The 30-minute paycheck audit: a step-by-step checklist

Before you start — gather

• Your most recent pay stub.
• Your previous pay stub (or one from a few months ago).
• Your most recent W-2 (if you have one).
• Your offer letter or last raise notice.
• Your latest W-4 (or know what you submitted).
• A piece of paper or the PayslipIQ Pay Stub Checker.

Section 1 — gross pay

1. Hours × hourly rate (for hourly workers) — does this match your time-clock records?
2. For salaried — annual ÷ periods-per-year. Does it match?
3. Overtime line — is it 1.5× your regular rate (or stricter where state requires)?
4. Bonus, commission, RSU, or supplemental line — flagged as supplemental?
5. Any unexpected zero or negative items?

Section 2 — federal income tax

1. Compare to the previous stub. If different, did your W-4 change?
2. Year-to-date wages crossed $200,000? Expect Additional Medicare to appear.
3. Year-to-date wages crossed the Social Security wage base ($176,100 in 2025)? Expect Social Security to drop to $0.

Section 3 — FICA

1. Social Security: 6.2% × FICA-taxable wages (gross minus pre-tax HSA / FSA / Section 125 health). Does the math hold?
2. Medicare: 1.45% × FICA-taxable wages.
3. If YTD over $200k, expect 0.9% Additional Medicare on the excess this period.

Section 4 — state and local

1. Is the state withholding for the right state? (work or residence, depending on your situation)
2. If you moved or remote-shifted recently, is the right state on the stub?
3. Local tax — appropriate for your city/county? (NYC, Philly, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, KC, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Denver, Wilmington, Portland, etc.)

Section 5 — pre-tax deductions

1. 401(k) traditional — % of gross matches your election?
2. HSA / FSA — within the annual limit, on track?
3. Health, dental, vision — premium matches your benefits-portal selection?

Section 6 — post-tax deductions

1. Roth 401(k) — % matches your election?
2. Garnishment / child support — recognised order?
3. Union dues, voluntary insurance, ESPP — expected this period?

Section 7 — net pay sanity check

1. Net = Gross − pre-tax − federal − FICA − state − local − post-tax. Add it up.
2. Within $5 of the printed net? Pass.
3. More than $5 off? Walk the lines again or contact payroll.

Section 8 — YTD reconciliation

1. YTD gross ≈ per-period gross × periods so far this year (with bonuses added).
2. YTD federal withholding ÷ YTD gross ≈ your effective withholding rate. Sensible vs your bracket?
3. YTD Social Security = min(YTD gross, $176,100) × 6.2%.
4. YTD Medicare = YTD gross × 1.45% (+0.9% on excess over $200k).

When to escalate

If you find a meaningful gap, use PayslipIQ's Ask Payroll Generator to draft a polite question. If your employer cannot resolve it, work with a CPA for tax issues, an attorney for wage-claim issues, or your state labor agency for minimum-wage / overtime / pay-frequency violations.