1. Company block
It opens the Refined Blue. This is where the payer is named. On the Refined Blue it carries the company name and address, and the EIN and phone when you enter them; add a logo and it prints here too.
Paystub Template
Refined Blue Earnings Statement Template
Use the Refined Blue earnings statement template: a polished statement layout with earnings, deductions, tax lines, YTD totals, and net pay. Included in the price.
- Style
- Refined
- Type
- Earnings Statement
- Colors
- 8 included
Color · Royal blue
Sample data, shown for illustration. Colors are included in the price.
Use it in Royal blue →The layout
What the Refined Blue layout looks like
Your company block sits at the top left and the “Earnings Statement” title with pay frequency and filing status at the right. A compact detail row of labeled cells follows: employee name and address, SSN, reporting period, pay date, and the stub and employee numbers.
Earnings and deductions tables come next, each under a blue header, then a year-to-date block and a strong summary band that sets this period’s total, deductions and net pay in a row.
On the stub
Sections, top to bottom
- Company block
- Title with pay frequency and filing status
- Detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers
- Earnings table
- Deductions table
- Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay
Best for
Who this template suits
People who want a polished statement that keeps every identifying detail on one line. The detail row makes it easy to confirm the right person, period and pay date before reading the amounts.
Overview
About this refined blue earnings statement template
The Refined Blue Earnings Statement Template is a classic grid layout: full-width info grid, earnings and deductions side by side. Polished blue payroll statement with a compact detail row and strong summary band.
From top to bottom it runs company block, title with pay frequency and filing status, detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers and earnings table, and then the rest of the stub. You fill it in once in the builder, the taxes and totals are worked out for you, and the finished earnings statement downloads as a PDF.
Related: all pay stub templates · paystub generator
Section by section
What each part of the Refined Blue shows
2. Title with pay frequency and filing status
The second block on the Refined Blue. The title block names the document and carries its reference details. Keep stub numbers in sequence from one pay date to the next, as a payroll run would.
3. Detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers
The third block on the Refined Blue. The dates that tie the stub to a paycheck: the period worked and the pay date, with pay frequency and filing status where the Refined Blue shows them. The pay date should match the deposit.
4. Earnings table
The fourth block on the Refined Blue. Earnings lines: hours × rate for hourly pay, one line for a salary, and separate lines for overtime, bonuses or tips. On the Refined Blue, the total of these lines is the gross pay.
5. Deductions table
The fifth block on the Refined Blue. What came out of gross pay: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state and local tax where they apply, then your own deductions such as a health plan or retirement. The builder estimates the taxes; every line stays editable.
6. Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay
It closes the Refined Blue. The year so far. On the Refined Blue, YTD totals sum every pay date in the calendar year up to and including this one, so consecutive stubs should step up by each period’s figures.
Fields
What you enter, and where it prints on the Refined Blue
| You enter | It prints in |
|---|---|
| Company name, address, EIN, phone and logo | Company block |
| Employee name, address and ID | Detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers |
| Last four digits of the SSN | Detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers |
| Pay period, pay date and pay frequency | Detail row: employee, SSN, reporting period, pay date, stub and employee numbers |
| Filing status and how the pay was made | Title with pay frequency and filing status |
| Hours and rate, or the salary for the period | Earnings table |
| Overtime, bonus, commission and tips lines | Earnings table |
| Federal, state, Social Security and Medicare (estimated) | Deductions table |
| Your own deductions (health plan, retirement, garnishment) | Deductions table |
| Year-to-date totals | Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay |
The tax lines are estimated from the pay, frequency, filing status and state you enter, and you can change any of them. How paycheck taxes are calculated explains each one, and the pay stub glossary defines every abbreviation on the stub.
Colours
Refined Blue colours
The Refined Blue comes in Royal blue, Navy, Steel blue, Tide blue, Spruce, Aubergine, Brick and Black & white, with Royal blue as its standard colour. The colour you choose recolours the accents (header bars and section rules); the figures and layout stay the same, and every colour is included in the price.
Document type
Why the Refined Blue is called an earnings statement
“Earnings statement” is the title many payroll departments print on the same document others call a pay stub or pay slip. The Refined Blue is drawn as a statement (a titled page with the period and the figures laid out formally), but it holds exactly what a pay stub holds: who was paid, for which period, gross pay, each tax and deduction, net pay and the year to date.
