Pay Stub Checker: Check Your Paycheck, Overtime, Deductions & Net Pay

A pay stub checker compares the arithmetic and labels on a paycheck with your own records. You enter regular, overtime, premium, holiday, bonus, and other earnings; compare their total with gross pay; add taxes and deductions; and compare gross minus those deductions with net pay. A separate overtime or premium review can compare hours, rates, and multipliers. The result is an estimate and a list of possible questions, not a payroll audit, tax return, legal opinion, or official wage determination. Payroll systems use different codes and may display a full premium rate or only the premium portion. Preserve the source stub, time records, written policies, and assumptions so a payroll question can be answered from the same facts. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Start by confirming the pay-period dates and the hours on the stub against your timecard and schedule. Check the hourly rate against your current wage notice. Add every earnings line, including regular pay, overtime, holiday or leave pay, premiums, bonuses, commissions, and retroactive adjustments, then compare the sum with gross pay. Add every tax and deduction line and subtract that total from gross pay to compare with net pay. Treat a difference of a few cents as possible rounding, and flag a larger difference for review. An unfamiliar code or one-time line deserves an explanation rather than a guess. Keep the records together and ask payroll which workweek, policy, or rate produced the amount. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Compare the overtime hours on the stub with the hours worked in the employer's fixed workweek. For a simple federal comparison, multiply the applicable regular rate by 1.5 to estimate the overtime rate, then multiply that rate by overtime hours to estimate overtime pay. Check both the rate and the amount, because a payroll system may show a premium-only line or use a different code. Shift differentials, non-discretionary bonuses, multiple rates, daily state rules, and double-time rules can change the estimate. Look for OT ADJ or REG RATE ADJ when a bonus or differential was finalized later. Use the overtime calculator for focused math, then ask payroll to explain any material difference. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

A lower-looking overtime line has several possible explanations. The stub may show only the additional premium instead of the full 1.5x rate, or the regular rate may be based on a weighted average of multiple jobs. A shift differential or bonus may be shown on another line, and state rules or a collective agreement may use a different trigger. It can also be a data or payroll issue. Compare the hours, base rate, other earnings, and labels together before deciding what the line means. Ask payroll whether the rate includes differentials, bonuses, or only the premium portion, and request the worksheet. The checker highlights a potential rate mismatch; it does not conclude that wages were unlawfully withheld. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

OT ADJ commonly means overtime adjustment. It may be a later payment that corrects overtime after payroll adds a bonus, commission, shift differential, rate change, or retroactive wage item to the regular-rate calculation. Some systems call the same idea REG RATE ADJ, RETRO OT, or premium adjustment, while others blend it into the overtime line. Check the covered workweek, the hours, the additional compensation, and the rate used. If base overtime was already paid, the later line may represent only an additional half-time premium on an allocated amount rather than a second full 1.5x payment. Ask payroll for the calculation worksheet and compare it with the bonus overtime calculator. The code alone does not establish whether the amount is correct. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Shift diff, shift differential, night differential, or a similar code is extra pay for working a qualifying shift, assignment, location, or role. Common labels include NIGHT DIFF, WKND DIFF, LEAD, CHARGE, and PREM. Check the qualifying hours, the differential amount, and whether it is a flat amount or a percentage. The important overtime question is whether the differential should be part of the regular rate used for overtime. Payroll may show it separately, include it in the OT rate, or add a later adjustment. Compare the policy and time record, then use the shift differential calculator for an estimate. Ask payroll to identify the included hours and rate rather than assuming a missing separate line proves a problem. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Hours times one rate is only the regular-pay portion of a paycheck. Gross pay can also include overtime, holiday or PTO pay, premiums, bonuses, commissions, retroactive corrections, reimbursements, and other earnings. Some overtime or holiday systems show a premium portion separately from straight-time wages, so a line may not look like a complete rate. Build the total from every earnings line and compare that sum with gross pay. If the amount still differs, look for a one-time adjustment, a hidden code, negative or informational line, or a different pay-period cutoff. Taxes and deductions do not reduce gross pay, though a payroll statement may show pre-tax deductions in a separate taxable-wage section. Ask payroll to reconcile the exact lines and period. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

