items, and a stub that has them will satisfy the strictest state rules, such as California Labor Code section 226.
Employer name, address, and EIN
Identifies who paid the wages. Lenders and agencies check this against tax filings.
Employee name, address, and ID or last four of SSN
Ties the stub to a specific worker without exposing the full Social Security number.
Pay period start and end dates, and pay date
Required in most states. The pay date drives tax year and YTD calculations.
Hours worked and pay rate
For hourly employees, regular and overtime hours must be shown separately with their rates.
Gross earnings
Total pay before any deductions, including bonuses and commissions.
Taxes withheld
Federal income tax, state and local income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, each on its own line.
Pre-tax and post-tax deductions
Health insurance, retirement contributions, garnishments, and union dues, itemized.
Net pay
What the employee actually receives after everything above.
Year-to-date totals
Cumulative gross, taxes, deductions, and net for the calendar year. Needed for loan applications and W-2 reconciliation.
How to Fill Out a Pay Stub
The templates follow the same order as the steps below, so you can work top to bottom.
Enter employer and employee information
Company name, address, and EIN on the left; employee name, address, and ID on the right. Show only the last four digits of the Social Security number.
Set the pay period and pay date
The pay period is the range of days being paid for. The pay date is when the money is paid, which is usually a few days later. The pay date determines which calendar year the wages count toward.
Record hours and rates
Regular hours at the regular rate, then overtime hours at 1.5 times that rate on a separate line. Pull the hours from an approved time card or timesheet, never from memory.
Add other earnings
Bonuses, commissions, holiday pay, and PTO paid out. Each gets its own line so gross pay can be reconciled.
Subtract pre-tax deductions
Health, dental, and vision premiums, traditional 401(k), HSA and FSA. Gross pay minus these is the taxable wage figure for income tax.
Calculate taxes
Federal and state income tax on taxable wages using the withholding tables; Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45% on gross wages. Add local taxes if your city or county levies one.
Subtract post-tax deductions and compute net pay
Roth 401(k), garnishments, union dues, and charitable contributions. Net pay is gross minus pre-tax deductions, minus taxes, minus post-tax deductions.
Update year-to-date totals
Add this period's figures to the prior YTD amounts for every line. The templates have a YTD prior column so the totals roll forward.
How to Calculate Net Pay: Worked Example
An hourly employee works 80 regular hours in a biweekly period at $25 per hour, contributes to health insurance and a 401(k), and has a small post-tax deduction. The federal and state percentages below are illustrative; real withholding comes from the W-4 and the tax tables.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | 80 hours × $25.00 | $2,000.00 |
| Health insurance (pre-tax) | Fixed premium | ($150.00) |
| 401(k) (pre-tax) | 5% of gross | ($100.00) |
| Taxable wages | $2,000 − $150 − $100 | $1,750.00 |
| Federal income tax | 12% of taxable wages (illustrative) | ($210.00) |
| State income tax | 5% of taxable wages (illustrative) | ($87.50) |
| Social Security | 6.2% of gross | ($124.00) |
| Medicare | 1.45% of gross | ($29.00) |
| Garnishment (post-tax) | Court-ordered amount | ($50.00) |
| Net pay | $2,000 − $250 − $450.50 − $50 | $1,249.50 |
Note that Social Security and Medicare are calculated on the full $2,000 gross, not on taxable wages, because 401(k) contributions and most health premiums reduce income tax but not FICA. The employer separately pays another $153.00 in matching FICA that never appears on the employee's stub.
Pay Stubs for Hourly, Salaried, and Contract Workers
The layout is the same for every worker type, but the earnings section changes depending on how the person is paid.
Hourly employees
Show regular hours and rate, then overtime hours at the overtime rate on a separate line. Several states require the hours to appear on the stub, not just the dollar amount. If the employee has more than one rate in the period, list each rate and its hours separately. Total the hours from the approved time card before entering them.
Salaried employees
Enter the salary for the period as a single regular pay line. A $60,000 salary paid semimonthly is $2,500 per period; paid biweekly it is $2,307.69. Exempt salaried employees have no overtime line. Non-exempt salaried employees still earn overtime, calculated on the regular rate derived from the salary and the hours it covers.
Independent contractors
List the services or hours billed and any reimbursed expenses. There are no tax or deduction sections because nothing is withheld; the contractor pays self-employment tax directly. Keep the statement with the paid invoice so the annual 1099-NEC total can be reconciled.
Tipped and commissioned employees
Tips and commissions are wages and belong in the earnings section on their own lines. Reported cash tips are added to gross for tax purposes and then subtracted again as a deduction, since the employee already has the cash. The basic template has a bonus and commission line that can be relabeled for this.
Pay Stub vs Paycheck vs Invoice
The three documents are often confused because they all involve paying someone. They serve different purposes and are created by different parties.
| Feature | Pay stub | Paycheck | Invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Itemized record of one pay period | The payment instrument or deposit | A request for payment from a vendor or contractor |
| Who creates it | Employer or payroll provider | Employer or bank | The contractor or vendor |
| Shows deductions | Yes, itemized | No | No |
| Shows YTD totals | Yes | No | No |
| Used for | Proof of income, tax reconciliation, disputes | Transferring the money | Getting paid and bookkeeping |
| Required by law | In most states | No, direct deposit is common | No, but needed for 1099 records |
Contractors send invoices and receive payment statements; employees receive pay stubs. If you bill clients, see our invoice templates.
