Pay stub totals look wrong

If the numbers on your stub don't match what you expected, the cause is nearly always one of a handful of input settings rather than the calculation itself. Work through these in order — the first two account for most cases.

1. Check the pay frequency

Pay frequency determines how an annual tax rate is applied to a single pay period. The same gross pay marked monthly withholds a different amount than one marked biweekly, because the system is calculating what one period's share of the annual tax should be.

If the withheld tax looks too high or too low, confirm the frequency matches how the employee is genuinely paid — weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. Biweekly (26 pay periods) and semimonthly (24) are especially easy to mix up.

2. Check the work state

State tax is calculated from the employee's work state — where the work is performed, which isn't always where the business is registered or where the employee lives.

If state tax is zero when you expected a deduction, check whether the selected state levies an income tax at all; several don't. If it's present when you expected none, the wrong state is probably selected.

3. Check how deductions are categorized

Pre-tax deductions come out before tax is calculated and lower taxable income. Post-tax deductions come out afterwards and don't change the tax figures at all.

Entering a pre-tax item like health insurance or a 401(k) as post-tax is the most common reason net pay is slightly off while everything else looks right. See Adding earnings and deductions for which items belong in which group.

4. Check the year-to-date figures

If this isn't the employee's first stub of the year, the YTD columns need the totals from earlier stubs. Left empty, the current period will be right while the running totals read as though the year just started.

5. Check the earnings lines add up

Gross pay is the sum of your earning lines. If gross looks wrong:

• Confirm overtime hours were entered separately rather than folded into regular hours.
• Check that bonuses and commissions are on their own lines.
• For hourly pay, re-check the rate and the hours for the period.
• For salary, confirm you entered the amount for this period, not the annual figure.

Still not matching?

If you've checked all five and the figures still look wrong, contact support with your order number and a note of what you expected versus what the stub shows. If the error turns out to be ours rather than an input, see Request a refund.

Common questions

Why is the tax different from another pay stub with the same gross pay?

Almost always pay frequency. The same gross amount withholds differently on a monthly stub than a biweekly one, because each represents a different share of the annual total.

Why is there no state tax on my stub?

Several states levy no income tax, so a zero state line can be correct. If you expected a deduction, confirm the right work state is selected — it should be where the work is performed.

My net pay is slightly off but gross looks right

Check whether each deduction is categorized as pre-tax or post-tax. Putting a pre-tax item like health insurance in the post-tax group changes net pay without changing gross.

The year-to-date totals look too low

YTD figures need to be entered if this isn't the first stub of the year. Left blank, the current period is correct but the running totals start from zero.

Can I fix the numbers after downloading?

Correct the input and generate the stub again. A downloaded PDF is a finished document, so the fix is to re-create it with the right settings rather than edit the file.