Your pay stub shows what you earned and where it went before it reached your account. Checking it each payday catches mistakes early.
The main parts
- Gross pay: what you earned before anything is taken out
- Federal income tax withheld, based on your W-4
- Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%), often shown as FICA
- State and local income tax, depending on where you live and work
- Pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) contributions and health insurance
- Net pay: what actually lands in your account
- Year-to-date (YTD) totals for each line
What to check
- Hours and pay rate are right
- Overtime is included if you worked it
- Deductions match what you signed up for
- Your name and the last digits of your SSN are correct
General educational information, not financial or tax advice. Cents and Common Sense isn't paid by any bank, lender or card company.