1. Title and logo
It opens the Ruled Sections. 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.
Paystub Template
Ruled Sections Pay Stub Template
A plain, form-like pay stub in which every group of lines is its own ruled section, with its total on the right.
- Layout
- Portrait statements
- Type
- Pay Stub
- Colors
- 8 included
Color · Graphite
Sample data, shown for illustration. Colors are included in the price.
Use it in Graphite →The layout
What the Ruled Sections layout looks like
A large, light “Pay Stub” title opens the page, with your logo on the right when you add one. Labeled lines follow: the employee (name, ID, the last four digits of the SSN, address) and the employer (name, address, phone, EIN) on the left, and the pay period, date of payment, frequency, filing status, how the pay was made and the stub number on the right.
Column labels for hours, rate, this period and year to date sit over a strong rule. Earnings, Taxes and Deductions then follow as separate sections, each with a small heading, shaded rows, its total on the right and a closing rule; reimbursements and other non-taxable pay get a section of their own when there are any. A shaded net payment row between two rules closes the stub, with any notes underneath.
On the stub
Sections, top to bottom
- Title and logo
- Employee and employer details
- Pay period, date of payment and pay facts
- Earnings section with gross taxable pay
- Taxes section with its total
- Deductions section with its total
- Non-taxable pay, when there is any
- Net payment row, then time off and notes when you add them
Best for
Who this template suits
Anyone who wants a traditional, no-frills stub: plain type, thin rules and shaded rows, with nothing decorative in the way. Because taxes and deductions each get their own total, it is easy to see how much went to taxes and how much to everything else.
Overview
About this ruled sections pay stub template
The Ruled Sections Pay Stub Template is a portrait statements layout: reads top to bottom, one full-width table per section. A plain title, then earnings, taxes and deductions as ruled sections of banded rows with right-hand totals, and a shaded net payment row.
From top to bottom it runs title and logo, employee and employer details, pay period, date of payment and pay facts and earnings section with gross taxable pay, 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 pay stub downloads as a PDF.
Related: all pay stub templates · paystub generator
Section by section
What each part of the Ruled Sections shows
2. Employee and employer details
The second block on the Ruled Sections. Both sides of the payment in one place: the payer (company name, address, EIN) and the person paid (name, address, ID and the SSN masked to its last four digits). On the Ruled Sections they sit together, so who paid whom reads in one glance.
3. Pay period, date of payment and pay facts
The third block on the Ruled Sections. Period start and end, pay date and frequency. On the Ruled Sections these read as the stub’s facts, so a reader can match it to a bank deposit before reading the figures.
4. Earnings section with gross taxable pay
The fourth block on the Ruled Sections. Each kind of pay on its own line: regular hours, overtime, bonus, commission or tips, with rate and hours where they apply. Rate × hours should equal each current amount, and the lines add up to gross pay.
5. Taxes section with its total
The fifth block on the Ruled Sections. Taxes and deductions. The Ruled Sections lists federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, any state or local tax, and the deductions you add by name. Their total is what separates gross pay from net pay.
6. Deductions section with its total
The sixth block on the Ruled Sections. 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.
7. Non-taxable pay, when there is any
The seventh block on the Ruled Sections. Reimbursements and other non-taxable pay are kept apart from wages, so they raise net pay without changing the taxable gross.
8. Net payment row, then time off and notes when you add them
It closes the Ruled Sections. Net pay, the amount actually paid: gross pay minus every tax and deduction above, plus any non-taxable reimbursement. It should match the deposit to the cent.
Fields
What you enter, and where it prints on the Ruled Sections
| You enter | It prints in |
|---|---|
| Company name, address, EIN, phone and logo | Employee and employer details |
| Employee name, address and ID | Employee and employer details |
| Last four digits of the SSN | Employee and employer details |
| Pay period, pay date and pay frequency | Pay period, date of payment and pay facts |
| Filing status and how the pay was made | Pay period, date of payment and pay facts |
| Hours and rate, or the salary for the period | Earnings section with gross taxable pay |
| Overtime, bonus, commission and tips lines | Earnings section with gross taxable pay |
| Federal, state, Social Security and Medicare (estimated) | Earnings section with gross taxable pay |
| Your own deductions (health plan, retirement, garnishment) | Deductions section with its total |
| Memo or notes | Net payment row, then time off and notes when you add them |
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
Ruled Sections colours
The Ruled Sections comes in Graphite, Black & white, Navy, Steel blue, Spruce, Brick, Plum and Harbor blue, with Graphite as its standard colour. The colour you choose recolours the accents (section rules, headings and the net pay block); the figures and layout stay the same, and every colour is included in the price.
Document type
What makes the Ruled Sections a pay stub layout
The Ruled Sections is laid out as a pay stub: the short, practical record that comes with a paycheck or direct deposit. Payroll systems also call the same record an earnings statement or pay slip; the contents do not change with the name: 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 Ruled Sections
Line-by-line checking
Every section of the Ruled Sections is its own full-width table, so you can check it top to bottom against a timesheet or bank record.
Employees on payroll
The Ruled Sections prints the full set of withholding lines (federal, Social Security, Medicare, state) for a W-2 employee’s stub.
Compare
How the Ruled Sections compares
The Ruled Sections belongs to the Portrait statements family, with Stacked Sections, Letter Mailer, Sectioned Summary and Stacked Ledger. They share the same overall order; what sets the Ruled Sections apart is a plain title, then earnings, taxes and deductions as ruled sections of banded rows with right-hand totals, and a shaded net payment row.
Compare them: Stacked Sections · Letter Mailer · Sectioned Summary · Stacked Ledger
Print and PDF
Printing and reading the Ruled Sections
Because every table runs full width and reads top to bottom, it scrolls naturally on a phone and prints on a single portrait page for most pay periods. 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 Ruled Sections
- In “Earnings section with gross taxable pay”, rate × hours equals each line, and the lines add up to gross pay.
- In “Earnings section with gross taxable pay”, every tax and deduction you expect is listed once, with its correct name.
- In “Net payment row, then time off and notes when you add them”, net pay equals gross pay minus total deductions (plus any reimbursement) and matches the deposit.
- Year-to-date totals, if you entered them, include this period.
- 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 Ruled Sections template
1
Open the builder with the Ruled Sections already selected (the “Use This Template” button does this).
2
Enter the company and the person paid; the business prints in the “Title and logo” block.
3
Add the pay period, pay date and each kind of pay; the lines fill “Earnings section with gross taxable pay”.
4
Check the estimated taxes and add your own deductions (they print in “Earnings section with gross taxable pay”); every amount can be edited.
5
Pick a colour (Graphite, Black & white and Navy 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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FAQ
Ruled Sections Pay Stub Template questions
Is the Ruled Sections a pay stub or an earnings statement?
It is titled as a pay stub, 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 Ruled Sections come in?
Graphite, Black & white, Navy, Steel blue, Spruce, Brick, Plum and Harbor blue. The colour changes the accents only, and every colour is included.
Does the Ruled Sections show year-to-date totals?
Yes, when you enter year-to-date figures they print with the lines they belong to; leave them out and the Ruled Sections omits them.
Can I use the Ruled Sections 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 Ruled Sections template for Word or Excel?
No. The Ruled Sections 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 Ruled Sections Pay Stub 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 Ruled Sections 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.