What Important Information Is Available on a Pay Stub?

A pay stub is the itemized record of how your paycheck was calculated, and the information on a pay stub falls into a consistent set of sections: who you and your employer are, what you earned during the pay period, what was withheld for taxes, what other deductions came out, and what landed in your account as net pay. Running totals for the year appear alongside most of those figures. Once you know what each block is doing, a stub reads quickly.

Who You Are and Who Paid You

The top of the stub establishes the two parties. Your employer’s registered legal name and business address identify the entity responsible for your compensation and tax reporting. Your section carries your full legal name and the residential address on file with payroll. These details tie directly to your tax documents, so a misspelling or an old address can cause mismatches when you file.

For security, most employers show only the last four digits of your Social Security number rather than the full nine. An internal employee ID number may appear separately. If your stub still prints your complete Social Security number, ask payroll to mask it; fewer digits on the page means less exposure if the document is lost.

Gross Earnings, Hours, and Pay Dates

Gross earnings are the total you earned before anything is taken out. Two dates sit near this figure: the pay period (the date range you worked) and the pay date (when the money is issued or deposited). Together they confirm you are being paid on schedule for the correct span of time.

If you are paid hourly, the stub lists total hours worked and your hourly rate. When a non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours in a single workweek, the extra hours show up on a separate line as overtime, paid at no less than 1.5 times the regular rate.1U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 17A – Exemption for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer and Outside Sales Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act Salaried employees classified as exempt see the pro-rated salary for the period instead, with no overtime line.

Other pay types get their own lines so you can see where the total comes from: commissions, bonuses, shift differentials, and paid time off. That gross figure is the starting point for every deduction that follows.

Taxes Withheld

Tax withholdings are mandatory deductions your employer forwards to federal, state, and sometimes local governments on your behalf. Federal income tax withholding is driven by the filing status and adjustments you entered on your Form W-4.2Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-4, Employees Withholding Certificate State income tax works similarly, with rates and brackets that vary by jurisdiction. Some cities and counties add a local income tax on its own line.

Below those, you will see two Federal Insurance Contributions Act lines that fund Social Security and Medicare. In 2026, the Social Security portion is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 in earnings for the year; once your year-to-date wages hit that cap, Social Security withholding stops for the rest of the year. Medicare is 1.45% on all earnings with no cap.3Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies once your wages cross $200,000 in a calendar year ($250,000 for married filing jointly, $125,000 for married filing separately), and your employer starts withholding it automatically after your pay passes $200,000 regardless of filing status.4Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 560, Additional Medicare Tax

Voluntary and Pre-Tax Deductions

Voluntary deductions are amounts you elected to have taken from your pay, usually for benefits your employer offers. Premiums for health, dental, and vision insurance are the most common. Many of these are deducted pre-tax, which lowers your taxable income and reduces the tax you owe.

Retirement contributions sit in the same category. In 2026, you can contribute up to $24,500 to a 401(k), 403(b), or similar employer plan. Workers 50 and older can add a catch-up contribution of up to $8,000, for a combined maximum of $32,500.5Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500 These usually appear as their own line, sometimes split between traditional pre-tax and Roth after-tax amounts when the plan offers both.

Two health-related accounts also commonly appear. A Health Savings Account allows pre-tax contributions up to $4,400 for self-only coverage or $8,750 for family coverage in 2026.6Internal Revenue Service. Expanded Availability of Health Savings Accounts Under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act A health care Flexible Spending Account has a lower ceiling of $3,400 for the year. Watching these on each stub helps you stay under the annual limits and avoid penalties for over-contributing.

Involuntary Deductions

Involuntary deductions are amounts removed because of a legal order, not a choice you made. The most common form is a wage garnishment, where a court directs your employer to withhold part of your earnings for a debt such as unpaid child support, defaulted student loans, or a civil judgment.

