Who Needs Paystubs?
Employees:
- Verify their earnings and deductions are accurate.
- Understand their tax withholdings for tax filing.
Employers:
- Maintain legal records of employee compensation (as required by FLSA).
- Provide employees with documentation of their pay.
Self-employed Individuals:
- Since they are their own boss, self-employed folks (like sole proprietors or small business owners) can make paystubs for themselves.
- Self employed pay stubs serve as a record of their income and expenses, which is crucial for both financial management and accurate tax reporting.
Independent Contractors:
- Track income and expenses for tax purposes.
- Prove income to clients or potential clients, especially if required by contract.
- Note: Paystubs can be helpful, but unlike some employers, they are not legally obligated to provide them. Independent contractor pay stub can still add a professional touch to their financial documentation.
Freelancers:
- Freelancers, earning income through client services, leverage paystubs to manage income, taxes, and deductions.
Tenants:
- May be required to show proof of income to landlords when applying to rent a property. While paystubs are a common form of income verification, landlords may accept other documentation such as tax returns or bank statements.
What Information Does Pay Stub Include?
Net Pay
Earnings
Deductions
Employer Information
Employee Information
Payment Information
Employer Contributions
Taxes Withheld
Pay Period Dates
YTD (Year-to-Date) Information
Here's how to make check stubs online in under 2 minutes:
How to Make Check Stubs Online?
- 01
Select template
Kickstart your check stub creation with ease by selecting from our array of professionally designed templates. Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or running a large corporation, we have styles to suit your brand and meet your needs.
- 02
Enter Info
Fill in the details using our user-friendly form. You’ll need to provide employee information, payment details, and any applicable deductions. Our platform ensures that all your entries are accurate and comply with local regulations.
- 03
Preview stubs
Before you finalize, preview your check stub to ensure all the information is correct. Our system allows you to make real-time edits, so you can make immediate corrections if necessary. This step is crucial to maintain accuracy and prevent any future discrepancies.
- 04
Download
Once you’re satisfied, proceed to download your check stub immediately. We support multiple formats for your convenience, and our secure checkout process ensures your information remains confidential. With just a click, your check stubs are ready to be printed or emailed as needed.
Speedy and Simple: With just a few clicks, you can have a check stub created in no time!
5 Benefits of using Real Check Stubs
to make Paystubs for your Business
to make Paystubs for your Business
As with all businesses, whether you are the owner of a small enterprise or a big company, keeping a complete and accurate record of all transactions is very important. If you are still writing or typing each paystub, consider shifting to an online paystub generator to create payroll. You would thank yourself later. Instead of scouring through folder after folder of spreadsheets to find an employee’s paycheck history, use a check stub maker to create easy-to-read and simple-to-archive payroll records. Such an online tool would help you make individual personnel files without worrying about piles of papers eating physical space in your office or tons of data occupying your computer.
1. What is a Pay Stub?
A pay stub, also as a check stub, payslip or earnings statement, is a record that employees get from their company with each paycheck. It provides a detailed breakdown of employee's earnings and deductions for a specific pay period and the entire year.
👉 Good to Know: Ultimate Guide to Pay Stubs.
The History of a Pay Stub
Pay stubs originated during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution as factories and major firms hired enormous numbers of people. It evolved in the early 20th century when companies standardized employee payment. Many laborers were paid in cash or bartered before this, with minimal paperwork or record-keeping.
As companies grew complex, record-keeping became essential. Employers adopted payroll systems, and check stubs were born to track wages and deductions.
Today, automated systems generate these essential payroll history records for employees, both digitally and on paper. Employees can conveniently access their pay stubs online.
2. How to Get Pay Stubs?
Need a copy of your earnings statement? Here are the four main ways to get a pay stub, depending on your employer's system and your preference:
- Check with your employer: Most employers offer online access through a convenient employee portal for viewing pay stubs connected to your direct deposit. If not, they can usually provide physical copies.
- Request a physical copy: Contact your employer's payroll department to request a physical copy of your pay stub. They can mail it to you or arrange for pick-up.
- Use a check stub maker: Choose a reputable online check stub generator. Enter your payment information and download the generated stub. There are various tools available online, and it is very important to choose one that is authentic and secure.
- Check your bank statement: While your bank statement shows the amount deposited, it doesn't provide details like earnings and deductions. A pay stub offers this crucial information for tasks like filing taxes.
3. What Does A Pay Stub Look Like?
A pay stub doesn't have a universal format, but you can select one from various designs and layouts depending on the look a business owner, employed or self-employed individual desires.
Most will contain similar information presented in a table format. But all of paycheck stubs should contain these main parts:
- Employer Information
- Employee Information
- Pay Period Information
- Earnings & Deductions
Here is a paystub example from one of our various templates
4. Types of Pay Stubs
There are two main types of paycheck stubs:
1. Electronic Pay Stubs (e-pay stubs): Employees are able to see their check stubs online via a secure website or app rather than receiving a physical copy.
- Pros: Easy access, saves paper, and environmentally friendly.
