To use the Create Pay Stub generator, gather the actual payroll records, enter the company and employee details, add the correct pay periods, and review every statement before checkout. The new online pay stub generator organizes this into five steps: Company, Employee, Pay details, Review, and Checkout. You can choose among six templates without starting the form again.
This walkthrough follows the live tool reviewed October 20, 2026. It focuses on using the application; our Pay Stub Help 101 guide explains the underlying payroll terms. A generated document should describe a real payment accurately. Its design does not independently verify the earnings, employment, or tax treatment entered.
What should you have ready before using the generator?
Start with a verified employer and employee name, applicable addresses, payroll tax information, the payment schedule, approved earnings, and prior cumulative totals. If you need a missing employer-issued statement, ask payroll for it first rather than reconstructing it from a bank deposit.
The Department of Labor's recordkeeping guidance identifies accurate hours, wage rates, additions, deductions, payment dates, and covered periods among the records required for covered nonexempt workers. Those records are a useful starting point for checking your inputs; the federal recordkeeping list is not a universal pay-stub display checklist.
Swipe or scroll to see all columns.
| Entry | Source to check | Common mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Names and addresses | Employer and employee payroll records | Using a trading name or old address without checking the required issuer details |
| Pay period and pay date | Payroll calendar and payment record | Assuming the suggested dates describe the actual payment |
| Hours, rate, or salary | Approved time and compensation records | Working backward from a preferred net-pay figure |
| Deductions and taxes | Payroll calculation and applicable employee elections | Treating a convenient percentage as verified withholding |
| Previous YTD totals | The immediately preceding relevant payroll statement | Entering totals that already include the new payment |
Step 1: enter the company details and tax state
Open Create Pay Stub. Enter the company name and address, then select the tax state used for the relevant payroll. Do not automatically choose a state solely because it appears in a mailing address: remote work, moves, and work in more than one jurisdiction can require a separate payroll review.
Expand Additional company details if you want to provide a logo, company phone number, or EIN. The selected template determines whether these optional fields appear. Regular does not display them; other layouts support them. A field can be retained by the form even when the current design does not show it.
Use Change template to compare designs. The product's Templates & Pricing page lists the display differences and current prices; our six-template comparison explains how to choose. Check any legally required information before choosing a layout. “Optional” in an application does not decide whether a wage-statement rule lets an employer omit that information.
Step 2: enter employee details and choose a YTD starting point
Check the employee's full name and identifying information against the payroll record. The form asks for the last four SSN digits and offers other employee fields, including an employee number. Supply sensitive information only where needed, and check the preview's displayed identifiers.
The employment-status selection does not determine whether someone legally is an employee or contractor. Use the status established for the actual relationship and payroll treatment. A self-employed person's income records are not automatically equivalent to employer-issued wage statements; see contractor records versus employee pay stubs.
Use recorded YTD totals when you need to match existing payroll
The tool offers several YTD starting methods: an estimate from January 1, a hire/start date, a count of previous pay periods, or previous pay-stub YTD totals. Estimates or period counts can differ from actual records when hours, rates, bonuses, deductions, or employment dates have changed.
For an existing payroll record, use the available previous pay stub YTD totals option and copy the relevant totals from the statement immediately before the earliest new stub, in the same calendar year. Those starting totals already include that earlier payment. Do not include a payment again when the tool adds the periods being created now.
For a fictional arithmetic check, previous YTD gross of $12,400 plus current gross of $1,250 gives $13,650, assuming no intervening payment or correction. A second new period with $1,100 gross would bring the total to $14,750. This checks gross-pay accumulation only, not tax calculations. Our YTD guide covers reconciliation in more detail.
Step 3: enter pay details and verify each period
Choose hourly or salary pay and the actual pay frequency. Weekly, biweekly, twice-monthly, and monthly schedules are different. Use the compensation basis requested by the form, and check the resulting amount against payroll rather than assuming the frequency selection is merely a label.
The tool can add up to 12 stubs in one order. It offers older-to-newer and newer-to-older directions for suggested dates, but every generated date needs checking. The form says its suggestions use the frequency and order, with periods ending the day before payday. That default may not fit payroll paid in arrears, a holiday adjustment, or an off-cycle payment.
Review each stub's hours, pay date, and period boundaries separately. Do not duplicate one period's hours across another unless the records confirm they match. Our pay period versus pay date guide explains why these dates can differ.
Check calculated taxes against the actual payroll treatment
The form includes marital-status and exemption-related inputs. Do not assume these are a substitute for all the information used in a current W-4 or a complete state payroll calculation. The IRS employment-tax guidance describes federal withholding using the employee's W-4 and the applicable method and tables, as well as separate employment-tax responsibilities.
If a calculated figure disagrees with established payroll, identify the cause before ordering. Do not claim a tax exemption or change an input simply to force a desired take-home amount. Use the FIT versus FICA guide to distinguish tax categories, and get payroll help where the available fields do not represent the actual situation.
Step 4: review the preview, not just the final total
In Review, check the selected design and every stub. Open the larger preview to look for cut-off text, incorrect periods, missing fields, inconsistent decimals, and mismatched cumulative amounts. Optional fields left blank should remain blank rather than being supplied from sample content, as the product FAQ explains.
- Match the employer and employee to the intended payment.
- Compare each earnings category, deduction, and YTD amount with the supporting record.
- Check that net pay reconciles with the payment arrangement, including any split deposits or other adjustments.
- Recheck omitted fields after a template change.
- Review any optional deposit slip separately.
A deposit slip is a paid document add-on, not a transfer of money or proof that a bank received a deposit. The application states that completed pay-stub PDFs lose their PREVIEW watermark, while deposit slips retain a VOID marking. Read those markings before deciding how a document can be used.
Step 5: review checkout and keep your document access details
Confirm the delivery email, stub count, selected template, optional add-ons, any applied coupon, and final order total. Prices and promotions can change; use the live order summary rather than an old article or a remembered per-stub price.
According to the current product FAQ, completed PDFs are available from the completed order page, with a copy sent to the entered email. Keep the confirmation and private order link. If access or email is missing, check the order status and spam folder before paying again; contact support with the order reference when necessary.
If you need to pause, the checkout's Save for later option provides a private return link. Follow its displayed expiry. Anyone with that link can access the saved details, so it belongs in a secure location rather than a public message. The safe-sharing checklist applies to completed documents as well.
Questions before you finish
Can changing the template change the calculations?
The product states that all six templates use the same calculation engine. Layout and supported display fields differ. Recheck the document after a change, but a more expensive design is not a different payroll-tax calculation method.
Can the tool replace my employer's missing payroll record?
Ask the employer or payroll provider for its official record first. Preparing a document from information you supply does not independently verify employment or create missing source records.
Will a generated stub be accepted as income documentation?
The recipient decides which evidence and verification it requires. A particular template, logo, or PDF format does not guarantee acceptance.
Where should I begin?
Gather the records, choose a layout that displays the information you need, and work through the pay stub generator one step at a time. Resolve unexplained differences before completing the order.