Verify a US paystub: check gross pay, deductions, and employer details. Banks and HR teams trust this. No subscription, pay per use.
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A paystub is the document an employer gives to an employee each time they process a paycheck. It breaks down exactly how much the employee earned, what deductions came out, and what they're taking home. Think of it as a detailed receipt for your work.
When someone hands you a paystub to verify employment or income, you're looking at an official record from their employer. The issuer is always the company or payroll department that employed them during that pay period.
The company's HR or payroll department generates this document. They're responsible for its accuracy and completeness.
Employees receive a paystub whenever they get paid, whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly. It's a standard employment record.
Landlords, lenders, and employers often request recent paystubs as proof that the person actually works somewhere and earns what they claim.
The FTC has taken action against sellers of fake paystubs and other forged documents used for fraud and identity theft. Be cautious when a paystub looks unusual or inconsistent.
Your paycheck stub is basically a receipt for your work. It tells you exactly how much you earned, what got deducted, and what you're actually taking home. Here's what you should see every single time.
The company paying you has to identify itself clearly. No legit stub shows a vague business name or missing contact details.
Your employer knows who you are. If the stub has a typo in your name or no employee number at all, something's off.
Real stubs show exactly which days you were paid for (like 'Jan 1 - Jan 15'). This proves the stub matches actual work dates.
You'll see your hourly rate or salary, hours worked, and the math that gets you to gross pay. Fake stubs often skip this breakdown entirely.
Federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and state/local taxes are all listed separately with actual dollar amounts. Each one ties to real tax law.
Legitimate stubs show cumulative earnings and deductions for the year so far. This number grows with each paycheck and never resets mid-year.
The final number you actually get is clearly shown. Gross minus all deductions equals net. If this math doesn't work, the stub is fake.
Real stubs from payroll systems look professional but basic. They don't have Photoshop artifacts, blurry text, or copy-paste evidence.
A paystub is often your first evidence that someone actually works where they claim. Employers, landlords, and lenders rely on it to confirm income, employment status, and tax withholdings. When you're hiring, approving credit, or renting out a property, a forged paystub can cost you real money and expose you to liability.
Fake paystubs are sold online and used to bypass background checks, secure loans under false pretenses, or hide employment gaps. The FTC has pursued multiple cases against vendors who manufacture counterfeit pay stubs, bank statements, and tax forms specifically for identity theft and fraud. A quick verification now prevents you from unknowingly processing fraudulent applications or enabling financial crime.
The FTC has shut down sellers of counterfeit paystubs, bank statements, and tax forms used in fraud and identity theft schemes
FTC, September 2018 (ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2018/09/ftc-shuts-down-purveyors-fake-documents-used-fraud-identity-theft)
A fake pay stub looks eerily close to the real thing. But a few quick checks will tell you if what you're holding is legitimate or a forgery designed to scam landlords, lenders, or employers.
Does the company name match what your boss told you? Search the company online right now. If the address on the stub doesn't match their official headquarters or local office, that's your first red flag. Fraudsters often use real company logos but slap on fake contact details.
Pull out a calculator. Add up federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), state tax (if any), and any deductions. Does it roughly equal the amount subtracted from your gross pay? A $500 paycheck with only $50 in total deductions doesn't pass the math test. Real paystubs show the IRS-mandated withholding percentages or fixed amounts.
Are you paid weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly? The pay period dates on the stub should line up with what your employer told you. If a weekly pay stub shows dates spanning three weeks, or the dates jump around randomly, someone fabricated it.
If something feels off, ask your employer directly for a copy of the wage and income transcript or Form W-2. The IRS maintains official records: visit the IRS Paycheck Checkup tool or request a wage and income transcript through your IRS account. No employer will be offended by a direct ask.
Real paystubs come from payroll software and look professional. Fake ones often have blurry text, misaligned columns, odd fonts, or spacing that looks hand-tweaked. If you're viewing a PDF, zoom in and check the clarity of the company logo and the IRS-required fields.
Open your bank account. Does the net pay on the stub match the amount that actually hit your account? Timing matters too: if the stub says you were paid on the 15th but the deposit shows up on the 22nd, that's normal. But if the amount doesn't match at all, someone's lying.
Go straight to the official source. The IRS Paycheck Checkup tool and wage and income transcripts are free and carry real legal weight with landlords and lenders.
A real paystub is loaded with specific numbers, tax codes, and employer details that are hard to fake convincingly. Here's what forgers get wrong, and what you should check when you see one.
Every paystub must show the employer's federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), a 9-digit code formatted as XX-XXXXXXX. A fake often leaves this blank, uses a wrong number, or doesn't match IRS records. HR teams verify this in seconds against public databases.
Federal, state, and FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) aren't random. They follow strict percentage formulas based on W-4 elections and wage brackets. If the math is off (especially if federal withholding looks too low), accountants spot it immediately. Use the IRS Paycheck Checkup tool to see if the numbers make sense for a real salary.
