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Take-home pay after federal, state and local taxes — salary or hourly, with overtime and pre-tax deductions.
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Pay Stub Checker: Check Every Line of Your Paycheck
Copy the numbers from your pay stub and see what each line should be under 2026 rules: federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state and local taxes, disability and paid leave, and net pay. Any line that's off is flagged, with the likely reason.
Copy your pay stub
Use the current column of one paycheck, not year-to-date totals. The example below is a sample stub; replace it with yours. Everything stays in your browser.
Pay stub check
Your pay stub checks out
6 lines checked under 2026 rules
| Line | Your stub | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income taxMatches | $265.38 | $265.38difference −$0.00 |
| Social SecurityMatches | $179.80 | $179.80 |
| MedicareMatches | $42.05 | $42.05 |
| California income taxMatches | $95.95 | $95.95difference +$0.01 |
| California payroll programsMatches | $37.70 | $37.70 |
| Net pay adds upMatches | $2,129.12 | $2,129.12 |
Why these lines may differ
Federal withholding depends on the W-4 your employer has on file. To change it, work out new W-4 entries, then give the form to payroll.
Year-to-date wages not entered: we assume you're below the Social Security wage base and the $200,000 Additional Medicare line.
How each line is checked
- Social Security and Medicare: 6.2% and 1.45% of gross pay minus Section 125 deductions, to the cent (allowing 2 cents for rounding).
- Federal income tax: IRS Publication 15-T percentage method for a 2020-or-later W-4, on regular pay; 22% on separately paid bonuses. Within $2, or 1% of the expected amount up to $10, counts as a match, because payroll systems may use the wage bracket tables or round.
- State income tax: our estimate of the state's tax on this pay over a full year, divided by your paychecks. Within $3 (or 5%) is a match; up to $15 (or 20%) is close, because each state has its own withholding tables and form.
- State programs: each program's 2026 employee rate on this paycheck's covered wages.
- Net pay: gross minus everything you entered (our expected amount for any tax line you leave blank).
Calculation pay.pay-stub-check v1.0.0. Uses the same federal and state engines as our paycheck calculator.
1. How the checker works
A pay stub is a chain of subtractions, and every tax on it is worked out on a slightly different wage. The checker rebuilds that chain from your gross pay, works out each tax the way payroll software must, and compares it with the number printed on your stub.
| Deduction | Federal income tax | Social Security & Medicare | Most state income taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) | Lowers it | Doesn't lower it | Lowers it (not in Pennsylvania; New Jersey taxes 403(b) and 457(b)) |
| Health, dental, vision premiums (Section 125) | Lowers it | Lowers it | Lowers it (not in New Jersey) |
| Health FSA, dependent care FSA | Lowers it | Lowers it | Lowers it (not in New Jersey) |
| HSA through payroll (Section 125) | Lowers it | Lowers it | Lowers it (not in California or New Jersey) |
| Roth 401(k), after-tax insurance, union dues | Doesn't lower it | Doesn't lower it | Doesn't lower it |
That's why a 401(k) contribution doesn't shrink your Social Security line, and why a stub can't be checked with one flat percentage of gross pay.
Each line then gets one of these labels: Matches (within rounding), Close (usually rounding, table method or W-4 settings), Worth checking (a real gap with likely causes listed), or Not entered. Net pay shows as For reference until you enter it.
2. What each line should be in 2026
Federal income tax (FIT)
Employers figure it from your Form W-4 using IRS Publication 15-T: they annualize your taxable pay, subtract a standard amount ($8,600 for single and head of household filers and $12,900 for married filing jointly in 2026, unless the Step 2 box is checked), apply the withholding rate table and divide by your paychecks. Step 3 credits lower it and Step 4(c) adds to it. Employers may use the percentage method or the wage bracket tables, which can differ by a few dollars, so small gaps are normal.
Social Security (OASDI)
6.2% of your Social Security wages, which are gross pay minus Section 125 deductions. It stops once this year's wages reach $184,500, so the most anyone pays in 2026 is $11,439.00 per employer.
Medicare
1.45% of the same wages, with no cap. Once your wages from this employer pass $200,000 in the year, the employer must also withhold 0.9% Additional Medicare on the excess, whatever your filing status.
