Free Pay Stub Generator

Q: What pay frequency should I pick?

Weekly = 52 pay periods per year, biweekly (every two weeks) = 26, semimonthly (twice a month, e.g. the 1st and 15th) = 24, monthly = 12. Mixing up biweekly (26) and semimonthly (24) is the single most common payroll math error, so choose carefully.

Q: Do 401(k) and health premiums reduce my taxes the same way?

No. Section 125 deductions (most health premiums, HSA, FSA) reduce both federal income tax wages AND Social Security and Medicare wages. A traditional 401(k) reduces federal income tax wages only, NOT Social Security and Medicare wages. This tool keeps them in separate fields so FICA is computed correctly.

Q: Is it legal to make my own pay stub?

Creating a pay stub for your own record-keeping or income estimation is fine. Generating or submitting a falsified pay stub to obtain credit, housing, or a loan is fraud and a crime. This tool does not file taxes or remit any withholding to a government agency.

Q: Does the tool stop Social Security at the wage base?

Yes. Enter your year-to-date FICA wages and once they reach the 2026 $184,500 Social Security wage base, the Social Security line stops. If this period straddles the cap, only the portion up to $184,500 is taxed.

Create a professional, printable pay stub with automatic 2026 tax calculations

Employer & employee

Employer / business name *

Employee name *

Last 4 of SSN

Shown masked as XXX-XX-1234. Never enter the full SSN.

Period start

Period end

Pay (check) date

Pay basics

Pay frequency

Pay type

Hourly rate (USD)

Regular hours

Overtime hours

OT multiplier (×)

Additional earnings (bonus / tips, USD)

YTD FICA wages before this stub (USD)

Prior gross minus Section 125 (health/HSA) this year — do NOT subtract 401(k). Drives the Social Security cap ($184,500) and Additional Medicare ($200,000). 0 if first stub.

Federal withholding (Form W-4, 2026)

Filing status

W-4 Step 2 checked (multiple jobs)

Uses the IRS higher (roughly half-width-bracket) withholding schedule, so federal tax goes up. Most single-job employees leave this unchecked.

Step 3: dependents / credits (annual $)

Step 4a: other income (annual $)

Step 4b: deductions (annual $)

Step 4c: extra withholding (per period $)

State income tax

State

9 states have no income tax — picking one zeroes the state line.

State rate or amount

Pre-tax deductions (per period)

Section 125 — health / HSA (USD)

Reduces both income tax and FICA wages.

Traditional 401(k) / 403(b) (USD)

Reduces income tax wages only, NOT FICA.

Post-tax deductions (per period)

Roth / garnishment / dues (USD)

YTD deductions before this stub (USD)

Year-to-date taxes withheld before this stub (optional)

Fill these from your last stub so the YTD tax columns foot to the cent. Leave at 0 to show this period only.

YTD federal income tax (USD)

YTD Social Security (USD)

YTD Medicare (incl. Add'l) (USD)

YTD state income tax (USD)

Net pay this period

$0.00

Gross $0.00 · effective 0.0%

Pay stub preview

Free Pay Stub Generator — how to use it

What it does

This free pay stub generator builds a clean, professional, printable pay stub right in your browser and computes the payroll taxes automatically: federal income tax (2026 IRS Percentage Method), Social Security and Medicare (FICA), and a state tax line you control. It itemizes every earning and deduction with current-period and year-to-date (YTD) columns, then lets you save it as a PDF. It is built for freelancers, gig workers, the self-employed, and small businesses without payroll software who need a stub to verify income for an apartment, a car loan, or a mortgage — or to pay themselves and their first hires on the books.

How to use it

Enter the employer and employee names (both required) and, optionally, the last 4 of the SSN (shown masked).
Pick the pay frequency — this is the single most error-prone input. Biweekly is 26 periods a year; semimonthly is 24.
Choose hourly (rate × hours, plus overtime at your multiplier) or salary (a fixed gross per period). Add any bonus or tips.
Set your W-4 details — filing status, the Step 2 multiple-jobs box, and Steps 3/4a/4b/4c — exactly as on your Form W-4.
Choose your state and enter your effective state rate or a flat amount. Add any pre-tax (401k, health) and post-tax deductions.
Enter your YTD FICA wages so the Social Security cap and Additional Medicare threshold work correctly. Optionally fill the YTD taxes withheld fields from your last stub so the year-to-date columns foot. Then click Download / Print PDF.

Worked example

Biweekly, hourly, Single, no W-4 extras. $30.00/hr × 80 regular hours = $2,400.00 gross. No overtime, no pre-tax deductions, YTD = 0.

