Do you have hopes of buying a car or a house, securing a loan, or signing a rental lease sometime in the near or distant future?
If you answered “yes,” then you’re going to be needing a paycheck stub. An employee paycheck stub—or a “paystub,” for short—offers proof of your salary, and is helpful for whenever you’re applying to make a significant financial commitment.
Paystubs are also helpful to have for your records. And if you’re self-employed, they can offer helpful proof of income when dealing with the IRS.
Here’s some more info about paycheck stubs, as well as some paycheck stub examples to help you get an idea of what they ought to look like.
What’s Included On a Paystub?
So, what’s included on a paystub, anyway? Most of the info included on a paystub is fairly straightforward—it includes info about who’s being paid, who’s doing the paying, how much is being paid, and so on.
Specifically, the paystub ought to include the employee’s name and the pay period, and the date the check was issued. It should also detail info about the number of hours worked, what the gross pay and tax deductions were, and whether any paid time off or sick pay was used during the pay period.
Finally, an employee paycheck stub will include any withholdings for employer contributions for benefits, info about the paycheck’s direct deposit, and what the net pay for the pay period was.
Helpful Paycheck Stub Examples
Now you know what info a paystub should convey—but what should one look like?
Fortunately, it isn’t hard to find helpful examples of paystubs. In fact, there are plenty of helpful websites that offer examples of real check stubs.
In addition to offering examples, you can also find websites that will help create your employee paycheck stubs for you, so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff.
What About Direct Deposit?
If your business uses direct deposits, you might be wondering if paystubs are still necessary.
A paystub might seem redundant for direct deposits—but actually, paystubs offer important proof that a person is gainfully employed, and create a paper trail of when they were paid, how much they were paid, and how often they were paid.
If you offer direct deposits to your employees, you still need to give them pay stubs—either physical hard copies or archived PDFs available through an online system.
Here to Help Your Business
Figuring out payroll as a small business owner or contractor can be difficult, confusing, and time-consuming. And if you mess it up, you can face some potentially steep penalties.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. Start by looking up some paycheck stub examples, and then find the right online system that can help meet your payroll needs.
If you found this post helpful, feel free to check out the other financial advice available on our site.