Pay Stub Generator — Free Paycheck Creator Guide

Who Needs a Pay Stub Generator

Pay stubs serve multiple purposes across different roles:

• Freelancers and self-employed workers — banks and landlords often require proof of income when applying for loans or leases; a pay stub documents gross earnings and deductions in a standard format
• Small business owners — companies without dedicated payroll software need a way to issue pay records to hourly or salaried employees each pay period
• HR departments and payroll administrators — a quick browser-based tool works as a backup or cross-check when the primary payroll system is unavailable
• Employees tracking earnings — anyone who wants to verify that deductions are calculated correctly before the official paycheck arrives
• Accountants and bookkeepers — generating sample or corrected pay stubs for record-keeping or client reporting

Dedicated payroll platforms (ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll) add cost and complexity. A browser-based free pay stub generator handles the calculation and formatting without an account or subscription.

How to Create a Pay Stub in 5 Steps

1. Choose pay type. Toggle between Hourly and Salary at the top of the form. Hourly mode calculates gross pay from hours worked and an hourly rate, with optional overtime at 1.5×. Salary mode divides the annual salary by 26 to produce a standard bi-weekly gross.
2. Enter company and employee details. Type the company name and employee name. Both appear in the pay stub header and employee information bar. No other personal identifiers are required.
3. Set the pay period dates. Enter the period start date, period end date, and the pay date (the date on which funds are issued). All three appear on the finished stub.
4. Enter earnings. For hourly workers, enter regular hours worked and the hourly rate. Add overtime hours if applicable — these are automatically calculated at 1.5× the regular rate. For salaried employees, enter the annual salary figure.
5. Set deductions and download. Enter the federal income tax percentage and state income tax percentage. FICA taxes (Social Security 6.2% and Medicare 1.45%) are calculated automatically. Add optional dollar amounts for health insurance, 401(k), and other deductions. Click Download PNG for a high-resolution image or Print / PDF to save or print the document.

Hourly vs Salary: Which Pay Type to Use

If an employee is paid monthly or semi-monthly rather than bi-weekly, enter the corresponding gross figure directly in the hourly mode with 0 overtime hours — this gives you full control over the gross pay amount.

Advanced Workflows

Bi-weekly salary math

Salary mode divides the annual figure by 26 because most US employers pay salaried employees every two weeks — 26 pay periods per year. A $65,000 annual salary produces a bi-weekly gross of $2,500.00. If your company uses semi-monthly pay (24 periods), divide the annual salary by 24 and enter that figure as the annual salary equivalent that yields the correct per-period gross. Alternatively, use the hourly mode and enter the target gross directly with hours set to 0 and rate set to the desired amount.

Understanding FICA taxes

FICA taxes are mandatory under federal law and apply to virtually all employees. Social Security is withheld at 6.2% of gross wages up to the annual wage base ($168,600 in 2024). Medicare is withheld at 1.45% with no wage cap. High earners also pay an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax on wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married), but this additional amount is beyond what this tool calculates. For most employees in most pay periods, the 6.2% + 1.45% = 7.65% FICA rate shown on the stub is accurate.

State tax rates by state

Nine US states have no individual income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (on wages), South Dakota, Tennessee (on wages), Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For employees in these states, set the state tax percentage to 0. For all other states, the rate depends on the employee's income level and filing status. As a rough guide, flat-rate states include Colorado (4.4%), Illinois (4.95%), Indiana (3.05%), Massachusetts (5%), Michigan (4.25%), North Carolina (4.5%), Pennsylvania (3.07%), and Utah (4.85%). Check your state revenue department website for the current marginal rate that applies to the employee's income level.

Printing tips for physical pay stubs

For the cleanest physical printout, use Print / PDF rather than the PNG download. When the print dialog opens:

• Set paper size to Letter (US) or A4 and orientation to Portrait
• Set margins to None or Minimum for a full-page print
• Enable Background graphics if your browser offers the option — this preserves the colored header bands

For digital distribution, the PNG download produces a 1600×variable-height image at 2× display resolution — suitable for email, HR systems, or uploading to an employee portal.

Recording deductions accurately

Health insurance premiums and 401(k) contributions are typically pre-tax deductions — they reduce your taxable gross before federal and state income taxes are applied. This tool lists them as separate line items in the deductions section. Enter each amount as the per-period dollar figure, not the annual total. For example, if health insurance costs $150 per month and the pay period is bi-weekly, the per-period amount is $75 (150 × 12 ÷ 26). Cross-referencing with a salary calculator can help verify take-home pay figures before issuing the stub.

Common Questions

Is the pay stub generator completely free?

Yes. There is no account, no subscription, and no watermark on the downloaded file. The tool runs entirely in your browser — all calculations and file generation happen client-side.

Is my data stored or sent anywhere?

No data is transmitted to a server. Employee names, salary figures, tax rates, and company details are processed entirely in your browser and are never stored. Closing or refreshing the tab clears all entered data.

What file formats are available?

PNG (approximately 1600×variable px at 2× resolution) and PDF via the browser print dialog. The PNG is suitable for digital use — email, HR portals, loan applications. The PDF path opens the browser print dialog, which includes both a Save as PDF option and a direct Print option for physical stubs.

Can I use this pay stub for official purposes?

This tool is a calculation aid and document template. It is not a certified payroll record issued by a licensed payroll provider. For official employment verification, loan applications, or legal proceedings, use pay stubs generated by your payroll software or issued directly by the employer's HR or finance department. That said, the format and calculations are consistent with standard US pay stubs and are suitable for personal record-keeping and most informal income verification purposes.

How do I find the right federal tax withholding percentage?

The IRS Publication 15-T and the IRS Withholding Estimator at irs.gov are the authoritative sources. As a rough guide for 2024: the 10% bracket applies up to $11,600 (single), 12% up to $47,150, 22% up to $100,525, 24% up to $191,950. For a single employee earning $50,000 per year (about $1,923 per bi-weekly period), the effective withholding rate using the percentage method is typically between 12% and 16%. When in doubt, 22% is a conservative estimate that avoids under-withholding. Pairing this with a budget planner lets employees model their take-home against monthly expenses.