Social Security: 2,400.00 × 6.2% = $148.80
Medicare: 2,400.00 × 1.45% = $34.80
Federal income tax: annualize 2,400 × 26 = $62,400. On the 2026 Single Standard schedule that falls in the 22% bracket (over $57,900): 5,800 + 22% × (62,400 − 57,900) = $6,790/yr ÷ 26 = $261.15
State (say a 4% effective rate): 2,400.00 × 4% = $96.00

Total taxes = 148.80 + 34.80 + 261.15 + 96.00 = $540.75. Net pay = 2,400.00 − 540.75 = $1,859.25. Change the inputs above and the stub recomputes instantly.

How the tax math works

Integer-cents rounding. Every tax and deduction is rounded to the cent (round-half-up) when computed and the rounded parts are summed, so the stub foots exactly: Gross − Taxes − Deductions = Net.
FICA wages vs. income-tax wages. Section 125 (health/HSA) reduces both. Traditional 401(k) reduces income-tax wages only — never Social Security or Medicare. The tool keeps them in separate fields so FICA is right.
Social Security cap. 6.2% applies to wages up to the 2026 $184,500 base. Enter your YTD wages and the line stops once you cross it.
Additional Medicare. An extra 0.9% applies only to YTD wages over $200,000 (employee only; the employer never matches it). The tool taxes only the portion above the threshold.
Federal income tax. Wages are annualized by pay periods, adjusted by Steps 4a/4b, run through the 2026 Percentage Method Standard schedule for your filing status, reduced by Step 3 credits (floored at $0), divided back to the period, and Step 4c extra is added.

Accuracy & disclaimer

This is an estimate and a formatting aid, not official payroll. Real payroll software reconciles cumulative YTD and rounding per IRS rules, so small differences from your actual stub are expected. Federal withholding uses the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method (Automated Payroll, Worksheet 1A) Standard rate schedules, which already bake in the standard deduction — do not subtract it again. Withholding is not your final tax; your actual liability is settled on Form 1040. FICA 2026: Social Security 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base, Medicare 1.45% on all wages, Additional Medicare 0.9% over $200,000 (employee only). The Step 2 multiple-jobs box uses a higher IRS schedule — the tool applies it when checked. State income tax is user-supplied and, when entered as a percentage, is applied to gross pay (the conservative default, since whether Section 125 / 401(k) reduce state taxable wages varies by state). A single client-side tool cannot reproduce 41 states' brackets, local taxes, SDI/PFML, or reciprocity, so treat the state line as approximate. Tips and overtime are taxed normally here (the conservative default); any OBBBA deduction is reconciled on the 1040. Generating or submitting a falsified pay stub to obtain credit, housing, or a loan is fraud and a crime. This tool does not file taxes or remit withholding to any agency. All computation is fully client-side; nothing leaves your browser.

Frequently asked questions

How does this pay stub generator calculate taxes?

It uses the 2026 IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method (Automated Payroll, Worksheet 1A) Standard rate schedules for federal income tax, 6.2% Social Security up to the 2026 $184,500 wage base, 1.45% Medicare on all wages, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare on YTD wages over $200,000. State tax is whatever effective rate or flat amount you enter.

Is the withholding the same as the tax I actually owe?

No. Withholding is an estimate the IRS designed to roughly match your year-end liability. Your actual tax is settled on Form 1040 — a stub showing a withheld amount does not mean you owe exactly that.

What pay frequency should I pick?

Weekly = 52 periods/yr, biweekly (every two weeks) = 26, semimonthly (twice a month, e.g. the 1st and 15th) = 24, monthly = 12. Mixing up biweekly (26) and semimonthly (24) is the most common payroll math error.

Do 401(k) and health premiums reduce my taxes the same way?

No. Section 125 (most health premiums, HSA, FSA) reduces both income-tax AND FICA wages. A traditional 401(k) reduces income-tax wages only, not Social Security or Medicare. The tool uses separate fields so FICA is correct.

Is it legal to make my own pay stub?

Making one for your own record-keeping or income estimation is fine. Generating or submitting a falsified stub to obtain credit, housing, or a loan is fraud and a crime. This tool does not file taxes or remit any withholding.

Does the tool stop Social Security at the wage base?

Yes — enter your YTD FICA wages and once they reach the 2026 $184,500 base, the Social Security line stops. If this period straddles the cap, only the portion up to $184,500 is taxed.

Related tools

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<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/pay-stub-generator/?embed=1"
  style="width:100%;max-width:760px;height:1700px;border:0;"
  title="Free Pay Stub Generator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/pay-stub-generator/">Pay Stub Generator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>

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