Create Accurate Pay Stubs in Minutes
A pay stub records what a worker earned during a pay period and what was taken out before they were paid. Building one by hand for every employee each cycle takes time, and a single typo in the deductions throws off the net pay. These free pay stub templates handle the arithmetic instead. You enter the hours, rate, and deductions, and the gross earnings, total deductions, and net pay fill in automatically.
There are five templates to choose from, each available as an Excel file and a Google Sheets version, with a printable PDF for paper records. Pick the one that matches how you pay your team: basic hourly, with PTO, with overtime, with both, or for independent contractors.
What is a pay stub?
A pay stub is the breakdown that comes with a worker's pay. It lists gross earnings, each deduction, and the final net pay for the period, usually with year-to-date totals alongside. Employers issue one every pay cycle, whether that's weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
The same document goes by several names. A paycheck stub, check stub, earnings statement, wage statement, and pay slip all refer to the same record.
What should a pay stub include?
A pay stub should include the following:
- Employer name and address
- Employee name, address, ID number, and Social Security number
- Pay period dates and the pay date
- Hours worked and the hourly rate
- Bonuses, if any apply
- Gross earnings for the period
- Deductions, itemized by type (federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and others)
- Net pay
- Year-to-date totals for earnings, deductions, and net pay
Free Pay Stub Templates (with a calculator)
Each template below comes as a Google Sheets copy, an Excel file, and a printable PDF. The calculator versions total gross pay, deductions, and net pay as you type, so you only fill in the raw figures.
1. Basic Pay Stub Template with a Calculator
The simplest option, built for hourly or salaried staff with straightforward pay. It covers earnings, deductions, and net pay without extra sections to wade through.
Why use it: Issue a clean pay stub and let the template total gross earnings, deductions, and net pay so the numbers stay consistent.
How to fill it out:
- Add your company name and address.
- Enter the employee's name, address, Social Security number, and ID.
- Set the pay period dates and the pay date.
- In the earnings section, enter the hourly rate, hours worked, and any bonus.
- In the deductions section, enter federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and any other withholdings.
- Fill in the year-to-date figures for gross, deductions, and net pay.
Gross earnings, total deductions, and net pay are calculated automatically.
2. Pay Stub Template with PTO + Calculator
A detailed version that adds a paid-time-off section, so the stub shows PTO hours used and the balance remaining next to regular pay.
Why use it: Show PTO clearly on the stub without recalculating balances by hand each period.
How to fill it out:
- Add your company details and the employee's details (name, address, Social Security number, and ID).
- Set the pay period dates and the pay date.
- Enter the hourly rate, regular hours worked, and any bonus in the earnings section.
- Enter all applicable deductions (federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and others).
- In the PTO section, enter the PTO hours available at the start of the period and the PTO hours used during this period.
- Fill in the year-to-date figures.
Gross earnings, total deductions, the remaining PTO balance, and net pay are calculated automatically. Note: there is no federal law in the US setting a minimum number of PTO hours — check your state rules and your own policy for what to show.
3. Pay Stub Template with Overtime + Calculator
Built for staff who work beyond their regular hours. The template separates regular and overtime pay, applies an overtime multiplier to the regular rate, and adds overtime earnings to the gross.
Why use it: Add overtime to a stub without working out the overtime rate and totals manually.
How to fill it out:
- Add your company details.
- Enter the employee's details, the pay period dates, and the pay date.
- Enter the regular hourly rate and regular hours worked.
- Enter the overtime hours worked. The overtime rate is calculated from the regular rate.
- Enter all applicable deductions and any bonus.
- Fill in the year-to-date figures.
Gross earnings, total deductions, and net pay are calculated automatically. The template uses the common 1.5× overtime multiplier — overtime rules vary by state and situation, so confirm the correct multiplier for your team before sending.
4. Pay Stub Template with PTO and Overtime + Calculator
The most complete option, covering both PTO and overtime on a single stub. It's the right choice when a worker's pay includes regular hours, overtime, and paid time off in the same period.