A genuine paystub always shows: Gross Pay minus Deductions equals Net Pay. If that equation is broken, the paystub is fake. Forgers often copy a template without understanding how each deduction flows down.
Real paystubs show exact pay period start and end dates, plus the payment date. Fakes often say 'For the period' with vague dates, or dates that don't align with a standard biweekly or monthly schedule. Payroll runs follow calendars, not guesses.
Your name and Social Security Number (last 4 digits) must appear. If the SSN format is wrong or missing entirely, it's a red flag. Some fakes blur or alter this info deliberately.
Many forged paystubs are photocopied PDFs with bad resolution, misaligned text, or fonts that don't match the rest of the document. Real paystubs from payroll software (ADP, Gusto, Intuit) have consistent formatting and clean fonts. If it looks hastily edited, it probably is.
A paystub always shows YTD (year-to-date) figures for gross pay, deductions, and taxes. If you add up the current paystub to previous ones and the YTD numbers don't line up, the document is either fake or heavily altered. Payroll systems auto-calculate these.
Verify the company name, address, and phone number against the business's official website or LinkedIn. Many fakes use slightly wrong spellings, outdated addresses, or phone numbers that don't connect to the real HR department. The FTC has shut down entire services that sold fake paystubs with fabricated company info.
When someone presents a pay stub to you, your job is to spot the red flags before they slip through. Fraudsters copy legitimate documents, but they almost always leave traces. Here's what separates a genuine pay stub from a clumsy forgery.
These documents come straight from payroll systems and carry consistent formatting, precise calculations, and employer branding.
Counterfeit pay stubs often contain sloppy errors, mismatched information, or mathematical inconsistencies that don't hold up to scrutiny.
Fake paystubs are not a marginal issue. The Federal Trade Commission has taken direct action against organized sellers of fraudulent documents, including fake paystubs, forged bank statements, and counterfeit tax forms. These documents feed a larger ecosystem of identity theft and financial fraud.
What you should know: the supply side is real and prosecuted, which means someone presenting you with a paystub may well have obtained it through illegitimate channels. The question you face as a hiring manager, lender, or landlord is whether the document in front of you is authentic.
The Federal Trade Commission took enforcement action against sellers distributing fake pay stubs, bank statements, and tax forms used specifically for identity theft and fraud.
FTC press release on shutting down purveyors of fake documents used for fraud and identity theft
Fake paystubs remain one of the easiest documents to fabricate. Forgers exploit the fact that most verifiers never contact the employer directly. Here are the common tricks you should spot before accepting a paystub as proof of income.
The easiest alteration: someone changes the dollar figures using a simple PDF editor or by scanning and retyping the stub. The name, employer, and dates stay intact to look legitimate. Watch for amounts that seem oddly round (exactly $5,000 or $10,000) or suspiciously aligned with what a landlord or lender requires. Run the math yourself: does the net pay make sense given the gross, deductions, and tax withholdings shown?
A genuine paystub includes the employer's name, address, and often a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN). Forgers sometimes list vague company names, incomplete addresses, or phone numbers that don't actually connect to HR departments. Ask yourself: could you actually call this employer and reach someone who knows this person? Request the employer's main phone number independently and verify.
Real paystubs show the employee's full Social Security Number (SSN) or at least partially mask it consistently. Fake ones might omit this entirely, show it in an unusual format, or mask it incorrectly. Also check for the employer's federal tax ID (EIN). If either is missing or oddly formatted, the document warrants skepticism.
Federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) withholdings should appear on legitimate stubs. Forgers sometimes leave these out or add nonsensical deduction categories. If you see zero federal withholding on a six-figure income, or deductions with generic labels like 'Other,' ask the person to explain or provide recent W-2s that match the paystub amounts.
Paystubs from the same payroll system should look nearly identical in layout and font. If the stub you're reviewing has ragged text, unusual line spacing, or fonts that don't match what other employees from that company present, it may have been reassembled. Forgers rarely match the exact template and print quality of legitimate stubs.
Compare the year-to-date (YTD) earnings on the current stub against previous stubs if available. If someone claims they earned $80,000 YTD but the paystub shows only $5,000 for the current pay period and no prior stubs exist, ask to see the full sequence. Forgers often overlook YTD calculations when creating a single fake paystub.
Most companies issue paystubs on consistent schedules (weekly, biweekly, monthly). If someone hands you a paystub dated three months ago and claims it represents current income, that's a red flag. Also verify the pay period dates match the issue date. A stub dated January 31 but showing pay for February is suspicious.
The strongest defense: contact the employer's HR or payroll department directly using independently sourced contact information. Legitimate employers can confirm employment dates, current salary, and whether the paystub matches their records. If the person refuses to allow this verification or the employer has no record of them, the document is almost certainly forged.
A paystub that doesn't match the employer's records, inconsistent formatting, or numbers that don't add up—these are red flags. Whether you're a hiring manager, lender, landlord, or someone verifying income for a transaction, catching a forged paystub early protects you from fraud and potential legal liability.
