Pay stubs pack a lot onto one page. Here’s what each section actually means.
Pay period and dates
The date range the paycheck covers, plus the check date itself (when the money actually lands). These don’t always match your calendar month — a “pay period” might run mid-month to mid-month depending on your employer’s schedule.
Gross pay
Your earnings before anything is subtracted — the number your salary or hourly rate translates to for that specific pay period. See Gross Pay vs. Net Pay for how this connects to what actually hits your bank account.
Federal income tax withholding
The portion withheld toward your annual federal income tax bill, based on the tax brackets for your filing status and the information on your W-4. This is a prepayment, not the final bill — it’s reconciled when you file your tax return.
FICA: Social Security and Medicare
Usually shown as two separate lines: 6.2% for Social Security (up to the annual wage base) and 1.45% for Medicare (no cap). See FICA Tax Explained for the full breakdown, including the Additional Medicare Tax that applies above certain income thresholds.
State and local tax withholding
Present only if you work in a state (or locality) that taxes wage income — absent entirely in the 9 states with no income tax.
Pre-tax and post-tax deductions
Voluntary amounts taken out for things like 401(k) contributions, health insurance premiums, or flexible spending accounts. Pre-tax deductions reduce your taxable income before federal tax is calculated; post-tax deductions come out after.
Net pay
What’s left after every withholding and deduction — the actual amount deposited or handed to you. This is your real take-home pay for that period.
Year-to-date (YTD) totals
Running totals for each category above, covering everything paid so far in the calendar year. Useful for checking whether you’re approaching the Social Security wage base, or just sanity-checking your annual numbers partway through the year.
Seeing it before it happens
A pay stub tells you what already happened. To see these same numbers projected for your own salary before your next paycheck arrives, use the Paycheck Calculator.