Pay Stub Generator
Create pay stubs with automatic federal, state, and local tax calculations for all 50 states — hourly, salary, or contractor
Maintained by the DocTools editorial team · Last updated June 2026
Employer & Employee
Free Pay Stub Generator with Automatic Tax Calculations
Most free pay stub generators online are just blank templates — they let you type in any number you want and call it a day. DocTools.CC is different. Our pay stub generator uses the actual 2026 IRS Publication 15-T withholding tables, state tax formulas, local/city tax rates, and SDI/PFL calculations to compute your deductions automatically. You input your state, filing status, and gross pay. We do the math.
Three Employee Types
Hourly employees enter regular hours + rate and optional overtime. Salaried employees enter annual salary and the per-period amount is calculated automatically based on pay frequency. Independent contractors (1099) enter gross pay with no tax withholding — a self-employment tax estimate is shown for reference.
What Gets Calculated Automatically
Federal Income Tax is calculated using the IRS Percentage Method from Publication 15-T 2026. The engine annualizes your gross pay, applies your filing status allowance (Single, Married Filing Jointly, or Head of Household), and runs the result through the seven federal tax brackets (10% through 37%). The result is de-annualized back to your pay period — weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly.
State Income Tax is supported for all 50 states plus Washington DC. Nine states have no income tax at all — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming — and will show a $0 state tax line with a confirmation badge. Flat-rate states (Pennsylvania 3.07%, Illinois 4.95%, Kentucky 3.5%, and others) apply a single percentage to gross pay. The remaining progressive states use bracket-based withholding formulas from their 2026 employer publications.
Social Security is withheld at 6.2% on wages up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. If you enter Year-to-Date (YTD) data and your cumulative earnings approach or exceed this cap, the generator automatically reduces or eliminates Social Security withholding for the period — exactly as a real payroll system would.
Medicare is withheld at 1.45% on all wages with no cap. High earners above $200,000 in annual wages also owe the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%, which the generator calculates automatically based on your YTD earnings.
Override Any Calculation
Every automatically calculated deduction can be overridden. Click the Edit button next to any line and type your own value — useful when you have pre-tax 401(k) contributions or other adjustments that affect your taxable income. The Auto button restores the calculated value at any time.
Your Data Never Leaves Your Device
The entire tax calculation engine runs in your browser using JavaScript. No salary figures, SSN, or personal information is sent to any server. This is by design — financial data should stay private. The privacy notice on the form is not a marketing claim; you can verify it by opening your browser's Network tab and confirming zero outbound requests while using the tool.
Professional PDF Output
Download a ready-to-use pay stub PDF that includes employer and employee details, the full pay period, earnings breakdown (regular + overtime), itemized deductions with the state name and filing status noted, and net pay. If you entered YTD data, a Year-to-Date column appears alongside the current period column — matching the format used by professional payroll software.
Who Uses This Tool
Freelancers and self-employed professionals use it to create proof-of-income documents for rental applications, loan applications, or financial records. Small business owners use it to generate pay stubs for a small number of employees without subscribing to expensive payroll software. Employees use it to verify their employer's withholding or estimate take-home pay before accepting a job offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this tool
We use the official 2026 IRS Publication 15-T Percentage Method tables for federal income tax, current state withholding tables for all 50 states, Social Security at 6.2% on the first $184,500 of wages, and Medicare at 1.45%. We also calculate local/city taxes (NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc.), State Disability Insurance (CA SDI, NJ TDI, RI TDI, HI TDI), and Paid Family Leave (NY PFL, NJ FLI). All calculations run entirely in your browser — your salary data never leaves your device.
All 50 US states plus Washington DC. Nine states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. For the remaining 42 jurisdictions, we calculate withholding using the current 2026 state tax brackets and rates.
Yes. Choose from three employee types: Hourly (enter hours + rate), Salaried (enter annual salary — per-period amount is calculated automatically), or Independent Contractor (enter gross pay — no tax withholding, but self-employment tax estimate is shown). Contractors receive a 1099-style stub without FICA or income tax deductions.
We support local income taxes for 17 states including New York City (3.876%), Yonkers, Philadelphia (3.75%), Detroit (2.4%), Columbus, Cleveland, Kansas City, St. Louis, and all 23 Maryland county piggyback taxes. Select your local jurisdiction from the Local Tax field when applicable.
Yes. The generator supports 401(k) contributions (pre-tax for income tax but NOT for FICA), Section 125 health insurance (pre-tax for both income tax and FICA), and HSA contributions (pre-tax federally; note that CA and NJ tax HSA contributions at the state level). These deductions properly reduce your taxable income before tax calculations.
State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) are state-mandated programs in certain states. California SDI is 1.3% with no wage cap. New York DBL is up to $0.60/week plus PFL at 0.432%. New Jersey TDI is 0.19% on $171,100 plus FLI at 0.23%. Rhode Island TDI/TCI is 1.1% on $100,000. Hawaii TDI is up to 0.5% weekly, max $7.50/week. These are automatically calculated when you select the applicable state.
Yes — completely free with no limits. No account required, no per-stub fee, no watermarks on downloads. Competitors like 123PayStubs and ThePayStubs charge $3–$9 per stub. DocTools.CC generates unlimited pay stubs at zero cost.
Pay stubs generated here show accurate tax calculations and professional formatting including employer details, pay period, earnings breakdown, all deductions (pre-tax, tax, post-tax), net pay, direct deposit info, and PTO balance. They are suitable for personal records and standard proof-of-income documentation. For formal payroll processing or legal requirements, consult your accountant.
Filing status determines your federal income tax withholding rate. Choose "Single" if you are unmarried or prefer higher withholding. Choose "Married Filing Jointly" for lower withholding if you file jointly with a spouse. Choose "Head of Household" if you are unmarried but pay more than half the cost of keeping up a home for a qualifying person. Contractors do not need to select a filing status.
Tax tables are updated every January when the IRS and state agencies publish new withholding rates. The current version uses 2026 rates from IRS Publication 15-T, the SSA Wage Base announcement ($184,500 for Social Security), 2026 state withholding formulas, and current SDI/PFL rates from state agencies. We update annually within the first two weeks of each new tax year.
Yes. Enter your regular hours, hourly rate, and optional overtime hours. Overtime is automatically calculated at 1.5x your regular rate. You can also add bonus, commission, tips, holiday pay, and sick pay — all combined into gross pay before tax calculations.
Yes — zero watermarks on every download. Many competitors add a watermark to free stubs and charge $3–$9 to remove it. DocTools.CC generates clean, professional pay stubs with no watermark at all, completely free.
Yes. The built-in tax calculator automatically computes federal income tax (2026 IRS Publication 15-T), state withholding for all 50 states, Social Security, Medicare, local/city taxes, SDI, and PFL. Just enter your gross pay and filing status — the calculator does the rest.
Yes. Select the Independent Contractor employee type to generate 1099-style pay stubs. These show gross pay with no tax withholding, plus a self-employment tax estimate (15.3% on net earnings) for reference. Ideal for freelancers, gig workers, and self-employed individuals who need proof of income.
Yes — DocTools.CC is a completely free payroll stub generator with no trial period, no per-stub fee, and no hidden costs. Unlike services that offer a free trial then charge, our tool is free forever. Generate unlimited pay stubs for employees, contractors, and self-employed workers at zero cost.