The person presenting a fake paystub may not realize it's fraudulent, or they may be knowingly using it for identity theft or loan fraud. Either way, your next move matters.
Call the company's HR or payroll department using the main phone number from their official website, not contact information on the paystub itself. Ask them to confirm whether the person works there and whether the paystub is legitimate. This one phone call usually settles it.
If the person claims to work for a major employer but you have doubts, the IRS can provide a wage and income transcript or a copy of their Form W-2. The person can request this themselves through IRS.gov (Topic 159), or you can ask them to provide it. This is the gold standard for income verification.
Legitimate paystubs always include the employer's legal name and address, the employee's full name and address, pay period dates, gross pay, deductions itemized (federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, state tax if applicable), and net pay. Logos should match the company's official branding. If critical details are missing or misformatted, that's a sign of fraud.
If you suspect fraud, stop the hiring process, loan application, rental agreement, or sale. Accepting a fraudulent document exposes you to legal consequences and makes you complicit in fraud. Make it clear that you cannot move forward without verified income documentation.
If the paystub is part of a larger fraud scheme, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the person is applying for a loan or rental housing using the fake document, also contact the lender or landlord's legal department. For identity theft or criminal fraud, contact local law enforcement or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Yes. When someone presents you with a pay stub, you have every right to ask for it and verify it. Whether you're hiring, lending money, renting out a property, or checking someone's background, requesting a pay stub is a standard and legitimate step.
The challenge isn't asking for one. It's spotting whether the one you're holding is real or fake. Fraudsters sell fake pay stubs online, and they can look convincing at first glance.
Employers are required to provide pay stubs to employees. If the person presenting the document says their employer won't give them one, that's a red flag. No legitimate employer withholds pay stub information from their own employees.
Don't rely on the pay stub alone. Call the employer's payroll department or HR office yourself using a number you find independently (not one the job candidate gives you). Ask if the person worked there during the stated period and confirm the salary range. Real employers will cooperate.
Fake pay stubs often have misaligned text, inconsistent fonts, missing company logos, wrong tax withholding formats, or spelling errors. The IRS and FTC publish examples of what legitimate pay stubs look like. Compare what you're seeing against official templates.
Criminals sell software and websites that create fake pay stubs on demand. If the person seems too eager to hand over a document without hesitation, or if you find the same pay stub template used by multiple job applicants, investigate further. The FTC has shut down numerous fake document sellers.
Ask for pay stubs from the last two or three months. This makes it harder for someone to use an old, outdated template. Recent stubs are also more useful for verifying current income.
For financial decisions like lending or renting, you can ask to see the person's W-2 form (which employers send to the IRS) or request a wage and income transcript directly from the IRS. These are much harder to fake because they're filed with the government.
A real pay stub comes directly from your employer or their payroll processor. It's not something you request from a government agency—your employer generates and delivers it to you. Here's how the legitimate process works, so you know what to expect when someone hands you one.
Your employer's payroll department (or their payroll software provider) computes your gross pay, taxes withheld (federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare), and any other deductions. This happens before you ever see the document.
Whether your employer uses in-house payroll software, an accountant, or a third-party service like ADP or Gusto, that system prints or emails your pay stub. The format may vary—some are PDFs, some printed on check stubs—but it always comes from the payroll source, not the government.
You receive your pay stub when you're paid (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly depending on your employer's schedule). It arrives alongside your paycheck or as an email attachment if your company uses direct deposit.
If you need an older pay stub for a loan application, apartment rental, or tax purposes, contact your employer's HR or payroll department directly. They can usually print or email duplicates within a few business days.
If you need a formal wage transcript or copy of your W-2 for tax purposes, you can request it directly from the IRS through their official transcript service. This is separate from your pay stub and is used strictly for tax verification.
A paystub lists your gross pay, deductions (taxes, insurance, retirement contributions), net pay, and year-to-date totals. It should also show your employer's name, your pay period dates, and your employee ID. If any of these sections are missing, flag it with your HR department right away.
Start by checking that gross pay matches your salary or hourly rate multiplied by hours worked. Then verify deductions match what you authorized (health insurance, 401k, taxes). Add up gross minus deductions to see if net pay is accurate. If numbers don't add up, contact payroll before the next pay cycle.
No, federal law requires employers to provide paystubs that show gross pay, deductions, and net pay. Most states have additional rules about timing and detail. If your employer won't hand over a paystub, you can file a wage claim with your state's labor department.
Keep paystubs for at least three to seven years, depending on your situation. If you're claiming deductions on taxes, mortgage lenders typically ask for the last two months. For legal disputes or benefit claims, having years of records protects you.
Contact your payroll or HR department immediately with the specific error. Most companies can issue a corrected paystub and adjust your next check. If they ignore the mistake after multiple requests, document everything and consider filing a wage claim with your state labor board.
No, they serve different purposes. A paystub shows what you earned and how much was deducted from each paycheck, while a W2 is an annual tax form summarizing all your earnings and taxes withheld for the entire year. You get paystubs throughout the year and a W2 early the following year.
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