Are gross pay and taxable wages the same?

Not always. A qualifying pretax benefit may reduce wages for one tax, while another tax can use a different wage base. Check the labeled federal, Social Security, Medicare, and state wage fields.

Does federal law require a pay stub?

The Department of Labor says the FLSA requires accurate employer records but does not itself require the employer to provide a stub. State wage-statement law may still apply.

What should I do if my pay stub is wrong?

Save the statement, time records, and offer or wage notice; write down the expected calculation; and contact payroll. If wages remain unpaid, consult the appropriate state labor agency or the U.S. Department of Labor for rules that apply to your situation.

Reading a pay stub

What Is a Pay Stub? How to Read Your Paycheck Stub

By Onoir Studio LimitedPublished August 29, 2026Source links reviewed August 29, 2026

A pay stub is the statement that explains a wage payment. It typically connects hours or salary to gross pay, lists taxes and other deductions, and arrives at the net amount paid to you.

Key takeaways

Gross pay is earnings before deductions; net pay is the amount left after deductions.
“Current” covers this pay period, while “YTD” usually accumulates amounts from the start of the calendar year.
Federal law requires covered employers to keep payroll records, but the FLSA itself does not require employers to give workers a pay stub. State rules may require one.
Payroll abbreviations are not fully standardized, so use your employer’s legend when a code is unclear.

The main parts of a pay stub

Section	What to check
Employer and employee	Name, pay date, employee identifier, and work location
Pay period	The beginning and ending dates covered by this payment
Earnings	Hours, rates, salary, overtime, bonus, tips, commissions, and paid leave
Taxes	Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and applicable state or local withholding
Other deductions	Retirement, insurance, HSA or FSA, union dues, garnishments, or other authorized items
Totals	Gross pay, total deductions, net pay, and current/YTD columns

The U.S. Department of Labor requires covered employers to preserve accurate records including hours, wage basis, straight-time and overtime earnings, additions and deductions, total wages, payment date, and the pay period covered. A state may impose additional wage-statement requirements, so the fields and delivery format can differ.

How gross pay becomes net pay

Start with the earnings section. For an hourly employee, check regular hours multiplied by the regular rate, then add overtime and other earnings. For a salaried employee, compare the gross amount with the annual salary divided by the expected pay periods. Next, trace every deduction. The basic relationship is:

Gross pay − taxes − other deductions = net pay

This simplified example is arithmetic only and does not represent a tax calculation:

Illustrative line	Amount
Gross pay	$2,000
Federal income tax	−$180
Social Security	−$124
Medicare	−$29
State tax	−$60
Health and retirement	−$200
Net pay	$1,407

Your actual federal withholding depends on taxable wages, payroll frequency, and Form W-4 information. Pretax deductions can change the wage base for one tax without changing it for another, which is why “gross pay” and every “taxable wages” line may not match.

Current versus year-to-date amounts

The current column shows this paycheck. A YTD column normally adds the applicable amounts paid or withheld so far in the calendar year. For example, if current Social Security withholding is $124 and the prior YTD total was $620, the new YTD figure would ordinarily be $744. Benefit plans may also display plan-year or employer-specific accumulators, so do not assume every cumulative figure resets on January 1.

YTD totals help you spot a duplicate deduction, monitor retirement contributions, and enter withholding in the IRS estimator. Compare them with earlier statements instead of reviewing only one paycheck.

A practical pay-stub review

Confirm the pay period and payment date.
Match recorded hours, pay rates, leave, overtime, and bonuses to your own records.
Recalculate gross pay and add the deductions.
Confirm that gross minus deductions equals net pay, allowing for separately identified reimbursements.
Compare current and YTD columns with the prior stub.
Ask payroll promptly about an unfamiliar code or discrepancy and keep the response with your records.

Protect the document: even a partially masked pay stub can contain an address, employee number, bank details, or sensitive earnings information.

Where this comes from

U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #21, FLSA Recordkeeping (opens in a new tab)
U.S. Department of Labor FLSA Advisor, Are Pay Stubs Required? (opens in a new tab)
IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide (opens in a new tab)

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