When receiving your paycheck from an employer, you also get a document called a pay stub. It should contain essential information about you, your earnings and deductions. As an employee, you might gloss over details in your paystub and go straight to your wage amount. By doing so, you may ignore or overlook incorrect or missing information.
Each state has laws enforcing what basic information must be in an employee’s pay stub. The same goes for New York, making it unlawful to exclude the following essentials:
- Employer information, including the company’s name and contact details
- Employee’s details, such as their name and other identifying information
- Wage rate amount and basis, such as hourly or salary
- Pay details, including the crediting date and covered period
- Hours used to compute wages, including regular and overtime work hours
- Incentives, allowances and additional payments
- Details of any deductions and garnishments
- Gross and net amount of wages
Employers can include additional information, but the paystub should always have these details. Sometimes, the format can vary, depending on the employment arrangement. This document can contain information about your job’s nature and other relevant benefits.
Knowing your rights as an employee
Laws enforcing requirements on wage-related documents exist to protect your rights as an employee. If any essential details are missing from your paystub, it is best to consult your employer about it and take legal action if necessary.
Withholding these details can make you vulnerable to wage violations and other issues. You should pay close attention to your pay stubs to prevent these problems. Having a good grasp of your wage information can also help you spot inconsistencies, if there are any.
