Free Pay Stub Generator
Create professional pay stubs with earnings, deductions, and YTD tracking — a free alternative to PayStubCreator and ThePayStubs. No sign-up required.
Generate professional pay stubs with itemized earnings, deductions, and year-to-date tracking, then export a print-ready PDF — all in your browser. Supports hourly and salary pay periods, federal/state/FICA deduction breakdowns, and standard US pay stub layouts. No sign-up, no upload, no per-stub fee. A free alternative to PayStubCreator and Real Check Stubs for legitimate use cases: replacing a lost stub, contractor pay, or household employer records.
Built and maintained by James Nicolaus
Hourly & Salary Support
Generate pay stubs for hourly employees with overtime or salaried workers with flat amounts. Supports bonus, commission, and tips.
Instant PDF Export
Download professional pay stubs as PDF in one click. Your data never leaves your browser — everything is processed locally on your device.
Standard US Deductions
One-click setup for Federal, State, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k), and health insurance deductions. Add custom deductions too.
Year-to-Date Tracking
Track cumulative earnings and deductions across pay periods with YTD totals on every pay stub. Save stubs to history for easy reference.
Free Pay Stub Generator Online
Generate professional pay stubs in minutes — completely free and without creating an account. Free Tool Shed's pay stub generator is a free alternative to PayStubCreator and ThePayStubs, which charge $8 or more per stub. Everything runs locally in your browser, so your employer and employee information stays completely private. Enter your details, choose a template, and download a print-ready PDF.
Paying a 1099 contractor instead of a W-2 employee? Use the free invoice generator — contractors bill, employees get stubs. Hiring? The free resume builder is a no-paywall option to share with applicants.
Features
- Hourly and salary pay type support
- Automatic amount calculation for hourly workers (hours × rate)
- 6 earning types: regular, overtime, bonus, commission, tips, other
- Standard US deduction presets — one-click setup
- 13 deduction types with pre-tax and post-tax categories
- Year-to-date (YTD) tracking on earnings and deductions
- 3 professional PDF templates (Standard, Modern, Compact)
- Custom accent color — 8 presets plus custom color picker
- Company logo upload (PNG, JPEG, SVG)
- 4 date format options (MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, Month D YYYY)
- Auto-save — your draft saves every second
- Pay stub history — save, load, duplicate, and manage stubs
- Export and import stubs as JSON for backup
- Save employer defaults for faster stub creation
- SSN last-4 display with privacy toggle
- Employee roster — save profiles and switch employees without re-entering info
- Bulk PDF export — download all saved stubs as one multi-page PDF
- Print directly from the browser or download PDF
How to Create a Pay Stub
- 1
Enter employer and employee details
Add your company name, address, EIN, and optionally upload a company logo. Then fill in the employee name, ID, department, and SSN last 4 digits.
- 2
Set the pay period
Choose a pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly), set the period start date, and the end date and pay date will auto-fill.
- 3
Add earnings
Toggle between hourly or salary mode. For hourly workers, enter hours and rate — the amount calculates automatically. Add overtime, bonuses, commission, or tips as needed.
- 4
Add deductions
Click 'Apply Standard US Deductions' to set up Federal tax, State tax, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k), and health insurance. Adjust amounts and add custom deductions.
- 5
Customize and download
Choose a PDF template (Standard, Modern, or Compact), pick an accent color, then click Download PDF. Save the stub to your history for future reference.
Free PayStubCreator Alternative
| Feature | Free Tool Shed | PayStubCreator | ThePayStubs | 123PayStubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $8.99/stub | $7.95/stub | $3.99/stub |
| Sign-up Required | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PDF Export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Templates | 3 included | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Logo Upload | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Hourly & Salary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YTD Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deduction Presets | Yes | No | No | No |
| Stub History | Yes (local) | No | No | No |
| Accent Color | Yes | No | No | No |
| JSON Export | Yes | No | No | No |
| Client-Side Privacy | Yes | No | No | No |
| Bulk PDF Export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Employee Roster | Yes | No | No | No |
Pricing based on publicly available information at time of writing. All paid services require account creation and store your data on their servers.
Tips, Mistakes & Takeaways
Tips
- →Save your employer details (name, address, EIN) once via defaults — every new stub starts pre-populated.
- →Track YTD totals across multiple stubs by saving each one to history — the next stub auto-rolls totals forward.
- →Pick the right pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly) before entering numbers — deductions calculate per period.
- →Use the itemized deduction breakdown (federal, state, FICA, custom) rather than a single 'tax' lump — lenders and landlords verify line items.
- →Match pay-period dates exactly to what you'd submit elsewhere — they appear verbatim on the PDF.
Common Mistakes
- !Generating fictitious pay stubs you don't have records to back up — that's loan or rental fraud, and the tool is not designed for that.
- !Forgetting to verify YTD math against your most recent actual paycheck — small per-period rounding can compound noticeably over a year.
- !Picking the wrong pay frequency after entering numbers — the calculator won't retroactively re-run the deductions on the existing values.
- !Trusting the deduction defaults blindly — federal/state withholding varies by W-4 elections and state of residence.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Pay stub data stays client-side — your salary, SSN, and employer info never reach a server.
- ✓Built for legitimate one-off use: replacing a lost stub, paying a contractor, or maintaining household-employer records.
- ✓Not a payroll system — no tax filing, no direct deposit, no employee portal, no W-2 generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this pay stub generator really free?
Yes, completely free with no hidden fees, no premium tiers, and no per-stub charges. The tool is ad-supported so it can remain free for everyone.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can start generating pay stubs immediately without signing up or providing any personal information.
Is my data private and secure?
Yes. All processing happens locally in your browser. Your employer details, employee information, and pay data never leave your device. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
Does it support hourly and salaried employees?
Yes. Toggle between hourly and salary mode. For hourly workers, enter hours and rate and the amount calculates automatically. For salaried employees, enter the flat pay amount directly.
What deductions are included?
One-click setup for 6 standard US deductions: Federal Income Tax, State Income Tax, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k), and Health Insurance. You can also add custom deductions for dental/vision, HSA/FSA, Roth 401(k), life insurance, garnishments, union dues, and more.
What PDF templates are available?
Three templates: Standard (traditional table layout with borders), Modern (accent-colored header with card-based sections), and Compact (dense layout for minimal page usage). All templates support custom accent colors and company logos.
Can I track year-to-date totals?
Yes. Enter YTD amounts for each earnings and deduction row. YTD totals appear on the PDF when present. When you duplicate a stub from history for a new pay period, YTD values carry over.
Can I save and reuse pay stubs?
Yes. Your current draft auto-saves every second. Save completed stubs to a history panel, then load or duplicate them for future pay periods. You can also save employee profiles to a roster — select an employee and their info and deduction structure pre-fill instantly, so you only enter what changes each period.
Can I add my company logo?
Yes. Upload your company logo in PNG, JPEG, or SVG format (up to 2MB) on the Style tab. The logo appears on all three PDF templates.
How do I print a pay stub?
Click the Print button to open your browser’s print dialog, or download the PDF and print from your PDF viewer. Both options produce professional, print-ready output.