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To create a pay stub, gather accurate hours, rates, earnings and deductions for the pay period, calculate gross and net pay using current rules, and present the figures with the pay-period dates and payment date. A spreadsheet can organize a small payroll, but federal recordkeeping rules are not a complete pay-statement checklist: requirements for what employees must receive and how they receive it vary by work location. Check the relevant state and local rules before treating a generic template as compliant.
What a pay stub should show
A useful statement lets an employee see how gross earnings became net pay. At a minimum, make the pay period and payment date clear, show gross wages, identify deductions, and state net pay. Include hours, rates, overtime, tips, commissions, paid leave, or other compensation when they apply or are required where the employee works. Current-period and year-to-date columns can help employees reconcile pay and withholding; the federal sources cited here do not make them a universal pay-stub requirement.
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Do not confuse the employee-facing stub with the employer’s underlying payroll record. For covered nonexempt employees, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) guidance calls for accurate records including employee identifying information, workweek start, daily and weekly hours, wage basis, regular rate, straight-time and overtime earnings, additions and deductions, total wages per pay period, payment date, and covered pay period. DOL does not require a particular record form. Its Fact Sheet #21 explains the federal recordkeeping requirements.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThose federal records requirements do not establish what every state or locality requires on the employee’s statement. Check the labor department and tax authority for the location where the employee works for required fields, pay frequency, delivery deadlines, language, access, and rules for electronic delivery or consent.
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How to prepare a pay stub
- Set up the employee’s payroll record. Record the employee’s name and other necessary identifying information, pay basis, regular rate, workweek start, and time records. Protect Social Security numbers and other personal information; there is no need to expose a full SSN on the employee-facing stub.
- Close and verify the pay period. Identify the dates covered and payment date. Reconcile daily and weekly time records, including paid leave and any applicable tips, commissions, piece-rate units, or other compensation.
- Calculate gross earnings. Apply the employee’s pay basis and rates, including overtime where required. Keep the wage basis and workweek calculations auditable. Salary alone does not establish that an employee is exempt from overtime.
- Calculate withholding and deductions. Use the employee’s current withholding information and applicable federal, state, and local rules. Include authorized benefit or other deductions. For federal employer tax instructions, consult the IRS Publication 15 (Circular E) for 2026 and verify state and local rules with the relevant authorities. Do not copy rates or thresholds from an older sample ledger.
- Prepare the statement. Label gross wages, each deduction, and net pay clearly. Include the period and payment date, plus hours, rates, overtime, and other applicable pay details. Use the fields and delivery format required in the employee’s work location.
- Review and deliver. Confirm that gross pay minus deductions equals net pay, and that the statement belongs to the correct employee and pay period. Deliver it by the method and deadline allowed by the applicable jurisdiction.
- Retain the records. Keep the final payroll record along with the time and wage-calculation materials needed to explain it, subject to applicable federal and state retention rules.
Spreadsheet or payroll service?
A spreadsheet or paper ledger can organize a small payroll if the employer understands the applicable wage and tax rules and reviews the calculations each period. Use consistent employee records, clearly named earnings and deduction categories, protected formulas, a reconciliation check, and a secure backup. The IRS’s Publication 4268 (revised August 2022) illustrates a payroll ledger with hours, hourly rate, gross pay, tax withholding, insurance and other deductions, and net pay. It also discusses computerized stubs with current-period and year-to-date columns. Treat this as an illustration of record layout, not as a source for current tax rates.
A payroll service may handle some combination of paychecks, statements, forms, filings, or federal tax deposits; the exact scope depends on the arrangement. Ask what it handles, how tax deposits are monitored, who receives tax notices, how corrections are made, and what records you can retrieve. The IRS says using a third-party provider generally does not remove the employer’s responsibility for timely employment-tax filing and payment. See IRS guidance on outsourcing payroll duties.
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| Consideration | Spreadsheet or paper ledger | Payroll service |
|---|---|---|
| Setup and recurring cost | Depends on your tools and time; no standard cost is established here. | Depends on the provider and arrangement; no standard cost or plan is established here. |
| Calculations and tax updates | You maintain formulas and verify current tax rules. | Confirm whether calculations and tax-table updates are included and how they are handled. |
| Filings and deposits | You arrange and monitor required filings and payments. | Confirm which filings and deposits the provider performs; responsibility may remain with the employer. |
| Statements and payment | You prepare and deliver statements and arrange payment. | Confirm whether it supports your employees’ work locations, payment method, and permitted statement delivery. |
| Corrections and records | You manage corrections, preserve the audit trail, and back up records. | Ask how corrections work and what records and exports you can retrieve. |
| Review and security | You control access and must check the work each pay period. | Review duties and security practices still matter; confirm access controls and notice handling. |
How long to keep payroll records
DOL guidance generally calls for payroll records to be retained for at least three years, and records used to compute wages—such as time cards, rate tables, schedules, and records of additions or deductions—for two years. Keep the supporting materials, not only the final stub. State rules may require longer retention. See DOL Fact Sheet #21 and the DOL recordkeeping summary.
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