The short answer
You can create a pay stub online in about five minutes. Here are the steps:
- Gather the company, worker and pay details.
- Pick your state and filing status.
- Enter your pay frequency and your rate and hours, or salary.
- Add year to date totals, bonuses and deductions.
- Preview the stub and check every line.
- Pay and download the PDF.
A pay stub looks simple. But the first time you make one, the form can feel like a pop quiz. Which box goes where? What is a pay period number? Do you need that year to date field?
This guide shows you how to create a pay stub online, one field at a time. You will see what to collect first, what each step means, and how to check the result before you pay. There is also a full example with real numbers, so you can compare your own stub to it.
What to gather before you start
Most of the work happens before you open the form. Have these ready and the rest goes fast.
About the company
- Company name and address
- Company logo, if you want one
- Employer ID number, if you use one
About the worker
- Full name and address
- Filing status from the W4
- Employee ID, if there is one
About the pay
- How often the worker is paid
- Hourly rate and hours, or yearly salary
- Pay period dates and pay date
Extras
- Bonuses, overtime or tips
- Deductions, such as health insurance
- Year to date totals from a past stub
Also have an email address you can open right now. Your stub is sent there as a PDF. If you want a refresher on what each part of a stub means, read a plain look at every part of a stub.
The eight steps
Step 1: Open the tool and pick your state
Go to the stub creation page. The first choice is your state. Pick the state where the work is done, since tax rules change from state to state. Some states have no income tax at all. Others add local or disability taxes. Not sure? Look up your state's rules first.
Step 2: Choose your filing status
Pick single or married. This comes from the worker's W4 form and changes how much federal tax is taken out. There is also a field for exemptions. Use the number on the worker's W4 if the employer still uses one.
Step 3: Enter how the worker is paid
Choose the pay frequency: weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, monthly or yearly. Then pick hourly or salary.
- Hourly: enter the hourly rate and the total hours for the pay period.
- Salary: enter the yearly amount. The tool divides it by the number of pay periods.
Leave auto calculation on. It works out the taxes for you, so you do not have to.
Step 4: Set the year to date numbers
Year to date, or YTD, means the running total since January 1. The tool asks which pay period of the year this stub is. Leave it on Auto, or pick a number from 1 to 52. A stub in the tenth pay period should show ten periods of earnings added up.
Already have a real stub from earlier in the year? Use the option to add last year to date figures, which costs $2 extra. Type in the totals for gross pay, Social Security, Medicare, federal tax and state tax, and your new stub continues from them. To learn how these totals are built, see how running totals are built.
Step 5: Add extras
- Additions: add a bonus, overtime or tips as their own lines.
- Deductions: add things like health insurance, a retirement plan or donations. See where each deduction comes from if you are unsure.
- Contractor box: tick it if no tax is withheld, as with a freelancer. How contractors and employees differ on paper explains why.
- Company logo: upload one if you want your brand on the stub.
- Deposit slip: an optional extra for $2.
Step 6: Pick a template and how many stubs
Choose a template. All of them cost the same. Then pick how many stubs you want. If a landlord asked for the last three pay periods, order three. The year to date totals should build from one stub to the next. Finally, type your email address and double check it.
Step 7: Preview and check every line
Click Preview. The free preview shows the whole stub on screen. Do not skip this step. Read each line, and use the checklist below.
- Names, addresses and dates are spelled right.
- Hours times rate equals gross pay.
- Taxes look reasonable for your pay and state.
- Net pay matches what hits the bank account.
- Year to date totals grow from one stub to the next.
Something off? Click Edit, fix it and preview again. It is free to change as many times as you like.
Step 8: Pay and download
When every line looks right, go to checkout. One stub costs $6.99. There is no account and no subscription. The PDF arrives by email within minutes.
Ready to try it?
Enter your real details, preview the stub free, and pay only when it looks right.
