Pay Stub Checker
Enter the values from your pay stub and verify them against IRS Publication 15-T calculations. Catch tax errors, missing fields, and discrepancies before submitting to landlords or lenders.
Enter the values from your existing pay stub. The checker will compare them against IRS Publication 15-T calculations to identify errors.
Deductions shown on your stub
Need an Accurate Pay Stub?
Generate a professional pay stub with IRS Publication 15-T tax calculations for all 50 states. Every deduction verified automatically. First stub is free.
How to Verify a Pay Stub Is Accurate
The recommended way to verify a pay stub is to check each deduction against the IRS Publication 15-T withholding tables (source: irs.gov/publications/p15t). Federal income tax withholding depends on your filing status, pay frequency, and gross pay. A legitimate pay stub shows deductions that match these calculations within normal employer rounding (1-2%).
The 7 Fields Landlords and Lenders Check
- Employer name and EIN (Employer Identification Number in XX-XXXXXXX format)
- Employee name and SSN (last 4 digits only for privacy)
- Gross pay consistent with stated salary or hourly rate
- Federal tax withholding matching IRS tables for the stated filing status
- State tax withholding matching the employee's state rate (9 states have no income tax)
- FICA deductions: Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%
- Net pay equals gross minus all deductions (the math must add up)
Common Reasons Pay Stubs Get Rejected
Based on analysis of pay stub generator reviews, the most common rejection reasons are: federal tax calculated as a flat percentage instead of the IRS bracket method (wrong by $50-200 per pay period), state tax charged in no-income-tax states like Texas or Florida, Social Security deducted above the annual wage cap of $184,500 (source: SSA, 2026), and missing employer EIN. Landlords who process hundreds of applications spot these inconsistencies quickly.
No-Income-Tax States
Nine US states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. If your pay stub shows a state tax deduction for any of these states, the stub contains an error. Washington state does have a 7% capital gains tax on gains above $270,000, but this does not apply to wage withholding on pay stubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the pay stub checker verify my stub?▾
The checker takes the values you enter from your pay stub (gross pay, federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and net pay) and recalculates them using the IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method withholding tables (source: irs.gov/publications/p15t). It compares your stub's values against the IRS-accurate calculations and flags any discrepancies above a 5% tolerance threshold.
Why was my pay stub rejected by a landlord?▾
Landlords reject pay stubs for several reasons: missing employer EIN, incorrect tax calculations that do not match IRS tables, inconsistent net pay (deductions do not add up to gross minus net), missing required fields like pay period dates or employee SSN, and formatting that looks unprofessional. The most common cause is inaccurate tax withholding that does not match what payroll software would calculate.
What is the IRS Publication 15-T?▾
IRS Publication 15-T (Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods) is the official document that tells employers how to calculate federal income tax withholding from employee paychecks. It contains the Percentage Method tables for all four filing statuses (Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household). PayStubHQ uses these exact tables to verify your pay stub calculations.
Do banks verify pay stub tax calculations?▾
Yes. Banks and mortgage lenders verify pay stubs during the underwriting process. They check that deductions are consistent with reported income and filing status. A pay stub with incorrect federal withholding or missing FICA deductions raises red flags and can delay or deny a loan application. This is why accurate tax calculations matter.
What should I do if the checker finds errors?▾
If you received the stub from an employer, contact your payroll department with the specific discrepancies. If you created the stub yourself using a template or another generator, the tax calculations are likely wrong. PayStubHQ generates pay stubs with IRS Publication 15-T-accurate calculations for all 50 states, starting with your first stub free.