Best use
When to choose the Refined Blue
Traditional payroll readers
The Refined Blue keeps the classic grid order (details across the top, earnings beside deductions), the layout most people already know from payroll stubs.
Employees on payroll
The Refined Blue prints the full set of withholding lines (federal, Social Security, Medicare, state) for a W-2 employee’s stub.
A formal statement
The Refined Blue’s statement title and layout suit a stub that is filed with other paperwork or handed to someone else.
Several pay periods in a row
The Refined Blue prints year-to-date figures in “Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay”, so a run of consecutive stubs shows the year building up period by period.
Compare
How the Refined Blue compares
The Refined Blue belongs to the Classic grid family, with Default, Professional Classic, Minimal Professional and Two Band Header. They share the same overall order; what sets the Refined Blue apart is polished blue payroll statement with a compact detail row and strong summary band.
Compare them: Default · Professional Classic · Minimal Professional · Two Band Header
Print and PDF
Printing and reading the Refined Blue
The full-width grid fills a letter page edge to edge, so it prints clearly in black and white and stays readable when photocopied or scanned. The PDF is made from the same layout you see in the preview, so what you check is what you get.
Need several periods? The multi-stub builder makes consecutive stubs in this layout with year-to-date totals carried forward, and the sample pay stub walks through every line with real figures.
Before you download
Checks on a finished Refined Blue
- In “Earnings table”, rate × hours equals each line, and the lines add up to gross pay.
- In “Deductions table”, every tax and deduction you expect is listed once, with its correct name.
- In “Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay”, net pay equals gross pay minus total deductions (plus any reimbursement) and matches the deposit.
- In “Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay”, year-to-date totals include this period and step up correctly from the previous stub.
- Names, addresses and the pay date are spelled and dated as on your records.
Sources: IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide; IRS Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates; U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #21: Recordkeeping under the FLSA.
How it works
How to fill in the Refined Blue template
1
Open the builder with the Refined Blue already selected (the “Use This Template” button does this).
2
Enter the company and the person paid; the business prints in the “Company block” block.
3
Add the pay period, pay date and each kind of pay; the lines fill “Earnings table”.
4
Check the estimated taxes and add your own deductions (they print in “Deductions table”); every amount can be edited.
5
Pick a colour (Royal blue, Navy and Steel blue or another), preview the whole stub, then download the PDF.
Before download
Paystubs are generated from the information you enter
PayStubGo is an online paystub generator, not a payroll service. Your paystub is created from the information you provide. Review all details carefully before exporting your final PDF and use generated documents responsibly.
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Minimal Professional
Minimal professional paystub with bordered information cells and a strong net pay block.
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Two Band Header
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Boxed Row
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Pill Header
A dark header with the stub number in a pill, three underlined info columns, earnings beside deductions, a year-to-date strip and a solid net pay bar.
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FAQ
Refined Blue Earnings Statement Template questions
Is the Refined Blue a pay stub or an earnings statement?
It is titled as an earnings statement, and it holds the same record either way: who was paid, for which period, gross pay, taxes and deductions, net pay and the year to date.
What colours does the Refined Blue come in?
Royal blue, Navy, Steel blue, Tide blue, Spruce, Aubergine, Brick and Black & white. The colour changes the accents only, and every colour is included.
Does the Refined Blue show year-to-date totals?
Yes. The “Year-to-date block and summary band with net pay” part carries the year-to-date figures. Make several consecutive stubs at once and the builder carries the totals forward from one period to the next.
Can I use the Refined Blue for a 1099 contractor?
Contractor / 1099 mode works with every template and turns off withholding. For headings that read Payer and Contractor, pick a template tagged Contractor-ready, such as Stacked Ledger.
Is there a free Refined Blue template for Word or Excel?
No. The Refined Blue is filled in online and delivered as a finished PDF, with the taxes and totals worked out. You can preview it free before you pay.
Can I preview the Refined Blue Earnings Statement Template before creating a paystub?
Yes. This page shows a sample of the template, and the builder shows your own figures in it live before anything is paid for.
Can I switch from the Refined Blue to another template later?
Yes. Your details stay in the builder when you change templates, so you can compare layouts with your own figures before you download.
Can I edit the pay details before export?
Yes. PayStubGo lets you enter company, employee, earnings, deductions, pay period, and optional YTD details before previewing the final paystub.
Ready to create a paystub with this template?
Preview the layout, enter your pay details, and download the finished PDF.