Pay Stub Calculator 2026
Build a full pay stub from a salary or hourly rate, with every tax and deduction itemised, then print it or save it as a PDF.
How this is calculated
Your employer does not settle your tax bill once a year. It withholds from every paycheck using the percentage method the IRS publishes in Publication 15-T, and this calculator runs the same steps in the same order.
Gross pay for the period is worked out first. Pre-tax deductions come off next, and this is where most free calculators go wrong: a traditional 401(k) contribution reduces the wages your income tax is figured on, but it does not reduce the wages Social Security and Medicare are figured on. A health premium, HSA or FSA contribution reduces both, because those sit inside a Section 125 cafeteria plan.
What remains is annualised, reduced by the standard deduction for your filing status, and run through the federal bracket table. Dependent credits are subtracted, then the result is divided back down to your pay period and any extra W-4 withholding is added. State tax is calculated separately on its own base with its own deduction and brackets. Post-tax items such as Roth 401(k) and garnishments come off last, and what is left is your net pay.
What a pay stub has to show
A pay stub is the itemised record behind a deposit. Most state wage laws require gross pay, the rate and hours it came from, every deduction itemised separately, net pay, the pay period dates, and year-to-date totals for each line. The stub this page generates covers the per-period and annual columns for each line, which is the part people need when checking whether a deduction is right.
Use the stub to check three things: that every line is one you recognise, that Social Security is 6.2% of FICA wages up to the cap, and that Medicare is 1.45% of the same base. Those two are arithmetic rather than judgement, so an error there is unambiguous.
Why estimated stubs and real stubs differ
This stub is an estimate built from annualised figures. A payroll system tracks your real year to date, which changes the Social Security line once you pass $184,500 and the Additional Medicare line once you pass the threshold for your filing status. Employers also apply imputed income for items such as group life cover above $50,000, and round differently period to period.
Treat the estimate as the check on your stub rather than a replacement for it. If a line here and a line there disagree by more than a dollar or two, the explanation is usually a benefit election, a locality code, or a mid-year W-4 change.
What this stub is not
It is not a legal pay statement, it is not proof of income, and it cannot be used in place of a document from your employer. Presenting a generated stub as a real one to a lender or a landlord is fraud. If you need a replacement stub, your employer or their payroll provider has to issue it.
2026 tax rates used on this page
| Item | Rate | Limit or threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (OASDI) | 6.2% | First $184,500 of wages, maximum $11,439 |
| Medicare | 1.45% | No cap |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate |
| Federal income tax | 10% to 37% | Seven brackets, after the standard deduction |
| Standard deduction | — | $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household |
| Federal supplemental rate | 22% | Applied to bonuses under the flat method |
| Dependent credits | — | $2,000 per child under 17, $500 per other dependent |
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration 2026 announcement. Verified 17 September 2026.
2026 federal brackets
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $12,400 | $0 to $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,400 to $50,400 | $24,800 to $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,400 to $105,700 | $100,800 to $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,700 to $201,775 | $211,400 to $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,775 to $256,225 | $403,550 to $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,225 to $640,600 | $512,450 to $768,700 |
| 37% | $640,600 and above | $768,700 and above |
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a pay stub?
Enter your pay type, amount, frequency, state and filing status above, add any deductions, then press the pay stub button in the results panel. The stub itemises gross pay, each pre-tax deduction, each tax, each post-tax deduction and net pay, per period and annually, and can be printed or saved as PDF.
What should be on a pay stub?
Gross pay, the pay rate and hours behind it, each tax withheld shown separately, each voluntary deduction shown separately, net pay, the pay period covered, and year-to-date totals. Most states require the itemised statement in writing or electronically with each payment.
Can I use this pay stub as proof of income?
No. It is an estimate generated from figures you typed in, not a record from your employer\u2019s payroll system. Lenders and landlords need stubs issued by an employer, and presenting a generated stub as genuine is fraud.
Why does my real stub show different Social Security?
Because payroll tracks year-to-date wages. Once you pass the $184,500 wage base the 6.2% stops entirely for the rest of the year. This calculator annualises and spreads the capped total evenly, so it shows an average rather than the step.
What are year-to-date totals for?
They are the running annual figures your W-2 is built from. Checking them each period catches errors early: a wrong filing status, a missed benefit change, or a deduction that continued after you cancelled it.
What if a deduction on my stub is wrong?
Raise it with payroll in writing, quoting the pay period and the line. Most errors are benefit elections that did not carry over. If income tax withholding is the problem, the fix is a new W-4 rather than a correction to a past stub.
Related calculators
These figures are estimates for informational purposes and are not tax advice. Actual withholding depends on your employer’s payroll system, your year-to-date wages and your specific W-4. Federal rates come from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the SSA 2026 announcement; state rates come from each state’s own withholding guide, with the source and verification date published on every state page. Read the methodology, or see who maintains this data.