# Pay stub: what it shows, and how to get yours

Source: https://dokutrak.com/documents/pay-stub
Author: Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak
Published: 2026-11-06
Language: en-US

> A pay stub is the statement your employer issues with each paycheck: the pay period, gross pay, taxes and other deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals. Get it from your employer’s payroll portal, such as ADP, Paychex, Gusto or Workday, or ask HR or payroll. Lenders and landlords often ask for your most recent stubs as proof of income.

## What is a pay stub?

A pay stub (also called a pay slip or earnings statement) covers one pay period. It shows your name, the employer’s name, the period dates and pay date, hours or salary, gross pay, each tax and deduction withheld, and the net amount paid to you.

It also carries year-to-date (YTD) totals. That is why lenders, landlords and tax preparers use recent stubs to confirm current income, and why a final stub of the year looks close to a W-2 without being one.

## Who sends it, and when

Your employer, through its payroll provider, issues a pay stub with each paycheck, whether weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly. With direct deposit, the stub is usually posted online on payday instead of printed. State rules on pay stubs vary, so if you cannot find yours, ask payroll.

## Where to get a pay stub

1. Your employer’s payroll portal or app (ADP, Paychex, Gusto, Workday, Paylocity and similar), under Pay, Paychecks or Pay statements.
2. Your HR or payroll contact, who can send past stubs, including after you leave the job.
3. The paper stub attached to a printed paycheck, if you are paid by check.
4. For a former employer, the same payroll portal: many keep access open for a while after you leave.
5. If you are self-employed, there is no stub: proof of income is usually 1099 forms, bank statements and your last tax return.

## Wrong files people send instead

- A bank deposit line instead of the stub: it shows the net amount but not gross pay or deductions.
- One stub when the request was for the most recent two, or for the last 30 days.
- A stub with the year-to-date column cut off.
- An old stub from earlier in the year, downloaded from the top of the wrong list.
- An offer letter or a salary screenshot in place of an actual pay statement.

## Questions people ask

### What is a pay stub?

It is the statement that comes with each paycheck, showing gross pay, taxes and deductions withheld, net pay, and running totals for the year.

### How do I get pay stubs from a previous employer?

Try the payroll portal first, since access often stays open after you leave. If it is closed, ask the former employer’s HR or payroll team to send them.

### How do I get proof of income without pay stubs?

Lenders and landlords often accept a W-2 or 1099s, recent bank statements showing deposits, a prior-year tax return, or an employment verification letter from your employer. Ask which one they take.

## Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.

- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a pay stub, an unreadable or blurry scan or a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the employee’s name, the net pay, the pay period dates. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.

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