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Pay stub and payroll guides
Short answers to the questions people ask about pay stubs, then the detail. Every guide links to the tool that applies.
Pay Stubs
What a pay stub shows, how to read each line, and how to create an accurate one for a real payment.
Bank statement vs pay stub as proof of income
Pay stubs prove wages and withholding. Bank statements prove money arrived. Which one a lender, landlord or agency wants depends on how you are paid, and self-employed applicants usually need both.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
Are pay stub generators legal?
Pay stub generators are legal to use for real payments: employers documenting wages and self-employed people documenting income. Using one to create a false document for a loan, lease or benefit is fraud.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
How to prepare a check stub, step by step
The steps for preparing a check stub in the right order, so gross pay, taxes, deductions, net pay and the year-to-date column all reconcile.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
How to get pay stubs with direct deposit
With direct deposit there is no paper stub, but the pay stub still exists. Here is where employers keep electronic pay stubs, how to download them, and what to do if your employer does not provide any.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
What information is on a pay stub? The 11 things a complete stub shows
The eleven pieces of information a complete pay stub shows, from employer and pay period to each deduction, net pay and year-to-date totals, and what ‘recent pay stubs’ means when someone asks for them.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
What does YTD mean on a pay stub?
YTD stands for year to date. On a pay stub it is the running total of each line since January 1, and it is the figure lenders use to judge your annual income.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
What is a pay stub? Meaning and definition
A pay stub is the statement that shows how a paycheck was calculated: gross pay, each tax and deduction, and net pay, for one pay period and for the year to date.
Pay Stubs. Updated September 24, 2026
Paycheck Taxes
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare on a paycheck: what each line means and how the amounts are worked out.