Start your stub now
A full example to check against
Say a single worker in Texas earns $24 an hour and works 80 hours every two weeks. Texas has no state income tax. Here is one paycheck, and the running totals after ten paychecks. Your stub should look like this when you use the same inputs.
| Line | This paycheck | Year to date |
|---|
| Gross pay (80 hours at $24) | $1,920.00 | $19,200.00 |
|---|
| Federal income tax (estimate) | $146.55 | $1,465.50 |
|---|
| Social Security | $119.04 | $1,190.40 |
|---|
| Medicare | $27.84 | $278.40 |
|---|
| State income tax | $0.00 | $0.00 |
|---|
| Net pay | $1,626.57 | $16,265.70 |
|---|
The federal figure is an estimate using the 2026 standard deduction and tax brackets. Real payroll systems use IRS payroll tables and the worker's W4, so results can differ by a few dollars.
Do the quick math yourself. Gross pay minus the three tax lines should equal net pay. If you want to understand why the net number is lower, read why take home pay is smaller.
Paying and downloading
Checkout is encrypted, and you can pay by debit card, credit card or PayPal. After you pay, the PDF is sent to the email address you typed in. If it does not show up in a few minutes, check your spam folder. You can also use the order page on the site to resend it.
What it costs
- Preview: free
- One pay stub: $6.99, with any of seven templates
- Your first classic stub: free for new users
- Extras such as a deposit slip or added year to date figures: $2 each
- Typos found later: email us within 24 hours and we fix them
Which options to pick for your situation
| If you are | Do this |
|---|
| An employer paying a worker | Use the worker's W4 status, leave auto calculation on, and keep every stub for your records. See a guide for your first hire. |
|---|
| A freelancer | Tick the Contractor box and enter what you earned for the period. |
|---|
| A gig worker | Use the Contractor box, weekly pay, and figures from your app statements. See a guide for app drivers and couriers. |
|---|
| Replacing a lost stub | Try your old employer first. See how to get records from a former employer. If you cannot, rebuild one from your real figures. |
|---|
| Paid a salary | Pick Salary and enter the yearly amount. |
|---|
| Applying for a rental or loan | Order the last two or three pay periods at once so the totals build correctly. |
|---|
Still unsure which tool fits? Read how to choose a good online tool, or compare how a stub tool differs from a payroll system. You can also look at sample layouts to look at before you start.
Mistakes to avoid
- Wrong state. The taxes will be off, and a lender may notice.
- Guessing the hours. Use a time sheet or your records.
- Breaking the year to date chain. Each stub should add to the one before it.
- Skipping the preview. Always check the free preview line by line.
- A wrong email address. The PDF goes there. Check it twice.
- Adding tax lines for a contractor. If no tax was withheld, tick the Contractor box instead.
Questions people ask
How do I create a pay stub online?
Open an online pay stub tool, pick your state and filing status, and enter the pay frequency and your hourly rate and hours or salary. Add deductions, preview the stub, then pay and download the PDF. It usually takes about five minutes.
What information do I need to make a pay stub?
You need the company name and address, the worker's name and address, the pay period and pay date, the pay rate and hours or salary, the filing status and any deductions. Year to date totals help if you are continuing an old series of stubs.
How long does it take to create a pay stub online?
Most people finish in about five minutes once they have their numbers ready. Gathering the figures takes longer than filling in the form.
Can I create a pay stub for free?
You can preview a stub for free at Check Stub Generator, and new users get their first classic stub free. After that, one stub costs $6.99 with no subscription. You can also use a spreadsheet template, but you must work out the taxes yourself.
Can I make more than one stub at a time?
Yes. You can choose how many stubs you want in one order, which helps when a landlord or lender asks for the last two or three pay periods. The year to date totals should build from one stub to the next.
What if I find a mistake after I pay?
Check every line in the free preview first. If you still find a typo after buying, email us within 24 hours and we will fix it.
Is it legal to create your own pay stub?
Yes, when the figures are real. Employers, freelancers and small businesses make stubs as genuine records of pay. Making a stub with false income to get a loan, a lease or a benefit is fraud.
Will a landlord or lender accept a stub I made online?
Many do when the numbers are real and match your bank deposits and tax records. They often cross check, so accuracy matters more than the tool you used.
The bottom line
Making a stub is easy when you know what to gather and what to check. Collect your numbers, work through the eight steps, and read the preview line by line. If the math adds up and the year to date totals build, you are done.
When you are ready, you can build yours, check every line and pay only when it matches your records.
Make your stub in about five minutes
Preview is free. Pay $6.99 only when you are happy with it.
Create yours now
This article is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Payroll rules differ by state and change over time, so check with an accountant or your state labor department for your case.
