Checking pay stubs, deductions and deposits: a simple record

To keep a clear pay record, save every pay statement, match its net amount to the deposit in your bank account, and keep a monthly sheet listing gross pay, each deduction, and any commissions, bonuses, tips or expense reimbursements expected and received. Where something does not line up, write it down as a question with the dates and amounts, not as a conclusion.

Most pay questions turn out to be timing, a changed tax code or a benefit premium. Some do not. Either way, a tidy record lets payroll, a union representative or an advisor see the issue in minutes instead of reconstructing it from scattered emails.

Pay statements vary a lot between employers and payroll systems, and the rules on whether one must be provided, and what it must show, differ by province, territory and state. Whatever yours looks like, these are the fields worth copying into your own sheet each pay period.

• Pay period start and end dates, and the pay date, which are often different by a week or more.
• Regular hours and rate, overtime hours and rate, and any shift premium or statutory holiday pay shown separately.
• Gross pay for the period and year to date.
• Each deduction by name and amount, current and year to date.
• Net pay, and the bank account it was sent to if the statement shows the last digits.
• Vacation or paid time off accrued and used, if shown.
• Any one-time line, such as a retroactive adjustment, advance, overpayment recovery or bonus.

1. Download or photograph each pay statement on the day it is available, and name the file with the pay date, for example 2026-02-13 pay statement.
2. Open your bank account and find the deposit for that pay date. Write down the deposit date and the exact amount.
3. Compare the net pay on the statement to the deposit. If they match, mark the line as matched.
4. If they differ, check whether part of your pay was split to another account, held for a later date, or paid by a separate transfer.
5. Add any separate payment, such as a commission or reimbursement deposit, as its own line with the description the bank shows.
6. Once a month, total gross, deductions and net for the month and compare them with the year-to-date figures on the latest statement.
7. List anything still unexplained in a short questions section at the bottom of the month.

The monthly totals step catches problems that single pay periods hide, such as a deduction that quietly started three periods ago or a year-to-date figure that dropped after a payroll correction.

Deductions usually fall into three groups. Some are required by law, such as income tax withholding and, depending on the country, contributions like the Canada Pension Plan, Quebec Pension Plan and Employment Insurance in Canada, or Social Security and Medicare in the United States. Some come from your benefits or a collective agreement, such as health premiums, retirement plan contributions or union dues. Others are specific to you: a uniform or equipment charge, an advance being repaid, a garnishment, or a voluntary donation.

For the third group, keep any form you signed authorizing the deduction, with the date. Rules on which deductions an employer may make, and what consent is needed, differ by province, territory and state. The Government of Canada's federal pay and deductions page, for example, explains the federal rules on permitted deductions and reimbursement of work expenses for federally regulated workplaces only. Note what you were told and what you signed, and leave the question of whether a deduction was allowed for a reviewer.

Variable pay is where most disagreements start, because the amount depends on a calculation you may not see. Keep a separate running list for each type, so you can tell at a glance what was earned, what was promised and what arrived.

• Commissions: the plan document or rate in force on each date, each sale or deal you believe counts, the commission statement if you get one, and the pay date it appeared on.
• Bonuses: the written criteria or the message announcing the bonus, the expected payment date, and the amount paid.
• Tips and gratuities: a short end-of-shift note of cash and card tips, any tip pool share you received, and how they appear on the pay statement.
• Expense reimbursements: date submitted, amount, receipts attached, date approved, and the date and amount reimbursed.
• Retroactive pay or raises: the effective date, the new rate, and the pay date the adjustment appeared.

The US Department of Labor publishes a fact sheet on tipped employees under federal wage law, covering topics such as tip credits, tip pools and the notices employers give. Provincial, territorial and state rules on tips also vary, so keep your own daily figures and let a reviewer compare them with the applicable rules.

Here is a plain-text example for one month with two pay dates. Amounts are illustrative. Each line points to a saved record by ID.

• P-031, pay date 2026-02-13, period Jan 26 to Feb 8. Gross 2,450.00. Deductions 712.40. Net 1,737.60. Bank deposit 2026-02-13, 1,737.60. Matched.
• P-032, pay date 2026-02-27, period Feb 9 to Feb 22. Gross 2,450.00. Deductions 762.40. Net 1,687.60. Bank deposit 2026-02-27, 1,687.60. Matched, but deductions up 50.00: new line labelled equipment, no form on file.
• C-007, January commission. Commission statement shows 640.00 earned. Not on P-031 or P-032; no separate deposit found by Feb 28.
• E-012, expense claim submitted 2026-02-05 for 118.25 with three receipts, approved 2026-02-09. Reimbursement not seen as of Feb 28.
• Month total: gross 4,900.00, deductions 1,474.80, net 3,425.20. Year to date on P-032 agrees.

When a line does not match, resist writing that pay was withheld or stolen. Write the question payroll would need to answer. For the example above: "A new deduction of 50.00 labelled equipment appears on the February 27 statement. Can you tell me what it is for and whether there is a form on file?" and "My January commission statement shows 640.00. Can you confirm which pay date it will be included in?"

Send questions in writing through the channel your employer uses for payroll, keep a copy, and log the reply with its date. If the reply resolves the gap, mark it resolved rather than deleting it. A list of questions that were asked and answered shows a reviewer that you checked carefully and in good faith.

Bank statements show far more than pay: rent, medical purchases, family transfers. When you share pay records with anyone, share only the pages or lines needed, and cover unrelated transactions and most of the account number. Keep your full, unedited statements privately so you can produce them later if someone asks for the complete page.

Does my employer have to give me a pay stub? It depends on where you work. The US Department of Labor notes that federal wage law does not itself require pay stubs, though employers must keep accurate records of hours and pay; provinces, territories and states set their own rules on pay statements.

How far back should I go? Start with the current year and the last few months of the previous one. If you are tracking a specific question, such as unpaid commissions, go back to when the relevant plan or rate began.

What if I can no longer access the payroll portal? Use what you saved, your bank statements and any emailed statements. List the missing periods in your gaps and ask in writing for copies.

Is a spreadsheet enough? Yes, if you update it every pay date and keep the original statements alongside it. The method matters more than the tool.

A spreadsheet handles the arithmetic well. What it does not do is connect the numbers to events: the day a new deduction appeared, the message announcing a bonus, the reply from payroll. SteadyFile can hold that side. Start a private work file at app.steadyfile.com in your browser, no account needed to begin, and add each pay statement and commission statement to the records index so it gets an ID like the ones in the sample above. Unanswered pay questions go in the gaps list, and dated entries record each exchange with payroll. With an account, entries keep their creation time and edit history. The exported packet lays it out chronologically for a reviewer, and your employer has no access to the file.