Pay Stub Requirements by State
States fall into five groups based on whether a pay statement is required and how it may be delivered. Most states allow electronic pay stubs, but a growing number require that employees be able to print them or opt into paper.
| Category | States | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| No requirement | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee | State law does not require employers to give employees a pay statement. Federal record-keeping rules still apply, and most employers provide one anyway. |
| Access states | Most remaining states, including Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania | Employers must provide a pay statement. Electronic delivery is generally allowed as long as the employee can access it. |
| Access and print states | California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Washington | Employees must be able to access the statement and print a paper copy. Electronic-only delivery is fine if a printer is available. |
| Opt-out states | Delaware, Minnesota, Oregon | Electronic pay stubs are the default, but employees can request paper statements and the employer must comply. |
| Opt-in state | Hawaii | Paper statements are the default. Employers may switch to electronic delivery only with the employee's consent. |
Verify before relying on this table. Pay statement laws change frequently, and several states have adopted or amended requirements in the last two years. Confirm the current rule with your state labor department before setting a delivery policy, and check whether your state also mandates specific line items such as PTO balances or the employer's phone number.
For wage, overtime, and break rules by state, see our labor law compliance guides.
2026 FICA Tax Rates
| Tax | Employee Rate | Employer Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% | 6.2% | Up to the annual wage base limit |
| Medicare | 1.45% | 1.45% | Additional 0.9% on earnings above $200K (employee only) |
| Total FICA | 7.65% | 7.65% | Combined Social Security and Medicare |
Federal income tax rates vary based on the employee's W-4 filing status. State tax rates vary by state, and nine states have no state income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming). See our state labor law guides for details.
Tips for Accurate Pay Stubs
Track time accurately
Pay stub accuracy starts with accurate time records. Use time tracking software instead of manual timesheets to capture exact hours worked, including overtime, and total them with the time card calculator before running payroll.
Keep W-4 forms current
Ask employees to update their W-4 after major life events such as marriage, a new child, or a second job. Outdated W-4s lead to incorrect tax withholdings and surprise tax bills.
Verify overtime calculations
Federal law (FLSA) requires 1.5x pay for hours over 40 per week. Some states, including California, also require daily overtime after 8 hours. Show overtime on its own line with its own rate.
Retain pay records
The FLSA requires employers to keep payroll records for at least 3 years. Many states require longer. Store pay stubs securely and provide copies to employees on request.
Never fabricate a pay stub
These templates are for employers and self-employed people documenting real payments. Creating a pay stub for income that was not paid, for example to qualify for a loan or lease, is fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about pay stubs.
A pay stub, also called a paycheck stub, earnings statement, or check stub, is the document that accompanies each paycheck and breaks down earnings, taxes withheld, deductions, and net pay for one pay period. It also shows year-to-date totals so the employee can see how much has been earned and withheld so far in the year.
It depends on the state. Federal law does not require pay stubs, only that employers keep accurate payroll records. Most states do require a pay statement in some form, either paper or electronic, and states such as California and New York specify exactly what it must contain. See the state table on this page and check your state labor department for current rules.
A complete pay stub includes employer name and address, employee name and ID, pay period dates and pay date, gross earnings with hours and rates, federal and state tax withholdings, Social Security and Medicare, pre-tax deductions such as health insurance and 401(k), post-tax deductions such as garnishments, net pay, and year-to-date totals for each category.
Download one of the Excel templates above, fill in the employer and employee details, enter hours and pay rate, and the formulas calculate gross pay, taxes, deductions, and net pay. Or use the online generator on this page, which does the same calculation in the browser and prints to PDF. For ongoing payroll, most businesses use payroll software that produces stubs automatically.
Use the basic template for salaried employees or hourly employees who rarely work overtime. Use the overtime template for non-exempt hourly workers. Add the PTO version if you need to show accrued and used time off on the stub, which several states require. Use the contractor template for 1099 workers, since no taxes are withheld from their payments.
Federal income tax withholding depends on the employee's W-4 (filing status, dependents, and any extra withholding) applied to the IRS percentage-method tables in Publication 15-T. The templates and generator use an editable flat percentage for simplicity. For actual payroll, use the IRS tables, a payroll calculator, or a payroll provider.
FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes fund Social Security and Medicare. The employee pays 6.2% of gross wages for Social Security up to the annual wage base limit and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, plus an additional 0.9% Medicare tax on wages above $200,000. The employer matches the 6.2% and 1.45%.
Pre-tax deductions, such as traditional 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, and HSA or FSA contributions, are subtracted from gross pay before income tax is calculated, which lowers taxable wages. Post-tax deductions, such as Roth 401(k) contributions, wage garnishments, and union dues, are subtracted after taxes. Social Security and Medicare are calculated on gross wages regardless of most pre-tax deductions.
Not in the traditional sense. Contractors are not employees, so no taxes are withheld and there is no legal pay stub requirement. Many businesses still issue a payment statement for each invoice paid, which is what the contractor template is for. Total payments of $600 or more in a year are reported on Form 1099-NEC.
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