Check the pay period dates, the hours at each rate, the gross figure, every deduction, and the net. Federal law does not require a pay stub at all — most states do, with different required contents — so what appears on yours is set by your state and your employer, not by any national standard.
Work top down
The period. Which dates this covers. A stub paying a period you did not expect is the first sign of a timing change that may affect a final paycheck later.
Hours and rates. Regular hours at your rate, overtime hours at one and a half times your regular rate. Overtime is the line most often wrong, because the regular rate includes bonuses and differentials rather than just your base figure.
Gross. Everything earned before anything is removed.
Deductions. Every one should be identifiable and traceable to a legal requirement or something you elected.
Net. What arrives.
The year-to-date column
The most useful part of the stub and the least read. It catches errors that a single period hides: a deduction that started without notice, a rate that changed a month before you noticed, contributions that stopped. Compare December’s year-to-date against what you expect and most problems surface at once.
The three places errors hide
Overtime calculated on base rather than the regular rate. Automatic meal deductions for breaks that were not actually taken. Benefit deductions that continue after an election changed.
What is not on it
Employer contributions to your health coverage and retirement, in most cases. Those are real compensation and they sit outside the stub, which is part of why people undercount their own package.
Keep them
Every wage claim is easier with stubs and much harder without. Keep a personal copy rather than relying on a portal you may lose access to on the day you leave — which is precisely the day you are most likely to need them.
Common questions
Am I legally entitled to a pay stub?
Not under federal law. Most states require one, and the required contents differ between them.
What should I check first?
The pay period dates, hours at each rate, gross, every deduction, and net — in that order.
Why is overtime often wrong?
Because it must be 1.5 times your regular rate, which includes bonuses and shift differentials, not just your base hourly figure.
What is the year-to-date column for?
Catching errors a single period hides — a deduction that started quietly, a rate change, contributions that stopped.
Should I keep copies?
Yes, personally rather than in an employer portal. You lose portal access on the day you leave, which is when you are most likely to need them.