How to read your pay stub
Where your money goes between "gross" and what lands in your account.
The top: who, when and which period
Your employer's name and address, your name, employee number and the last four digits of your SSN. The pay date is when you're paid; the period is the dates of work this paycheck covers.
Earnings
What you earned before anything is taken out: your salary or hours × rate, plus any overtime, holiday, paid time off, bonus or commission. The total is your gross pay.
Taxes
- Federal income tax: based on your earnings and the choices on your Form W-4.
- Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%): together called FICA. Your employer pays a matching share on top of your pay.
- State income tax: in states that have one, based on your state withholding form. Some states also have other employee taxes.
Deductions
Money taken out for benefits or other reasons, such as health insurance, retirement (401(k)), HSA or a garnishment. Deductions marked pre-tax are taken out before some taxes are worked out, which lowers your taxable wages.
Employer-paid benefits
What your employer pays toward benefits for you, such as part of your health insurance. It isn't taken out of your pay; it's shown so you can see the full value of your benefits.
Net pay and where it went
Net pay is gross pay minus taxes and deductions: what you actually receive. If you have direct deposit, the stub shows how it was split between your accounts.
Year-to-date (YTD)
Running totals for the calendar year. Your W-2 at year end will match the YTD figures on your last pay stub of the year (allowing for some pre-tax items).
Something looks wrong?
Check your hours, rate and W-4 first. If it still doesn't add up, ask your HR or payroll person. They can correct it on a future paycheck. With WageHarbor, your pay stubs are always under My pay, and you can print or save any of them as a PDF. See the employee guide.
This article is general information, not tax advice. Tax rates shown are the standard federal employee rates and can change.