Pay Stub Generator for the Self-Employed
Nobody issues you a pay stub when you work for yourself. Make your own record of what you paid yourself — clear, dated and consistent with your books.
Create Your Pay StubWhen you are self-employed there is no payroll department, so there is no pay stub unless you make one. A self-employed pay stub documents the pay you took out of the business for a period: how much, when, and the running total for the year.
It looks different from an employee's stub in one important way. A sole proprietor or single-member LLC owner is not an employee of their own business, so no income tax, Social Security or Medicare is withheld from what they take. Those taxes are paid separately, through quarterly estimated payments.
What a self-employed pay stub shows
- Your business name and address as the payer
- Your own name as the person paid
- The pay period and the date you paid yourself
- The gross amount for the period
- Year-to-date total
- No tax withholding lines — unless your business runs real payroll for you (see S corporations below)
Taxes when you are self-employed
These don't appear on your pay stub, but they are why it has no withholding lines.
- Self-employment tax
- 15.3% of net earnings: 12.4% Social Security (on earnings up to $184,500 in 2026) plus 2.9% Medicare. It applies to 92.35% of your net profit, and you owe it if net earnings are $400 or more.
- Income tax
- Nothing is withheld. You pay it yourself with quarterly estimated payments on Form 1040-ES, generally due in April, June, September and January.
- S corporation owners
- If your business is taxed as an S corporation and you work in it, you are its employee: your salary goes through payroll with normal withholding, and your pay stub looks like any employee's.
- Proof of income
- Lenders usually want more than a stub from the self-employed: tax returns with Schedule C, 1099 forms and bank statements. A pay stub supports those records; it doesn't replace them.
Three steps in the pay stub generator
- 1
Choose Contractor
In the pay stub generator, set the worker type to Contractor. The stub then shows what was paid with no income tax, Social Security or Medicare withheld.
- 2
Enter your business and your pay
Your business is the company; you are the person paid. Enter the amount you took for the period and the dates.
- 3
Keep it consistent
Use the same amounts as your bank transfers and bookkeeping. One stub per period, with year-to-date totals carried forward.
Common questions
Can I make my own pay stubs if I'm self-employed?
Yes. A self-employed person can create a pay stub as a record of the pay they took from their business. It has to reflect real payments — amounts that match your bank records and what you report on your tax return.
Should a self-employed pay stub show taxes withheld?
Usually not. Sole proprietors and single-member LLC owners don't have tax withheld from their draws; they pay self-employment tax and income tax through quarterly estimated payments. Withholding belongs on the stub only if you are paid a salary through payroll, as an S corporation owner-employee is.
How much should I set aside for taxes?
Self-employment tax alone is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit, and federal and state income tax come on top of that. What you owe depends on your total income and deductions; the IRS Form 1040-ES worksheet walks through the estimate.
What's the difference between an owner's draw and a salary?
A draw is money a sole proprietor or partner takes out of the business; it isn't wages and has no withholding. A salary is wages paid through payroll, with income tax, Social Security and Medicare withheld — which is how S corporation and C corporation owners who work in the business are paid.
Can I use the pay stub as proof of income?
A pay stub is a record of pay that was actually earned and paid, and lenders and landlords often ask for one. Only enter real amounts — creating a document with false figures to mislead a lender, landlord or agency is fraud.
Guides and tools
Sources
Figures are for 2026 and were checked against these official pages. This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. See our editorial standards.