State and local income tax
41 states and Washington, D.C. tax wages, each with its own withholding tables and, in most cases, its own withholding form. Some cities, counties and school districts add a local tax. Our check estimates the tax on your pay for the year, so treat small gaps as normal and big ones as a question for payroll. For a full breakdown, use the paycheck calculator.
Net pay
Gross pay minus pre-tax deductions, taxes and after-tax deductions. If the stub's own lines don't add up to the net pay, something is missing from the list, and that's worth asking about even when every tax is right.
3. A worked example, line by line
The sample stub in the checker: a single filer in California, paid every two weeks, $3,000.00 gross, $150.00 to a 401(k) and $100.00 of pre-tax health premiums.
| Line | How it's figured | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | Salary for the period | $3,000.00 |
| 401(k) | 5% of gross | −$150.00 |
| Health premiums | Section 125 | −$100.00 |
| Federal income tax | Pub 15-T on $2,750.00 per paycheck, annualized (×26) | −$265.38 |
| Social Security | 6.2% × $2,900.00 | −$179.80 |
| Medicare | 1.45% × $2,900.00 | −$42.05 |
| California income tax | Estimated tax for the year ÷ 26 | −$95.95 |
| CA SDI | 1.3% × $2,900.00 | −$37.70 |
| Net pay | What's left | $2,129.12 |
Notice that Social Security, Medicare and SDI use $2,900.00, not $2,750.00: the 401(k) money is still taxed for those programs.
An hourly example. Someone paid $20 an hour works 80 regular hours and 6 overtime hours in a two-week period. Overtime at 1.5 times the rate means gross pay of $1,780.00. If the stub shows $1,720.00, the overtime was paid at straight time and $60.00 is missing; the checker flags it once you add the hours.
4. State payroll deductions on your stub (SDI, PFL and others)
Some states fund disability, paid family leave, long-term care or unemployment insurance partly through a payroll deduction. These are the employee shares the checker uses. Some states let employers pay part or all of the employee share, which would make your line smaller.
| State | Program | Employee rate | Yearly limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Unemployment Insurance employee contribution | 0.5% | First $54,200 of wages |
| California | SDI (State Disability Insurance, includes Paid Family Leave) | 1.3% | No wage cap |
| Colorado | FAMLI (Family and Medical Leave Insurance) | 0.44% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Connecticut | CT Paid Leave | 0.5% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Delaware | Delaware Paid Leave (employee share) | 0.4% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Hawaii | TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) | 0.5% | Up to $7.50 a week |
| Maine | Maine PFML (employee share) | 0.5% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Massachusetts | PFML (Paid Family & Medical Leave) employee share | 0.46% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Paid Leave (employee share) — new Jan 1, 2026 | 0.44% | First $185,000 of wages |
| New Jersey | TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) | 0.19% | First $171,100 of wages |
| New Jersey | FLI (Family Leave Insurance) | 0.23% | First $171,100 of wages |
| New Jersey | UI (Unemployment Insurance) employee share | 0.3825% | First $44,800 of wages |
| New Jersey | WF/SWF (Workforce Development / Supplemental Workforce Fund) employee share | 0.0425% | First $44,800 of wages |
| New York | DBL (Disability Benefits Law) | 0.5% | Up to $0.60 a week |
| New York | PFL (Paid Family Leave) | 0.432% | First $95,349 of wages |
| Oregon | Paid Leave Oregon (employee share) | 0.6% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Oregon | Oregon Statewide Transit Tax | 0.1% | No wage cap |
| Pennsylvania | Unemployment Compensation employee withholding | 0.07% | No wage cap |
| Rhode Island | TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance, includes TCI paid family leave) | 1.1% | First $100,000 of wages |
| Washington | Paid Family & Medical Leave (employee share) | 0.8072% | First $184,500 of wages |
| Washington | WA Cares Fund (long-term care) | 0.58% | No wage cap |
New York's disability (DBL) deduction is capped at $0.60 a week; the Paid Family Leave cap is the state average weekly wage times 52. Rates from each state's 2026 notices; see sources.
