# Pay stub generator: free paystub creator

> Free online paystub creator and check stub maker. Make a PDF pay stub or paycheck stub in minutes, for freelancers and small businesses.

URL: https://gofirmhub.com/en/pay-stub-generator/
Last updated: 2026-10-30


Generate professional PDF earnings statements in minutes. Our free paycheck stub generator helps freelancers and small business owners create clear pay records.

## How to Create Your Pay Stub

1. Enter your company and employee contact details.
2. Set the pay period, pay date, and payment frequency.
3. Input hourly rates or annual salary and any extra earnings.
4. Enter your tax deductions or toggle FICA calculations.
5. Download the PDF and check every amount before you hand it out.

## Simple Tools for Small Businesses

### No Account Required

Start generating stubs immediately without signing up or creating a password.

### Browser-Based Storage

Save your documents locally in your browser for quick access without uploading data to a server.

### Professional PDF Format

Produce clean, standardized earnings statements ready for printing or digital sharing.

## Social Security and Medicare (FICA) in 2026

If you switch on FICA, the generator withholds the employee share of Social Security and Medicare on each pay stub. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500; above that amount no Social Security is withheld for the rest of the year. Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, without a limit.

On wages above $200,000 in a calendar year, the employer also withholds the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%, whatever the employee's filing status. The generator uses the year-to-date figures to apply both limits.

Example: an employee paid $2,000 gross every two weeks has $124.00 withheld for Social Security (6.2%) and $29.00 for Medicare (1.45%) on each stub, before any income tax you enter yourself.

[SSA: contribution and benefit base](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html) · [IRS Topic 751: Social Security and Medicare withholding rates](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751)

## What to put on a pay stub

A clear pay stub lets the employee check every amount. Rules on what a wage statement must contain are set mainly by the states, so check your state's requirements as well.

- Employer name and address, and the employee's name.
- The pay period (start and end date) and the pay date.
- Hours worked and the hourly rate, or the salary for the period.
- Gross pay, then each deduction listed separately.
- Net pay for this period.
- Year-to-date totals for gross pay, deductions and net pay.

## How to read a pay stub

Every pay stub has the same building blocks, whether you are paid hourly or on a salary. Reading them in order makes it easy to confirm that the net amount is right.

- Gross pay — everything earned this period before any deductions: regular hours, overtime, salary and extra earnings such as a bonus.
- Deductions — each amount taken out, listed on its own line: income tax you enter yourself and, if you switch it on, Social Security and Medicare (FICA).
- Net pay — gross pay minus total deductions. This is the amount actually paid out.
- Year-to-date (YTD) — the running totals for gross pay, deductions and net pay since 1 January, so the full year is visible at a glance.

## Pay stubs for the self-employed and contractors

If you run your own business as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC and pay yourself a draw or a salary, you can use this generator to keep a clear record of what you paid yourself in each period.

Independent contractors are usually paid against an invoice and receive a Form 1099 at year-end rather than a W-2 pay stub. You can still produce an earnings statement for your own records, but it must reflect money that was actually paid. A pay stub is a record of real wages; creating one with invented figures to misrepresent income is illegal.

[IRS: Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-individuals-tax-center)

## Frequently asked questions

### What information does a pay stub show?
A pay stub typically displays the employer and employee names, the pay period, gross earnings, any deductions, and the final net pay. It serves as a record of payment for a specific timeframe.

### Does this tool calculate my income taxes?
No, this tool does not calculate federal, state, or local income tax withholding. It only optionally calculates Social Security and Medicare (FICA) based on SSA and IRS figures; you must enter other tax amounts manually.

### How are year-to-date (YTD) totals calculated?
Year-to-date totals assume the same pay in every earlier pay period this year: enter how many periods were already paid and the tool multiplies. Social Security stops at the yearly wage base, so its year-to-date amount never goes above the cap. If earlier paychecks were different, adjust the figures with your payroll records.

### Can I use both hourly and salary pay options?
Yes. You can enter an annual salary or specify an hourly rate along with regular and overtime hours and a multiplier to determine gross pay.

### Is this pay stub generator free and is my data stored?
The tool is completely free to use. No data is uploaded to our servers; any documents you save are stored locally within your own browser.

### Can I use these stubs as proof of income?
A pay stub must reflect wages that were actually paid. Creating a pay stub with false information is illegal. For accurate withholding, consult IRS Publication 15-T or a professional payroll provider.

### What is the 2026 Social Security wage base used in the tool?
The tool uses the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500. Social Security tax is calculated at 6.2% up to this limit.

### Can I add my company logo to the pay stub?
Yes, with Pro. Pro adds your company logo to the PDF; the free version produces the same pay stub without a logo. In both versions a small line, “Generated with gofirmhub.com - not an official payroll record”, stays on the document.

### Can I remove the “Generated with gofirmhub.com” line?
No. That line stays on every pay stub, in the free version and with Pro. It makes clear the document was produced with a tool and is not an official payroll record.

### Can I create a pay stub if I am self-employed or a 1099 contractor?
Yes, to document pay you actually took from your own business. Independent contractors normally work from invoices and a year-end Form 1099 rather than a pay stub, but you can still generate an earnings statement for your own records. Every figure must reflect money that was really paid.

### Is this paystub maker really free?
Yes. You can create and download pay stubs as PDF for free, without an account. The PDF always carries a small line “Generated with gofirmhub.com - not an official payroll record”.

### Is a check stub the same as a pay stub?
Yes. Pay stub, paystub, check stub, paycheck stub and payroll stub are different names for the same document: the earnings statement that comes with a paycheck.

### Can I create pay stubs for several pay periods?
Yes. Create one pay stub per pay period. Enter how many periods were already paid this year and the tool fills in the year-to-date totals.

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