Payroll mistakes happen: a missed punch, an old pay rate, overtime calculated on the wrong week. Checking a paycheck takes about ten minutes once you know what to compare. You need your pay stub (or the pay details in your payroll app) and your own record of the hours you worked.
What you need
- Your pay stub for the period. It usually shows the pay period dates, hours, rates, earnings, deductions, and net pay.
- Your own hours. Clock times from your time card, a schedule, or a personal log such as the weekly pay tracker.
- Your pay rate and terms: hourly rate, overtime rules, shift differentials, and any promised bonuses.
Federal law does not require employers to give pay stubs, but many states do. Employers covered by the FLSA must keep accurate records of hours worked and wages paid for nonexempt workers.
Step 1: Match the pay period
Confirm the start and end dates on the stub. Pay is often for a period that ended days before payday. Compare your hours for exactly those dates, not the week you were paid in.
Step 2: Check the hours
Total your hours for each workweek in the period. The time card calculator turns clock times into totals and subtracts unpaid breaks. Compare with the regular and overtime hours on the stub.
Look out for missing days, a shift that crossed midnight counted short, or an unpaid break taken off when you worked through it. If your employer rounds punches, small differences of a few minutes can be normal; see how to calculate hours worked.
Step 3: Check the rate
Make sure the hourly rate is your current rate. Raises are sometimes applied a pay period late. If you work different jobs at different rates, check each line.
Step 4: Check overtime
For nonexempt employees, federal law requires at least 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in each workweek. On a two-week paycheck, overtime is counted separately for each week, not on the 80-hour total. A 45-hour week followed by a 35-hour week should include 5 overtime hours, even though the total is 80.
If you earned a nondiscretionary bonus or shift differential, the overtime rate may be higher than 1.5 times your base rate. How overtime pay is calculated shows the math.
Step 5: Check other earnings
Add up any tips, commissions, bonuses, holiday pay, or paid time off used. The gross pay calculator combines them for one pay period. Your gross pay on the stub should match your total.
Step 6: Review deductions and net pay
Net pay is gross pay minus taxes and deductions. Check that pre-tax deductions (health insurance, retirement contributions) match what you signed up for, and that your filing details look right. Tax amounts depend on your situation; the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator can help you check federal withholding. Gross pay vs net pay explains each line.
If something looks wrong
- Write down the difference: the dates, the hours or amount you expected, and how you calculated it.
- Ask your manager or payroll team, in writing if possible, and keep copies.
- Most errors are fixed on the next paycheck. If a wage problem is not resolved, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor and your state labor department handle wage complaints.
A simple habit
Keep your own record of every shift as you work it. The weekly pay tracker saves each week in your browser, totals hours and overtime, and estimates gross pay to compare with your stub.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the FLSA
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA
- Internal Revenue Service, Tax Withholding Estimator
About this guide. Written for US employees as general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can differ by state, employer, and contract. See our methodology and disclaimer.