“Where did my money go?” is the most common payroll question. Pay stubs answer it — showing exactly what an employee earned, what came out for taxes and deductions, and what landed in their bank account.
Every payroll run generates pay stubs automatically. Here’s what’s on them.
Pay stub contents Earnings (what they made) Line item What it is Regular pay Hours × rate (hourly) or period salary Overtime Hours over 40 × overtime rate Bonus Performance, holiday, signing bonuses Commission Sales commissions Other Reimbursements, tips, etc. Gross pay Everything added up (before anything comes out)
Deductions (what came out) Line item What it is Federal income tax Based on W-4 withholding State income tax Based on state withholding form Social Security 6.2% of wages (up to limit) Medicare 1.45% of all wages Health insurance Pre-tax premium 401(k) Retirement contributions Other deductions Anything else coming out Net pay What actually hits their bank account
Year-to-date totals Every pay stub shows running totals for the year:
YTD gross pay
YTD taxes withheld (federal, state, FICA)
YTD deductions
YTD net pay
Useful for tax planning. “How much have I paid in taxes so far this year?”
Viewing pay stubs For you (admin)
Go to Payroll → Pay Stubs
Filter by employee, pay period, or date range
Click any stub to view or download
For employees With self-service enabled (recommended):
Employee logs into their portal
Goes to Pay Stubs
Views current and past stubs
Downloads PDFs as needed
No more “can you send me my pay stub?” emails.
Pay stub delivery Email (recommended)
Go to Settings → Payroll → Pay Stubs
Enable Email pay stubs
Employees automatically get stubs on pay day
Portal access Pay stubs are always available in the employee portal, even if you don’t email them.
Paper stubs For employees who prefer paper (or don’t have email):
Open the pay stub
Click Print
Hand it to them
Some companies print stubs and include them with paper checks.
Downloading pay stubs Individual stub Click any pay stub to download a PDF.
Bulk download
Go to Pay Stubs
Select date range (or all employees for a period)
Click Download All
Get a ZIP file with all stubs
Useful for audits or when you need to send records to your accountant.
Pay stub history Pay stubs are retained for 7 years:
Current year: always available
Previous years: accessible in the archive
Employees can access their own history through self-service.
Customizing pay stubs Your branding Make stubs look official:
Go to Settings → Payroll → Pay Stubs
Upload your company logo
Add company address and contact info
Privacy settings Control what appears on stubs:
Setting Options Employee SSN Full, last 4 only, or hidden Bank account Full, last 4 only, or hidden Company address Show or hide PTO balances Show or hide
Most companies show last 4 digits only for security.
State requirements Some states mandate specific information on pay stubs:
State What they require California Detailed itemization including hours, rates, deductions, employer name/address New York Gross/net wages, deductions, rate of pay Most states Basic earning and deduction information
Pluvel automatically formats stubs to meet your state’s requirements. You don’t need to think about this.
Pay stub errors If something’s wrong on a pay stub:
Identify the error (wrong hours? missing bonus?)
Correct it on the next regular payroll, or
Run an off-cycle correction payroll
New stub generates with the correction
Original stubs are never deleted — corrections appear as separate entries. This preserves the audit trail.
Common employee questions Question Answer ”Why is my net pay less than last time?” Check if deductions changed (benefits, 401k) or if hours were different ”What’s OASDI?” Social Security tax (sometimes labeled differently) “Why did my tax withholding change?” You may have hit an annual limit, or your W-4 settings changed
Payroll taxes Understand what gets withheld and why.