5. Bonus and commission paychecks
Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental pay are often withheld at a flat 22% federal rate when they're shown separately from regular pay, or 37% on supplemental pay over $1 million in a year. Social Security, Medicare and state programs still apply, up to their wage caps.
A $2,000 bonus paid with a $3,000.00 regular paycheck adds $440.00 of federal withholding under the flat-rate method. If your employer instead adds the bonus to your regular pay (the aggregate method), the paycheck is taxed as if you earned that much every period, so withholding can look much higher. Either way, it's only withholding: the actual tax is settled on your return. The bonus tax calculator shows a bonus check in full.
6. Overtime and tips under the 2025 tax law
The 2025 tax law created two federal deductions for 2025 through 2028: one for qualified tips in occupations the IRS lists as customarily tipped (up to $25,000), and one for the extra half of overtime that federal law (the FLSA) requires, not state daily overtime or overtime paid only under a contract (up to $12,500, or $25,000 on a joint return). Both are reduced at higher incomes. They're claimed on your tax return. They don't remove tips or overtime from your paycheck:
- Social Security and Medicare still apply to every dollar of tips and overtime.
- Federal income tax is still withheld unless you lower it yourself through W-4 Step 4(b), where the 2026 worksheet lets you include the deductions you expect.
- For 2026, employers report qualified overtime and tips on Form W-2 so you can claim them.
So a paycheck with overtime that shows normal withholding isn't an error. Estimate your deduction with the overtime and tips deduction calculator.
7. Year-to-date: when Social Security stops
- Check the arithmetic. Each YTD figure should equal the previous stub's YTD plus this period's amount.
- Social Security cap. Once YTD Social Security wages reach $184,500, the line should fall to $0 for the rest of the year. Enter your YTD wages in the checker to test the paycheck where it stops.
- Two jobs. Each employer applies the cap separately. If you paid more than $11,439.00 of Social Security in total, you get the excess back as a credit on your federal return.
- Additional Medicare. It starts with the paycheck that takes this employer's wages past $200,000. Your actual liability is figured on your return ($250,000 for joint filers), so the withholding may not match the final tax.
8. Why this paycheck looks different
- It's the first paycheck of the year: new tax tables, new benefit premiums and the Social Security cap reset.
- Open enrollment changed your premiums or your FSA/HSA amounts (see the benefits paycheck calculator).
- A raise started mid-period, or the check includes retroactive pay.
- It's a third paycheck in a month (biweekly pay), so monthly deductions may be skipped.
- Imputed income was added, such as group-term life insurance over $50,000. It isn't paid to you, but Social Security and Medicare apply to it, and federal income tax withholding on it is optional.
- You reached a limit: Social Security's wage base, the 401(k) limit or a state program's wage cap.
- You changed your W-4, or moved to a different state or city.
9. Common payroll mistakes
| Mistake | What the checker shows |
|---|---|
| Old or missing W-4 on file | Federal tax worth checking (usually too high) |
| Health premiums taken after tax instead of pre-tax | Social Security and Medicare a little high |
| Social Security still withheld after the wage base | Social Security worth checking (enter YTD) |
| Wrong state or city on file | State or local tax worth checking |
| Overtime paid at straight time or hours missing | Gross pay worth checking (enter hours) |
| A deduction taken twice, or one you didn't authorize | Net pay lower than expected |
| State program premium charged above its cap | State programs worth checking (enter YTD) |
10. What to do if your pay stub is wrong
- Recheck your entries against the current-period column and your W-4.
- Ask payroll or HR in writing. Say which line, what you expected and why (the checker's explanation helps). Keep a copy.
- Fix your own withholding if the cause is your W-4: give payroll a new one. Our W-4 calculator works out the entries.
- Unpaid wages or overtime: if payroll won't fix it, contact your state labor department or the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, which handles complaints free of charge.
- Garnishments: for most debts, federal law limits garnishment to 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage per week, whichever is less (child support, taxes and student loans have different limits).
- Wrong Form W-2: ask your employer for a corrected W-2 (W-2c). If it doesn't arrive by the end of February, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and it will contact the employer; you can still file on time with Form 4852 and amend later if needed.
