Pay Stub Generator for Small Businesses
Running payroll yourself for a few employees? Create accurate pay stubs with federal and state taxes calculated — without paying for a payroll subscription.
Create Your Pay StubPayroll software makes sense at twenty employees. At two or five, many owners work out pay themselves and still need to hand each employee a proper statement of earnings and deductions. In most states that statement is a legal requirement.
The generator calculates federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax for each pay date and carries the year-to-date totals forward. It produces the pay stub; depositing the taxes and filing the returns stays with you.
What your employees' pay stubs show
- Your business name and address, and the employee's
- The pay period and pay date
- Hours and rate, or salary for the period
- Gross pay, with overtime, bonuses and commissions on their own lines
- Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax
- Other deductions such as health insurance and retirement
- Net pay and year-to-date totals
What a small employer has to do
The federal basics. Your state adds its own rules on top.
- Withhold and match
- Withhold federal income tax using the employee's Form W-4, plus 6.2% Social Security (on wages up to $184,500 in 2026) and 1.45% Medicare. You pay a matching 7.65% as the employer.
- Deposit and report
- Deposit the withheld taxes on your IRS schedule and report them each quarter on Form 941. Very small employers may be told by the IRS to file Form 944 once a year instead.
- Federal unemployment tax
- FUTA is 6.0% of the first $7,000 paid to each employee, reduced by a credit of up to 5.4% for state unemployment tax. It is paid by the employer only.
- Form W-2
- Give each employee a W-2 and file it with the Social Security Administration by the end of January.
- Keep the records
- Keep employment tax records for at least four years, and payroll records such as hours and pay rates for at least three.
- State pay stub rules
- Most states require a pay stub and list what it must show; a few don't require one at all. Check your state before the first payday.
Three steps in the pay stub generator
- 1
Enter your business and the employee
Company details, the employee's details and their W-4 filing status.
- 2
Enter the pay
Hourly or salary, the pay frequency and the pay dates. Add overtime, bonuses, benefits and other deductions as needed.
- 3
Review and download
Taxes and year-to-date totals are calculated for each pay date. Pick one of ten layouts and download a print-ready PDF.
Common questions
Do small businesses have to give employees pay stubs?
Federal law requires employers to keep pay records but not to hand out pay stubs. Most states do require them, and set out what has to be shown. The rules apply whatever the size of the business.
Can I do payroll without payroll software?
Yes. An employer can calculate pay, withhold and deposit taxes, and file returns without a payroll service. What the law requires is that the amounts are right, the taxes are deposited on time and the forms are filed — not a particular tool.
Does the pay stub generator file my payroll taxes?
No. It calculates the withholding and produces the pay stub. Depositing the taxes, filing Form 941 and issuing W-2s are still yours to do. For W-2s, there is a separate W-2 form generator.
Which taxes does the generator calculate?
Federal income tax withholding from the IRS 2026 tables, Social Security, Medicare including the Additional Medicare tax, and state income tax for all 50 states and D.C. You can add other deductions such as health insurance and 401(k) yourself.
How long do I have to keep pay stubs and payroll records?
The IRS asks employers to keep employment tax records for at least four years. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires payroll records to be kept for at least three years. Some states require longer.
Guides and tools
- Pay stub requirements by state
- Payroll records for a small business
- Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly payroll?
- W-2 form generator
- 1099 form generator
- Paycheck calculator
- Pay stub templates
- Pay Stub Generator for the Self-Employed
- 1099 Pay Stub Generator for Independent Contractors
- Nanny Pay Stub Generator for Household Employers
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.