For a basic arithmetic check, start with the gross pay shown on the stub. Add the taxes and deductions listed for that check, then subtract the total from gross pay. Include federal, state, local, Social Security, Medicare, insurance, retirement, HSA, union dues, garnishments, and other lines. Compare the result with the printed net pay or deposit. A small difference can be rounding; a larger one can indicate an omitted line, reimbursement, negative adjustment, or a deduction displayed in another section. This relationship checks the statement's math, not whether the withholding or deduction is legally or tax-wise correct. Pre-tax benefits can change taxable wages without changing the simple gross-to-net presentation. Use the IRS tools for tax planning and ask payroll about unexplained lines. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Pay-stub taxes are generally withholding estimates, not the final amount of tax you owe for the year. Federal withholding depends on your Form W-4, filing status, pay frequency, multiple-job adjustments, supplemental wages, and payroll rounding. State and local rules vary. Social Security and Medicare also have year-to-date limits and special treatment for some wages. Pre-tax benefits and retirement contributions can change taxable wages, while bonuses may use supplemental withholding methods. The checker can add the lines and confirm net-pay arithmetic, but it cannot validate your final tax liability or guarantee a correct withholding election. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or Paycheck Checkup for official planning, and ask payroll or a tax professional about a specific withholding question. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

First make sure the time record and pay stub cover the same workweek and pay period. Collect clock punches, schedules, approved edits, manager messages, and the statement showing the missing hours. Note whether the hours were regular, overtime, holiday, PTO, training, or another code. Ask payroll in writing which hours were imported and when an adjustment will appear. Do not change the original records; keep a dated copy of your comparison. If the employer cannot explain the missing hours, HR, a union representative, a state labor agency, or the U.S. Department of Labor can explain available processes. The checker can estimate the missing earnings and point to a relevant calculator, but it cannot determine the legal remedy or prove intent. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

A missing adjustment deserves a closer review, but the facts determine the result. A production, attendance, safety, incentive, or commission payment promised in advance or tied to announced criteria may need to be allocated across the hours it covers and included in the regular rate. A truly discretionary payment may be treated differently. Check the bonus plan, payment date, covered period, total hours, overtime hours, and whether the original check already paid base overtime. Look for OT ADJ, REG RATE ADJ, RETRO OT, or a later statement. Run a comparison in the bonus overtime calculator and ask payroll which method and classification it used. Do not assume the absence of a separately named line proves an underpayment; some systems blend the adjustment into OT pay. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Find the holiday code, qualifying hours, rate, and any related overtime or premium line. A HOL line may be paid time off, a policy premium, or straight-time holiday hours. Federal law does not automatically require extra pay merely because work occurred on a holiday; the employer policy, contract, or state rule may control. If holiday work also pushed you over an overtime threshold, those hours may need a separate overtime review. Check whether the statement displays the full rate or only the premium portion, and whether holiday hours count as hours worked under the policy. Use the holiday pay calculator for the stated multiplier, then ask payroll to cite the policy and explain the line. Keep the policy with your pay-stub records. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

No. The checker can identify arithmetic differences, an apparently low rate, a missing-looking line, or a net-pay mismatch based on the numbers and assumptions you enter. It cannot decide whether you are covered or exempt, which state rule applies, whether a bonus is discretionary, whether a deduction is authorized, or whether an employer violated a wage law. Those questions depend on facts, policy, contracts, jurisdiction, and current official guidance. Use cautious language such as potential issue and review recommended. Save the source documents, ask payroll for a written explanation, and contact the U.S. Department of Labor, a state labor agency, a union representative, or a qualified attorney when you need legal guidance. A calculation is useful evidence of a question, not a legal finding. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.

Save the original pay stub, time records, schedule, wage notice, policies, contract, and written communications for the same pay period. Recalculate the specific hours, rate, earnings line, deduction, or net amount and write down your assumptions. Ask payroll in writing which hours and policy produced the line, whether a shift differential or bonus was included in the regular rate, and when a correction would appear. Keep the response and any corrected statement. If the explanation does not resolve the question, contact HR, your union, a state labor agency, or the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. The checker helps organize a possible mismatch and a clear question; it does not determine damages, deadlines, tax liability, or the best legal strategy. Keep your comparison and any payroll response with the same pay-period records.