Federal law limits garnishment for ordinary consumer debts to the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which those earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1673 – Restriction on Garnishment Disposable earnings means pay after legally required deductions like taxes, which is not the same as net pay. Child support orders and federal tax levies follow different, often higher limits. If a garnishment appears that you were not expecting, contact the court that issued the order for details.

Net Pay and Year-to-Date Totals

Net pay is what actually reaches you: gross pay minus taxes minus every other deduction. This is the figure that matters for day-to-day budgeting.

Year-to-date totals run beside most line items and show cumulative figures from January 1 through the current pay period. They are useful for a few concrete reasons:

  • Tracking your progress toward the $184,500 Social Security wage base for 2026, after which withholding stops and take-home pay rises for the rest of the year.8Social Security Administration. Maximum Taxable Earnings
  • Monitoring 401(k) or 403(b) contributions against the $24,500 annual limit, or $32,500 with catch-up.5Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
  • Comparing year-to-date federal and state withholding against your expected tax liability, so you know roughly whether you will owe or refund at filing.

When your W-2 arrives after year end, the totals on your final December stub should closely match the figures on that form. A meaningful gap is worth raising with payroll before you file.

Common Pay Stub Abbreviations

Stubs use a lot of shorthand. These are the abbreviations you are most likely to see:

  • REG: Regular hours or regular pay at your standard rate
  • OT: Overtime hours, typically at 1.5 times the regular rate
  • FED or FIT: Federal income tax withheld
  • ST or SIT: State income tax withheld
  • OASDI: Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance, the official name for Social Security tax
  • HI: Hospital Insurance, the official name for Medicare tax
  • FICA: Federal Insurance Contributions Act, sometimes used as a combined label for Social Security and Medicare
  • YTD: Year-to-date, cumulative from January 1 through the current period
  • MED or INS: Medical or health insurance premium
  • DEN: Dental insurance premium
  • FSA: Flexible Spending Account contribution
  • HSA: Health Savings Account contribution

If a code on your stub is not on this list, your payroll or human resources office can identify it.

Checking Your Stub for Errors

Payroll mistakes happen: a missed hour, a stale withholding election, an unauthorized deduction. A quick pass through a few items on each stub catches most of them.

  • Hours and rate. Compare hours listed against your own timesheet or log, and confirm the hourly rate or salary matches your offer letter or most recent raise.
  • Overtime. If you worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, confirm the overtime line reflects the correct extra hours at 1.5 times your regular rate.1U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 17A – Exemption for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer and Outside Sales Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
  • Tax withholding. Make sure federal and state amounts line up with the filing status and adjustments on your current W-4. If you recently submitted a new W-4, verify the change took effect.
  • Benefit deductions. Confirm insurance premiums, retirement contributions, and other elections match what you selected at enrollment.
  • Net pay math. Subtract every listed deduction from gross pay; the result should equal net pay.

What to Do About Errors

If something looks wrong, start with your employer’s payroll or human resources department. Many errors — a missed shift, a data-entry slip, an outdated W-4 — get fixed in the next cycle. Keep a copy of the incorrect stub and any supporting records like timesheets or enrollment forms.

If the employer does not correct the issue, or you believe wages are being systematically underpaid, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division by calling 1-866-487-9243.9U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint Complaints are confidential, and the Division decides whether to investigate. Federal law prohibits your employer from firing you or retaliating against you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating with an investigation, whether you raised the issue verbally or in writing.10U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 77A – Prohibiting Retaliation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

How Long to Keep Your Pay Stubs

The IRS recommends keeping tax-related records for at least three years from the date you filed the return, matching the standard audit window.11Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 305, Recordkeeping Holding stubs for at least that long gives you documentation if the IRS questions any figures on your return.

Stubs also serve as proof of earnings if the Social Security Administration’s records ever show a gap. The SSA accepts pay stubs as evidence when correcting a missing or inaccurate earnings record, which affects the retirement or disability benefits you may receive later.12Social Security Administration. How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record Lenders and landlords also routinely ask for recent stubs to verify income for loan applications or lease approvals, which is another practical reason to keep them within easy reach.