1. Social Security is not 6.2%
Payroll software never gets this wrong. Divide the Social Security line by FICA wages. Anything other than 0.062, before the wage base, needs an explanation.
2. Medicare is not 1.45%
Same test with 0.0145. Pre-tax health premiums lower both, so ask whether the employee has them.
3. Net pay doesn't add up
Add every tax and deduction and subtract from gross. Editors change net pay and forget to change the lines that produce it.
4. YTD doesn't match the calendar
A biweekly stub dated late September is about the 19th or 20th paycheck of the year. If YTD gross is 30 times the period's gross, or 3 times, ask why.
5. Social Security keeps going above the cap
In 2026 it stops once YTD wages pass $184,500. A high earner's stub that still shows it late in the year was not made by payroll.
6. Every number is round
Real withholding produces cents. A stub where federal tax is exactly $300.00 every period is unusual.
7. The employer can't be found
Look up the company yourself. No address, no phone number you can find independently, or an address that is a mailbox store, are all reasons to dig.
8. Fonts and alignment change mid-document
Edited PDFs often have one figure in a slightly different typeface or out of line with its column.
9. There is no way to verify it
Ask for a verification method. PaystubLine stubs carry a code you can check at paystubline.com/verify. For others, ask for bank statements that show the deposits.