Whether you employ a nanny, a caregiver for an aging parent, a housekeeper, or a private nurse, a good pay stub answers one simple question: how did we get from what you earned to what you were paid?
This guide is a plain checklist of what to include, why each item matters, and a few tips for situations that are common in household jobs.
The basics: who, when, and for what period
Start with the details that identify the payment.
- Employer name and address. That's you, the household employer. Some states also ask for a phone number.
- Employee name and address. Use their full legal name.
- Pay period start and end dates. The exact days this payment covers.
- Pay date. The day you actually paid them.
- EIN (if you have one). If you owe household employment taxes, you will need an Employer Identification Number for your year-end forms. Many families include it on the stub. Avoid printing your employee's full Social Security number; the last four digits are plenty.
Earnings: what they earned
This section shows gross pay, before anything comes out.
- Hours worked, if your employee is paid hourly or is entitled to overtime.
- Pay rate. The hourly rate, or the salary amount for the period.
- Regular pay. Regular hours times the regular rate.
- Overtime pay, if any, shown on its own line with hours and rate.
- Other pay, such as holiday pay, paid time off, or a bonus, each on its own line.
- Gross pay. The total of all earnings for the period.
Keep each type of pay on its own line. It makes the math easy to follow and easy to check.
Deductions and withholdings: what came out
List every amount withheld, one per line, with a clear label. For household employees, the most common are:
- Social Security tax (employee share)
- Medicare tax (employee share)
- Federal income tax, only if you and your employee agreed to withhold it
- State or local taxes, or state programs, where they apply
Then show total deductions.
If you choose to pay your employee's share of Social Security and Medicare yourself rather than withhold it, the IRS treats that as extra wages for income tax purposes. A tax professional can help you show it correctly.
Net pay: what they actually received
Net pay = gross pay minus total deductions.
This should match the exact amount you sent by check, transfer, or cash. If it does not, something is off. Fix the stub before you hand it over.
Year-to-date totals
Year-to-date (YTD) columns show running totals for the calendar year: gross pay, each tax withheld, and net pay. They take a little extra effort, but they save a lot of work at year-end when you fill out a W-2 and Schedule H, and they help your employee keep track of their own income.
Items that are common in household jobs
Household work has a few situations that do not come up as much in an office.
- Reimbursements. Paying back money your employee spent on your family (groceries, gas for errands, kids' activities) is not wages. If you include it on the stub, label it clearly as a reimbursement and keep it separate from earnings.
- Live-in arrangements. Meals and lodging you provide are handled differently from cash wages for tax purposes. If your employee lives in, check the federal and state rules before you decide how to show it.
- Guaranteed hours. If you pay for a set number of hours whether or not you need them all, show the hours you actually paid for.
- Paid time off and sick leave. Some states require you to tell employees their available sick leave balance. Even where it is not required, showing the balance on the stub is a helpful habit.
A quick checklist
Before you hand over a stub, run through this:
- Names and addresses are correct.
- Pay period and pay date are right.
- Hours and rates match your records.
- Every type of pay has its own line.
- Every deduction is listed and labeled.
- Net pay matches the actual payment.
- YTD totals are updated.
Make it in a few minutes
StubzPro lays all of this out for you. Fill in your real numbers, preview the complete stub free, and choose from 8 templates. No account, no subscription. Download the PDF for $3.99 per stub through Stripe checkout, and fix any mistakes free for 7 days.
Make a pay stub — free preview
New to this? Start with How to make a pay stub for your nanny or Do I have to give my nanny a pay stub?
FAQ
- Does this checklist work for caregivers and housekeepers too?
- Yes. The IRS treats nannies, caregivers, housekeepers, health aides, and many other workers in your home as household employees when you control what work is done and how.
- Do I have to include year-to-date totals?
- Not every state requires them, but they make year-end tax forms much easier and help your employee track their income.
- Should I put my employee's Social Security number on the stub?
- It is safer not to print the full number. Keep it in your own records, and show only the last four digits if anything.
- What if my state has its own pay stub rules?
- Follow them. Some states list exact items that must appear. Check your state labor department's website.
For real wages only. Use StubzPro to document pay you actually paid. Never create a stub to show income that was not earned. Doing so can be illegal.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, talk to a tax professional or your state labor department.