How to Make a Payslip (2026): What to Include and the Rules in 5 Countries

Short answer: A payslip lists the employer and employee, the pay period and pay date, gross pay with each kind of earnings on its own line, each deduction (income tax, social security or pension, and anything else agreed), and net pay. Work out the deductions with that country's current rates, then give it to the employee on or around payday, on paper or as a PDF they can keep. You can make one with a spreadsheet template, an online generator or payroll software.

"Payslip" is the word in the UK, Australia and Malaysia. Americans and Canadians usually say "pay stub" for the same document. This guide uses "payslip" throughout and covers all five countries we make them for. The pay stub vs payslip post explains the difference in wording.

This is general information, not legal advice. Each country links to a more detailed guide, and the government sources are the final word.

What every payslip shows

Whatever the country, a payslip has the same four parts.

1. Who and when

• The employer's name (and in Australia, its ABN)
• The employee's name, and usually an employee number
• The pay period it covers (from and to) and the pay date

2. Earnings

• Hours and the hourly rate for hourly pay, or the salary for the period
• Overtime, bonuses, commission, allowances and tips, each on its own line
• Gross pay: the total before anything is taken off

3. Deductions

• Income tax withheld for the government
• Social security or pension contributions: Social Security and Medicare in the US, CPP and EI in Canada, National Insurance in the UK, EPF, SOCSO and EIS in Malaysia
• Anything the employee agreed to: a workplace pension or 401(k), health insurance, union dues, a loan repayment

4. Net pay

• What the employee actually receives: gross pay minus every deduction

Most payslips also show year-to-date (YTD) totals for gross pay, tax and net pay. They're optional in most places, but lenders and landlords look for them, and they make the year-end tax form easy to check.

How to make a payslip, step by step

1. Collect the details. Employer and employee names and addresses, the pay period, the pay date, and the hours or salary for the period.
2. Work out gross pay. Hours times the rate, plus overtime at its rate, plus any bonus or allowance. For a salary, divide the yearly amount by the number of pay periods (12 monthly, 26 every two weeks, 52 weekly).
3. Work out the deductions. Use the current year's rates for the country, and for the US and Canada the state or province too. This is where most home-made payslips go wrong: an old tax table, a missed ceiling, or a rate from the wrong year.
4. Subtract to get net pay, and check it against the amount actually paid into the employee's account. They must match.
5. Add the year-to-date totals by adding this period to the previous payslip's totals.
6. Give it to the employee in a form they can keep: a printed copy or a PDF.
7. Keep a copy for as long as the law requires (see the table further down).

Three ways to make one

Method	Good for	Watch out for
Spreadsheet or Word template	One or two employees with the same pay every time	You work out every deduction yourself and update the rates each year
Online payslip generator	Small employers, households paying a nanny or carer, replacing a lost payslip	Check it covers your country's deductions, not just US taxes
Payroll software	Regular payroll with several staff	Monthly cost, but it also files payroll reports to the tax office

A payslip is only the employee's copy. It doesn't report anything to the government. If you employ someone, you still have to register and report as an employer: RTI submissions to HMRC in the UK, Single Touch Payroll to the ATO in Australia, source deductions sent to the CRA in Canada, payroll tax deposits and Form 941 to the IRS in the US, and EPF, SOCSO, EIS and PCB payments each month in Malaysia. Payroll software does both jobs. A template or generator only makes the document.

Our comparison of nine online pay stub generators lists the prices and which countries each covers.

The legal rules, country by country

Country	Is a payslip required?	When	Details
United States	Depends on the state. No federal rule; most states require one, about eight don't	Each payday	Pay stub laws by state
Canada	Yes, under provincial employment standards (or the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated work)	On or before payday	Canada requirements
United Kingdom	Yes, for employees and workers	On or before payday	UK requirements
Australia	Yes, under the Fair Work Act	Within one working day of payday	Australia requirements
Malaysia	Yes, a statement of wages and deductions for each wage period	With each payment of wages	Malaysia requirements

United States

There's no federal law requiring pay stubs. Federal law only requires employers to keep payroll records. Most states require a statement of earnings and deductions each payday. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee have no general pay stub law, and Ohio joined the states that require one in April 2025. California has the longest list of required items. See US pay stub requirements for the details, or how to create a US pay stub for a walkthrough.

Canada

Each province sets its own rules. In Ontario, for example, the wage statement is due on or before payday and must show the pay period, the wage rate, gross wages and how they were worked out, each deduction and its purpose, any room or board amounts, and net pay. Expect CPP (QPP in Quebec), EI and federal and provincial income tax. See how to generate a Canadian pay stub.

United Kingdom

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, every employee and worker has the right to a payslip on or before payday. It must show pay before and after deductions, each deduction that can change from one payday to the next (such as tax and National Insurance), and the hours worked if pay varies with the time worked. Fixed deductions can be shown on the payslip or listed in a separate statement given before the first payslip and updated every year. See how to generate a UK payslip, and for staff who pay Scottish income tax, Scottish payslips.

