Paycheck checker
Type in the regular, overtime and double-time hours you worked, your rate, and the gross pay printed on your stub. The checker shows the gross you should have received before taxes, the difference, and when the stub is short, a checklist of the usual causes in the order they tend to happen. It is the thirty-second check to do every payday.
Enter the gross from your pay stub to see the difference. Gross is pay before taxes and deductions; it is usually the first line.
How to use this calculator
- Find the gross pay on your stub. It is the amount before taxes and deductions, usually the first line, sometimes labelled total earnings.
- Enter the hours you worked in the pay period from your own record, split into regular, overtime and double time.
- Enter your hourly rate and the overtime multiplier your employer uses, 1.5 for most jobs.
- Add tips, bonuses or other pay that appear on the stub, so the comparison is like for like.
- Enter the stub's gross. The difference shows at the bottom with the likely causes if it is short.
Gross pay, not net pay
Gross pay is hours times rate, plus overtime premium, plus any other earnings, before anything is taken out. Net pay is what lands in your account after taxes, insurance and other deductions. This checker only compares gross, because that is the number that reflects whether your hours were counted correctly. Deductions are a separate check.
Why checks come up short
The most common causes are mechanical, not malicious: an automatic 30-minute lunch deduction on a day you worked through lunch, punch rounding that leans one way, a missed clock-out recorded as zero hours, a raise not yet entered, or a shift that fell on the other side of the period cutoff. Each one is small on its own and adds up over a year.
Overtime is the one that is most often wrong by design. The overtime rate must be one and a half times your regular rate, and the regular rate includes shift differentials and nondiscretionary bonuses (29 CFR 778.108 and 778.209). An employer that pays overtime on your base rate alone when you also earn a night differential is underpaying every overtime hour.
What to do when the numbers disagree
Start with the hours line on the stub against your own record for each day. Employers must keep daily and weekly hour records (29 CFR 516.2) and will usually correct an honest error on the next check if you show them the day. If the shortfall repeats, keep every stub and your own log; unpaid wages can be claimed for two years under the FLSA, three if wilful (29 U.S.C. 255), and many states allow longer. The PunchStamp app keeps the daily record and runs this check against each stub.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my paycheck is correct?
Multiply your regular hours by your rate, add overtime hours at 1.5 times the rate, add any tips or bonus, and compare the total with the gross on your stub. This checker does that and lists the likely causes if the stub is lower.
Where is gross pay on a pay stub?
Near the top, before the deductions section, often labelled gross pay, gross earnings or total earnings. It is larger than the net pay or take-home figure.
Why is my paycheck less than I calculated?
Common causes are an auto-deducted lunch you worked through, rounding of punches, a missed punch paid as zero, overtime paid on the wrong rate, a rate that was not updated, or a shift that landed in the next pay period. Taxes and deductions explain a lower net, not a lower gross.
Should overtime include my shift differential?
Yes. Overtime must be based on the regular rate, which includes shift differentials and nondiscretionary bonuses (29 CFR 778.108). Overtime paid on the base rate alone is short.
What if my employer deducts lunch automatically?
A meal period can be unpaid only if you are completely relieved of duty for it (29 CFR 785.19). If you worked through lunch, that time is hours worked and the deduction should be reversed for that day.
How far back can I claim unpaid wages?
Two years under the FLSA, three if the violation was wilful (29 U.S.C. 255). Several states allow longer. Keep your stubs and your own hours record.
Does this calculate taxes?
No. It compares gross pay only, which is the figure that shows whether your hours and rate were applied correctly. Tax withholding is a separate question.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything stays in your browser on this device.
Related calculators
This calculator produces estimates for your own records. It is not payroll, tax or legal advice. Overtime rules vary by state, industry and employer policy. Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, 29 CFR Parts 516, 778 and 785; state labor codes named above.