- Cons: Requires internet access, potential security risks, some states may require paper stubs.
2. Printed Pay Stubs (traditional paper check stubs): Paper copies delivered by hand or mail.
- Pros: Physical record, easy for some employees to access.
- Cons: Costly to print and mail, not eco-friendly, security concerns if lost/stolen.
Both types show earnings, deductions, and net pay.
However, it's important to be aware that certain free paystub generators may have limitations, such as a cap on the number of pay stubs generated per month or limited customization options. Therefore, carefully evaluate your requirements and choose an appropriate tool.
5. Pay Stub Templates
Real Check Stubs has different Paystubs template available, contingent on the needs and preferences. Templates are created to appear professional and comprise all the essential information.There are 18 designs available, including advanced, classic, and modern pay stub templates.
1. Advanced Pay Stub Template: is intended for people who desire a more comprehensive pay stub.
2. Classic Pay Stub Template: is intended for people who like a conventional and basic pay stub format. The design is ideal for people who want a simple, easy-to-read pay stub.
3. Modern Pay Stub Template: is intended for people who desire a pay stub that is sleek and professional in look.
The Paystub Template contains all required information, such as the employee's name and address, the employer's information, the pay period, gross pay, taxes, deductions, and net pay.
Real Check Stub's paycheck stub designs are all completely customizable, allowing an individual to add their logo or other branding components to create a unique pay stub that corresponds to the company or organization.
6. Fake Paystubs: Avoid the Dangers
A pay stub is your employees' receipt of being paid for their work, and the information must be correct. However, there are many fake paystub generators on the market which produce counterfeit stubs.
A fake check stub might have an incorrect pay period, hours worked, or even an incorrect hourly rate.
One common situation where people use fake pay stubs is when renting property, so landlords have to be diligent to be able to tell the difference. However, you don’t want to inadvertently give your honest employees fake paystubs and cause them – and yourself – serious legal problems.
How to identify Fake Paystub?
Identifying fake pay stubs is difficult since it is able to be made using internet templates or software that imitate the structure and look of actual pay stubs.
However, you can follow these red flags for spotting fake pay stubs:
- Missing key info (employee name, address, tax details)
- Strange or round numbers (especially net pay)
- Inconsistent formatting (fonts, layout)
- Unverifiable employer info
- Unusual payment methods (Bitcoin, gift cards)
An employee must contact their company's human resources or payroll administrator right away if they identify a fake paycheck stub or have any doubts about the legitimacy of a pay stub.
The best way to avoid any issues is to create a real pay stub generator with the correct information.
So why take the risk? Use Real Check Stubs® instead, and create accurate and authentic paycheck stubs.
Common Errors When Making Check Stubs Online
When creating a pay stub online, you need to be careful and select the right option. For example, if you select the wrong option for 401k deductions, your pay stub will not be accurate and might cause problems down the road.
Here are a few things that you should check before you make your check stub:
Spell Check
- Typos or inaccuracies in entering employee information (name, address, social security number) or pay details (gross pay, hours worked, overtime pay) can lead to confusion and frustration for employees and potential tax issues.
- Correct any data entry mistakes before finalizing your check stub.
- Be sure that you double-check the zip code to make sure that it is correct.
Outdated Tax Withholdings
- Tax laws and withholding rates change periodically. Using outdated information in the paycheck stub can lead to underpayment or overpayment of taxes, causing problems for both employees and employers.
- If you are unsure about updated tax withholdings on your pay stub, ask your employer for clarification. Some employers will create their own unique system for calculating taxes and other payroll deductions, so it's always recommended to understand how they do it.
- Make sure you keep a copy of your pay stub documents in a safe place so you can refer back to it later if necessary.
Missing Information
- Essential details like pay period dates, tax withholdings, and deductions (health insurance, retirement contributions) need to be included. Omitting any of these can make the paycheck stub incomplete and useless for employees trying to track income or file taxes.
Unsecure Online Generators
- If using an online pay stub generator, choose a reputable platform with strong security measures. Beware of phishing scams or unauthorized access to employee data.
Employee Pay Stub FAQs
A pay stub documents an employee's compensation for a specified pay period. Employers often present it with employees's paychecks or make it available online as a downloadable PDF.
Paycheck stubs work as follows; gross pay, or the amount an employee receives before withholdings and taxes are deducted, is going to be shown on the pay stub.
Federal and state taxes, Social Security and Medicare contributions, and any voluntary payroll deductions, such as health insurance premiums or retirement plan contributions, are all going to be itemized on the pay stub. Moreover, the employee's net pay, or the amount of money the worker takes home as a paycheck after deductions, is shown on the pay stub.
The pay stub provides year-to-date totals for earnings, deductions, and net pay, the total amount earned for the present calendar year. They are able to additionally contain the payment period dates, the employee's name and address, the employer's name and address, and any relevant payroll codes. Nonetheless, this varies from company to company.
Pay stubs benefit workers and employers since they detail an individual's earnings and any applicable deductions. They provide evidence of the worker's earnings for tax and reporting functions.