Why use it: Handle a multi-part pay stub in one place, with every total worked out for you.
How to fill it out:
- Add your company details.
- Enter the employee's details, the pay period dates, and the pay date.
- Enter the regular hourly rate and regular hours worked.
- Enter the overtime hours worked. The overtime rate is calculated from the regular rate.
- In the PTO section, enter the PTO hours available at the start of the period and the PTO hours used this period.
- Enter all applicable deductions and any bonus, then fill in the year-to-date figures.
Gross earnings, total deductions, the remaining PTO balance, and net pay are calculated automatically. Confirm your team's overtime multiplier is correct for your state before issuing the stub.
5. Contractor Pay Stub Template with a Calculator
For independent contractors, also known as 1099 workers. It lists the services provided, the rate, and the hours or units, and totals the amount due. Tax withholding is left blank, since contractors handle their own taxes.
Why use it: Give a contractor a clear record of payment and proof of income, with the totals calculated for you.
How to fill it out:
- Add your company (payer) details.
- Set the payment period and the issue date.
- Enter the contractor's name, address, and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
- Add an optional project description.
- In the service section, enter each service item, the rate (hourly or fixed), and the number of hours or units.
- Leave the tax fields blank for the contractor to handle, or fill in the year-to-date field if you track it together.
Earnings and total net pay are calculated automatically. A contractor pay stub is not the same as Form 1099-NEC, the year-end form filed for contractors paid above the IRS reporting threshold — it's an optional record you can send each pay period.
Pay Stub vs. Paycheck
A paycheck is the payment itself. A pay stub is the record that explains it. The paycheck shows the net amount a worker receives; the pay stub shows how that figure was reached, including gross pay, each deduction, hours worked, and year-to-date totals. When pay goes out by direct deposit there's often no paper check at all, but the pay stub still goes to the employee.
Pay Stub vs. Invoice
A pay stub and an invoice both deal with payment, but they move in opposite directions. A company issues a pay stub to a worker as part of payroll. An independent contractor issues an invoice to a client to request payment for completed work. If you bill clients, an invoice is the document you need; if you pay staff, a pay stub is.
Do Employers Have to Issue Pay Stubs?
Whether you're required to provide a pay stub depends on where your business operates. In the US there's no single federal law requiring pay stubs, but many states do, and the rules differ. Some states let you provide stubs electronically, others require a printed copy or the option to print one, and a few have no requirement at all. Outside the US, pay stubs are commonly mandatory. Because these rules change and vary by location, check your current state or country requirements before settling on a format.
How to Calculate Overtime Pay
Under the US federal standard, overtime is paid at 1.5 times the regular hourly rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The basic formula is:
Overtime pay = regular hourly rate × 1.5 × overtime hours
For someone earning $20 an hour who works 5 overtime hours in a week, the overtime rate is $30, so overtime pay is $150. Added to 40 regular hours at $20 ($800), the week's gross pay is $950.
Some states calculate overtime differently, for example by counting hours over a daily threshold or applying a higher multiplier in certain cases. Confirm the rule that applies to your team so the stub stays accurate.
Why Use a Pay Stub Template with WebWork
A template handles the format and the math, but a pay stub is only as accurate as the hours behind it. That's the part WebWork takes care of.
WebWork tracks work hours automatically, so the figures you put on a pay stub come from recorded time rather than estimates. From there you can:
The template gives you a clean pay stub. WebWork gives you the accurate hours to fill it with.
How WebWork Helps with Payroll
Getting accurate hours for your pay stubs takes four steps:
- Invite your team by email.
- Set up projects and tasks, and assign them to people.
- Let everyone track time from their own device.
- Review and approve timesheets each pay period.
Then use the tracked hours and rates to complete any of the templates above, or pull a payroll report inside WebWork. Pricing starts at $3.99 per user per month.
