Pay stub checker

Is your paycheck right? Pick your state, enter your pay and W-4 details, then open Check my pay stub and type the amounts from your stub. Each line is compared with the rules, and any difference comes with the most likely reason.

Choose your state to check your stub

Or open any state paycheck calculator and use the "Check my pay stub" section under the form. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

What the checker looks at

• Federal income tax — compared with the IRS percentage method for your W-4. If it doesn't match, the checker tries the usual suspects — the Step 2 box, a different filing status, missing Step 3 credits, or no W-4 on file — and tells you which one reproduces your stub.
• Social Security — should be 6.2% of pay after pre-tax (section 125) benefits, until your pay for the year reaches $184,500.
• Medicare — 1.45% of the same pay, plus 0.9% once your pay for the year passes $200,000.
• State income tax — compared with your state's official withholding formula and the state form choices you enter.

Example

A $60,000 salary paid every two weeks, single: the rules give $193.08 of federal income tax. Suppose the stub shows $337.88. The checker reports:

That's the W-4 Step 2 box — meant for two jobs or two working spouses. If it doesn't apply to you, a new W-4 fixes it.

How to read your pay stub

• Pay period and pay date — the dates worked and the day paid. A first paycheck often covers part of a period (see why your first paycheck is different).
• Gross pay — everything earned before deductions: salary or hours × rate, overtime, tips reported, bonuses.
• Federal income tax — may be labelled "Fed withholding", "FIT" or "Federal".
• Social Security — often "OASDI", "SS" or "FICA-SS". Medicare — "MED" or "FICA-MED".
• State and local tax — state income tax ("SIT"), and in some states disability insurance, paid leave or a city or county tax.
• Pre-tax deductions — 401(k), health, dental, vision, HSA. They come out before income tax, which is why taxable wages on the stub are lower than gross.
• Year-to-date (YTD) — running totals for the year; useful for spotting when Social Security stops.

Using year-to-date totals

The YTD column adds up every paycheck so far this year. It's the quickest way to check two things: whether Social Security has stopped (it should once YTD Social Security wages reach $184,500, taking at most $11,439.00 for the year), and whether Additional Medicare has started (once YTD Medicare wages pass $200,000). If you changed jobs this year, each employer counts from zero, so both can restart at the new job.

Why taxable wages on the stub are lower than gross

Stubs often show separate wage figures for federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Federal taxable wages leave out a traditional 401(k) or 403(b) and pre-tax (section 125) health, dental, vision and HSA deductions. Social Security and Medicare wages leave out only the section 125 deductions — a 401(k) is still taxed for Social Security and Medicare. Enter your 401(k) percentage and pre-tax benefits in the calculator so the expected amounts use the same wages as your stub.

If something still doesn't match

First make sure the details above match your W-4 and your state's withholding form — most differences come from there. Then check for a bonus or commission in that paycheck (the bonus tax calculator shows how it's withheld). If a line is still off by more than a few dollars, ask your payroll team; mistakes happen and are easiest to fix early. Our W-4 guide explains each W-4 step.

Sources

• IRS Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate — Steps 1–5, Step 3 amounts and income limits, the 2026 Deductions Worksheet, exemption renewal date, and what happens without a form
• IRS — FAQs on the 2020 Form W-4 — W-4s from before 2020 stay valid; new employees without a W-4 are treated as single with no adjustments
• IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
• Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500