How to Get a Pay Stub: Portal, HR, IRS, and SSA Options

The fastest way to get a pay stub is to log into your employer’s online payroll portal and download the PDF. If that door is closed—because you’ve left the job, lost your credentials, or the company has shut down—you still have workable options: ask HR or the payroll department directly, pull a free Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS, or order a certified earnings statement from the Social Security Administration.

Before you contact anyone, pull together your full name as it appeared on payroll, your Social Security number, any employee ID, and the exact date range you need. A lender might ask for three months; a landlord might want the two most recent. Precise dates prevent back-and-forth. It also helps to know whether your employer used a third-party payroll company like ADP, Gusto, or Paychex, because the provider often keeps its own self-service portal running even when the employer is hard to reach.

Download from the Payroll Portal

Sign in with the credentials you set up during employment. Forgotten passwords can usually be reset through the email or phone number on file. Once you’re in, look for a tab labeled “Pay,” “Statements,” or “Earnings History.” You’ll see a chronological list of every pay period. Filter by date, open the entry you need, and download or print the PDF. Save copies to your own device or cloud storage so you keep them after you leave the job.

Many employers keep portal access open for former employees for a limited window—sometimes 12 to 18 months after separation. If your account has been deactivated, call the payroll provider’s support line. Some providers will reactivate limited access or email the documents after verifying your identity.

Ask HR or Payroll Directly

If the portal isn’t an option, email your former employer’s HR or payroll department. Use a clear subject line like “Payroll Records Request – [Your Full Name]” and include your employee ID, the date range, and a callback number. If email goes unanswered, send a signed letter by certified mail to the company’s main office so you have proof of receipt.

Response times vary. Some companies turn requests around in a few days; others take several weeks. Many states set legal deadlines for employers to respond, ranging from roughly a week to 30 calendar days depending on where you worked. Some employers charge a small fee for copies, though many states cap that at the actual cost of reproduction and postage.

Get a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS

The IRS keeps its own copy of the income data reported on your W-2s and 1099s. A Wage and Income Transcript shows that data exactly as filed for a given tax year, is available for the current processing year and nine prior years, and is free.¹

There are three ways to request one:

Online through your IRS Individual Online Account, where you can view, print, or download transcripts immediately.²
By phone at 800-908-9946, which mails a copy in 5 to 10 calendar days.²
By mail or fax using Form 4506-T (check box 8 for wage and income data), processed within about 10 business days.³

One limit to keep in mind: a Wage and Income Transcript shows annual totals, not individual pay periods. It works well for verifying yearly income with a lender or settling a tax dispute, but it doesn’t replace a detailed stub showing hours, deductions, and net pay for a single check. Current-year W-2 data generally appears in the IRS system during the first week of February the following year.

Order Certified Earnings from Social Security

Social Security tracks your reported earnings for benefit-calculation purposes. You can view your earnings history for free by creating a “my Social Security” account online, though the free version does not show individual employer names.⁴

For a certified statement you can submit to a court, lender, or government agency, file Form SSA-7050. Certified yearly earnings totals cost $35, and a certified detailed itemized earnings statement costs $96. These fees took effect October 1, 2024.⁴ Like the IRS transcript, SSA records show annual or quarterly totals rather than paycheck-by-paycheck breakdowns.

When the Employer Won’t Respond or Has Closed

If your former employer ignores a legitimate request, start with your state labor department. Many states impose penalties on employers that fail to comply with records requests within the statutory deadline, and a state complaint is often the most direct remedy. You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which enforces FLSA recordkeeping requirements. File online or call 866-487-9243; a field office representative will typically contact you within two business days.⁵

When the company has shut down entirely, the IRS transcript and SSA earnings record are usually your best routes. If the employer filed for bankruptcy, a court-appointed trustee manages the remaining assets and records. You can look up the case on the federal courts’ PACER system or contact the bankruptcy court directly to identify the trustee, who may be able to locate payroll files. If the company also owes you unpaid wages, you can file a Proof of Claim; wage claims earned within 180 days before the bankruptcy filing receive priority treatment up to $17,150 per employee under current federal law, with anything above that treated as general unsecured debt.

Your Right to a Pay Stub

Federal law requires every employer covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act to create and preserve payroll records for at least three years, including hours worked, wages paid, and deductions.⁶ The statute directs the Secretary of Labor to set retention periods by regulation and requires that records be available to Department of Labor investigators.⁷ An employer that willfully violates FLSA recordkeeping rules faces fines of up to $10,000, up to six months of imprisonment, or both.⁸

The FLSA, however, does not give you a personal right to demand copies of your own records; it only requires employers to keep them and make them available to the government. Your right to obtain copies comes from state law. Roughly 41 states require employers to provide pay stubs or wage statements, and many of those states also give current and former employees the right to inspect or copy their payroll files within a set deadline. About nine states have no pay stub requirement at all. If your employer is stalling, check your state labor department’s website for the specific deadline and penalty that applies where you worked.

If You’re an Independent Contractor

Independent contractors and freelancers don’t receive traditional pay stubs. Any client that paid you $600 or more during the year is required to send you a Form 1099-NEC reporting that income, and your own invoices, contracts, bank deposits, and profit-and-loss statements serve as the equivalent when a lender or landlord asks for verification. If you’ve lost a 1099, you can pull the same data from an IRS Wage and Income Transcript at no cost.¹

1
Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them
2
Internal Revenue Service. Get Your Tax Records and Transcripts
3
Internal Revenue Service. Form 4506-T: Request for Transcript of Tax Return
4
Social Security Administration. Form SSA-7050: Request for Social Security Earnings Information
5
Worker.gov. Filing a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 21: Recordkeeping Requirements Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 211 – Collection of Data
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 216 – Penalties