Australia

The Fair Work Act requires a payslip within one working day of payday, on paper or electronically. It must show the employer's name and ABN, the employee's name, the pay period and payment date, gross and net pay, the hourly rate and hours or the annual salary, each loading, allowance or bonus separately, each deduction, and the super contributions with the fund's name. Paid family and domestic violence leave must not appear on a payslip. Our Australian payslip template lists every required item.

Malaysia

Employers give each employee a statement of the wages and allowances earned and the deductions made in each wage period. Sabah and Sarawak have their own labour ordinances. A Malaysian payslip shows EPF, SOCSO, EIS, the PERKESO Lindung 24 Jam (SKBBK) deduction that started in June 2026, and PCB. See how to generate a Malaysian payslip.

Electronic payslips

A PDF by email or a payroll portal is fine in all five countries, with a few conditions:

• United States: Most states accept electronic stubs if the employee can view them privately and print them at no cost. Hawaii requires the employee's consent first, and some states let employees ask for paper.
• Canada: Ontario allows a wage statement by email if the employee can make a paper copy. Other provinces have similar rules.
• United Kingdom: The employer can choose printed or electronic payslips.
• Australia: Electronic payslips are allowed.
• Malaysia: Paper or electronic, for example a PDF by email, as long as the employee can open and keep it.

The safe choice everywhere is a PDF the employee can save and print.

How long to keep payslips

Country	Keep payroll records for
United States	3 years under federal wage law, 4 years for IRS employment tax records, longer in some states
Canada	6 years (CRA)
United Kingdom	3 years after the end of the tax year (HMRC)
Australia	7 years (Fair Work)
Malaysia	7 years (LHDN)

Employees should keep theirs too: they're needed for loans, tenancies and checking the year-end tax form.

How to make a payslip if you're self-employed

Whether a payslip makes sense depends on how your business is set up.

You run a company and pay yourself a salary (an LLC taxed as a corporation, a Canadian corporation, a UK limited company, an Australian Pty Ltd or a Malaysian Sdn Bhd). You're an employee of your own company, so it should give you a real payslip each time it pays you salary through payroll, with tax and contributions deducted like any other employee. In the UK, see payslips for company directors for the usual £12,570 salary and director NI.

You're a sole trader, freelancer or contractor. You don't pay yourself wages: money you take out of the business is drawings, not salary. You can still make a payslip-style record of what you took each month for your own budgeting and bookkeeping, as long as the figures match your bank statements. But when a lender, landlord or government office asks for proof of self-employed income, they usually want tax documents instead:

Country	What's usually asked for
United States	Tax returns with Schedule C, Forms 1099-NEC, bank statements
Canada	CRA Notice of Assessment and T1 return
United Kingdom	SA302 tax calculation or tax year overview from HMRC
Australia	ATO Notice of Assessment and tax return
Malaysia	Form B (Borang B) tax return and bank statements

Common mistakes

• Last year's rates. Tax brackets, contribution rates and ceilings change every year, sometimes mid-year (Malaysia's SKBBK started in June 2026, and Australia's payday super in July 2026).
• US deductions on a non-US payslip. A UK payslip needs PAYE income tax and National Insurance, not "Federal tax" and "Social Security".
• Net pay that doesn't match the bank. The payslip has to show what was actually paid.
• Year-to-date totals that don't add up from one payslip to the next.
• Missing required items, such as the ABN in Australia, or hours and rates for hourly staff in most places.

Use payslips honestly

A payslip records pay that was actually paid. Making one to show income that wasn't earned, for a loan, a lease, a visa or anything else, is fraud, whichever tool you use.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a payslip for free?

Use a spreadsheet template and work out the deductions yourself, or use an online generator with a free option. PayStub Guru's live preview and watermarked PDFs are free in all five countries. Watermark-free PDFs cost $2.99 for 24 hours (£2.29, CA$3.99, A$3.99 or RM9.90 locally).

Can an employer make payslips by hand or in Word?

Yes. No country requires a particular format or software, as long as the payslip shows everything the law requires and the employee can keep it. The hard part is getting the deductions right.

What should a payslip include?

The employer and employee, the pay period and pay date, gross pay with each type of earnings, each deduction, and net pay. Some countries add items: the ABN and super fund in Australia, hours and rates for hourly staff in most places, and the employer's address in several US states.

Can I make a payslip for myself if I'm self-employed?

If your company pays you a salary through payroll, it should give you a payslip like any employee. If you're a sole trader, you can make one as your own record, but lenders usually ask for your tax return and the tax office's assessment instead.

Are electronic payslips legal?

Yes, in the US (in most states), Canada, the UK, Australia and Malaysia, as long as the employee can open, keep and print them. Hawaii needs the employee's consent first.

What's the difference between a payslip and a pay stub?

They're the same document. "Pay stub" comes from the stub attached to a paper paycheck and is used in the US and Canada. "Payslip" is used in the UK, Australia, Malaysia and most other countries.

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Ready to make one? Pick your country, fill in one form, and the deductions are worked out with that country's current rates. Check the live preview and download a free watermarked PDF, with no signup.