How to read a US pay stub, line by line

A pay stub answers one question, how gross pay became the amount deposited, but it answers it in payroll's order, not yours. This is that order, with the 2026 figures for a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks in Texas.

A $60,000 pay stub, 2026: Net pay $1,938, Federal income tax $193, Social Security $143, Medicare $33 — Bi-weekly, single filer, Texas. Per check. Computed from the same tables the calculator uses.

Gross pay

The top line is what you earned before anything came out. On $60,000 a year paid bi-weekly that is $2,307.69 per check. Hourly workers see hours times rate here, with overtime on its own line.

Pre-tax deductions

These come out before tax is calculated, which is why they reduce your tax bill. A traditional 401(k) contribution and Section 125 health premiums are the common ones. A 401(k) lowers income tax but not Social Security or Medicare; health premiums lower both.

Federal income tax

Withheld according to the W-4 you filed. On $60,000 single with the $16,100 standard deduction, the year's federal income tax is $5,020, so about $193.08 per check. If your stub shows more, you may have chosen extra withholding on the W-4 or listed no dependants.

Social Security and Medicare

Often labelled FICA, OASDI or Med. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 this year, $143.08 per check on this salary. Medicare is 1.45% of every dollar, $33.46. Neither is refunded at filing time, which is the part that surprises people.

State and local tax

Texas has none, so this example shows nothing. In California the same salary would show $68.94 of state income tax and $27.69 of SDI per check. A few states also have city or county lines, most visibly Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Net pay

What reaches the bank. Here it is $1,938.08, which is $50,390 over the year. If your net is lower than a calculator predicts, the gap is almost always a pre-tax benefit rather than a tax, and it will be on one of the lines above.

Year-to-date columns

Every line has a second column with the year's running total. Two things live only there: whether you have passed the Social Security wage base, after which that line stops for the year, and whether your total federal withholding is tracking your likely liability.

Run your own numbers

Every figure above came from the paycheck calculator with 2026 rates.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my pay stub show FICA instead of Social Security?

FICA is the law that created both taxes, so some payroll systems use it as the label for the combined 7.65%. Others split it into OASDI (Social Security) and Med or HI (Medicare). It is the same money either way.

What is the difference between gross pay and taxable wages on a stub?

Taxable wages are gross pay minus pre-tax deductions. If you contribute to a traditional 401(k), your federal taxable wages are lower than your gross, but your Social Security wages are not, because the 401(k) does not reduce FICA.

Should the year-to-date federal withholding match what I will owe?

Roughly, if your W-4 is accurate. It will not match exactly, and the difference is settled on your return as a refund or a balance due. A large refund means you over-withheld all year.