How to read your pay stub

A pay stub shows how your employer got from your hours to the money in your account. Read it top to bottom: hours and rate make gross pay, taxes and deductions come off, and what is left is net pay.

Pay period and pay date: The days the pay covers and the day you are paid. Overtime is counted per workweek, so a two-week period can have overtime in one week and none in the other.
Hours: Regular, overtime and sometimes double-time or holiday hours. Compare them with your own record of when you worked.
Rate: Your hourly rate, and the overtime rate (at least 1.5 times the regular rate for covered, non-exempt work over 40 hours a week under federal law).
Gross pay: Hours × rate for each kind of hours, plus tips reported through payroll, bonuses and other pay, before anything is taken out.
Pre-tax deductions: Amounts taken out before income tax, such as some retirement plan contributions and health insurance premiums. They lower the pay that income tax is worked out on.
Federal income tax: Withheld according to the Form W-4 you gave your employer. It is a prepayment of your yearly tax, not the final amount.
Social Security: 6.2% of your wages, up to $184,500 of wages in 2026.
Medicare: 1.45% of all your wages, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000 in a calendar year.
State and local tax: Income tax and other withholding set by your state or city. Some states have no income tax.
Post-tax deductions: Amounts taken out after tax, such as some insurance, union dues or wage garnishments.
Net pay: Gross pay minus all taxes and deductions: the money you actually receive.
Year to date (YTD): The running total for the calendar year of each line. It helps you spot a missing payment or a deduction that changed.

Does my employer have to give me a pay stub?

Federal law (the FLSA) requires employers to keep accurate records of hours worked and wages paid, but it does not require them to give employees pay stubs. Many states do require a pay statement; ask your state labor office. Source (Checked 2026-10-20)

Check your stub against your hours

Enter the hours you worked and the numbers on your stub to see whether hours or overtime look short: Paycheck Hours Checker, Time Card Calculator

Source: IRS Topic 751: Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (Checked 2026-10-20)

This page explains what the lines usually mean. It is not tax or legal advice, and your stub's own labels may differ.