11. Pay stub abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FIT, FED WH, FWT | Federal income tax withheld |
| OASDI, SS, FICA-SS | Social Security |
| MED, MEDI, FICA-MED | Medicare (including any Additional Medicare) |
| SIT, ST WH | State income tax withheld |
| LIT, CITY, LOCAL, SD | Local, city or school district income tax |
| SDI, TDI, DBL | State disability insurance |
| PFL, FLI, PFML, FAMLI | Paid family (and medical) leave |
| 401K, 403B, DEF COMP | Pre-tax retirement contributions |
| ROTH | Roth 401(k), after-tax |
| S125, MED PRE, DEN, VIS | Pre-tax health, dental and vision premiums |
| FSA, DCAP, HSA | Flexible spending, dependent care, health savings |
| GTL, IMP INC | Group-term life imputed income (taxed, not paid) |
| REG, OT, DT, HOL, PTO | Regular, overtime, double time, holiday and paid time off hours |
| YTD | Year to date: totals since January 1 |
| GARN, CS | Garnishment, child support |
Payroll systems use their own codes; your stub's legend or HR can confirm any you don't recognize.
12. Do employers have to give pay stubs?
Federal law doesn't require them: the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to keep accurate pay records but not to give employees pay stubs. Most states do require a pay statement, on paper or electronically, and many set what it must show (hours, rates, deductions). Check with your state labor department.
13. Common questions
How do I know if my paycheck is correct?
Enter the current-period amounts from your stub in the checker above. It recomputes Social Security and Medicare to the cent, federal tax from your W-4 using IRS Publication 15-T, and your state's taxes and programs, then tells you which lines match and which are worth asking payroll about.
What if my whole paycheck is just lower than last time?
Start with the line that changed. Our guide to why a paycheck is lower than expected turns that into the likely causes; the checker then tells you whether each line is right.
Why are my taxes so high on this paycheck?
Check for a bonus or commission (often 22% federal), a missing or outdated W-4, the Step 2 box, or extra withholding in Step 4(c). A paycheck that includes overtime is also taxed normally: the overtime deduction comes on your return.
What does OASDI mean on my pay stub?
Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance: Social Security. It's 6.2% of your Social Security wages up to the yearly wage base.
Why doesn't my pay stub match a paycheck calculator?
Calculators usually show an average paycheck for the year. A stub shows one paycheck, which can include bonuses, overtime, changed premiums, or the Social Security cap. The checker compares like with like; the paycheck calculator is better for planning a typical paycheck.
Is net pay the same as take-home pay?
Usually. Net pay is what's left after every deduction. Your bank deposit can differ if you split direct deposit between accounts or the stub includes a reimbursement.
Does the checker store my pay stub?
No. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How we tested this
We check this calculator against official figures. The checks run automatically before every release, and the results are public on our accuracy checks page.
- Same engine as the paycheck calculator. The expected federal withholding comes from the paycheck engine that matches IRS Publication 15-T worked examples to the cent; Social Security and Medicare use the same 2026 rates and wage base.
- Room for payroll rounding. Real payroll systems round differently, so the checker allows small differences, a few cents on Social Security and Medicare and a few dollars on income tax withholding, before it flags a line. Lines a little outside those ranges are marked close; bigger gaps are shown as worth checking with your employer, not as mistakes.
Sources
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — IRS. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide (supplemental wages, tips and overtime) — IRS. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates — IRS. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- 2026 Social Security changes (wage base $184,500) — Social Security Administration. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- If you don't get a W-2 or your W-2 is wrong — IRS. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Are pay stubs required? (FLSA FAQ) — U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Fact Sheet #30: The Federal Wage Garnishment Law — U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Paid Family Leave 2026 rates — New York State. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- 2026 tax rates for unemployment insurance and temporary disability insurance — Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- 2026 maximum weekly wage base (TDI) — Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Accessed November 1, 2026.
- Gross income tax treatment of cafeteria plans (TB-39R) — New Jersey Division of Taxation. Accessed November 1, 2026. Other states' program rates come from each agency's 2026 notice, cited on our state paycheck pages.