Pay Stub Generator

If you're a freelancer or independent contractor, you're almost certainly a 1099 worker—not a W-2 employee. This distinction matters enormously for your taxes and record-keeping.

W-2 employees have taxes withheld from every paycheck by their employer. The employer pays half of Social Security and Medicare taxes; the employee pays the other half. W-2 workers receive traditional pay stubs showing gross pay, deductions, and net pay—exactly what this generator creates.

1099 contractors are self-employed. No taxes are withheld. You receive the full amount you negotiated, and it's YOUR responsibility to set aside money for taxes. The "pay stub" for a 1099 worker is actually their invoice—when you bill a client, that invoice IS your pay stub for record-keeping purposes.

The practical upshot: if you're a freelancer, you don't need pay stubs from clients—you need to track your invoices meticulously. Every payment you receive should be logged as income, and you should set aside roughly 25-30% of every payment for federal, state, and self-employment taxes.

This pay stub generator is still useful for freelancers in two scenarios: (1) if you hire subcontractors and need to provide them with documentation, and (2) for understanding the structure of traditional payroll—knowledge that helps you compare your freelance income to what equivalent employment would pay.