Pay stub generator for US employers, with taxes worked out
This free pay stub generator lets a small employer give an employee a clear US pay stub (earnings statement) for a pay period. Enter the hourly rate and hours — with overtime — or the annual salary, the employee’s Form W-4 choices, the work state and any 401(k), health-insurance or after-tax deductions. The stub then shows federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state withholding calculated with the 2026 rules, the net pay, and year-to-date totals for every line.
The taxes are not typed in: they come from the same engine as the paycheck calculator — IRS Publication 15-T’s percentage method and the state formulas — and the YTD columns are calculated from the pay-period number. Every stub carries a footer saying it was prepared by the employer using a free template and was not issued by a payroll provider. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to use the Pay Stub Generator
- Enter the employer’s name and address (and logo), and the employee’s name, ID and job title.
- Choose the pay frequency, the last day of the pay period and the pay date; the period number is worked out for you.
- Choose hourly (rate, regular and overtime hours) or salary (annual amount).
- Copy the employee’s W-4: filing status, Step 2, dependents and other adjustments; pick the work state.
- Add 401(k) %, pre-tax health insurance, HSA and any after-tax deduction, check the preview and download the PDF.
Pay Stub Generator features
Computed withholding
Federal income tax (Pub. 15-T 2026), Social Security 6.2% to the $184,500 wage base, Medicare 1.45% and 0.9% Additional Medicare.
State tax
Built-in 2026 formulas for California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia and other states; no-tax states are left off.
Year-to-date totals
YTD gross, each tax and deduction, and YTD net, calculated from the pay period number.
Hourly or salary
Regular and overtime hours at 1.5× or 2×, or an annual salary spread over 52, 26, 24 or 12 pay periods.
Honest by design
No typed tax amounts, no SSN, no payroll-provider look, and a fixed “free template” footer.
PDF and drafts
US Letter or A4 PDF with selectable text; drafts saved in this browser and JSON backup.
How the deductions are worked out (2026)
Federal income tax: the period’s taxable wages (after pre-tax 401(k), health and HSA) are annualised, the Form W-4 adjustments applied, and the 2026 percentage-method table from IRS Publication 15-T used, then divided back to the period. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 for the year — once the year-to-date wages pass it, the line drops to zero. Medicare is 1.45%, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare on wages over $200,000 in the year. Health insurance and HSA contributions through a cafeteria plan are exempt from all three; 401(k) deferrals are exempt from income tax only.
Worked example: biweekly, $28.50 an hour × 80 hours plus 4 overtime hours at $42.75 gives $2,451.00 gross. With 5% to a 401(k) ($122.55) and $45 for health insurance, a single filer in Illinois has $190.17 federal tax, $149.17 Social Security, $34.89 Medicare and $107.46 Illinois tax withheld: net pay $1,801.76.
What a pay stub must show
No federal law requires a pay stub, but the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to keep payroll records, and most states require a written or electronic wage statement each payday listing gross wages, hours and rates for hourly staff, each deduction, net pay and the pay period. California (Labor Code §226), New York (Labor Law §195) and others list specific items, so check your state labor department’s list. Employers who already use payroll software should give the stub that software produces; this template is for small employers paying by hand.
Limits
- Year-to-date totals assume the same pay in every pay period this year; mid-year hires, raises and bonuses make real YTD figures differ.
- Supplemental wages (bonuses) at the flat 22% rate, tips, local taxes beyond a flat rate and Canadian stubs are not covered.
- It is a record-keeping template, not tax advice: the employer remains responsible for correct withholding and deposits.
Pay Stub Generator FAQ
Is this pay stub generator free?
Yes — no sign-up and no watermark beyond the fixed footer line, and the PDF is created in your browser.
Does it calculate tax deductions?
Yes. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare and state income tax are worked out from the pay and the W-4 and state inputs with the 2026 rules. You cannot type tax amounts directly.
Can I make a pay stub for myself as proof of income?
No. A pay stub records wages an employer actually paid. Creating one to misstate income to a landlord, lender or agency is fraud. Self-employed people usually show tax returns, 1099s or bank statements instead.
How are year-to-date amounts calculated?
Each line for this period is multiplied by the pay-period number (for example 22 of 26), except Social Security and Additional Medicare, which follow the annual wage base and threshold.
Why is my state tax missing?
Some states have no income tax on wages (Texas, Florida, Washington and others). For states without a built-in formula, enter the rate; it is printed on the stub as entered by the employer.
Can I make Canadian pay stubs?
Not yet — this tool covers US withholding only. For India, use the salary slip generator.