1. Company block
It opens the Side Rail. This is where the payer is named. On the Side Rail 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
Side Rail Earnings Statement Template
Contractor-ready
A two-column earnings statement: the figures run down the main column, and a tinted sidebar on the right holds the stub number, the dates and who was paid.
- Layout
- Side-by-side ledgers
- Type
- Earnings Statement
- Colors
- 8 included
Color · Denim blue
Sample data, shown for illustration. Colors are included in the price.
Use it in Denim blue →The layout
What the Side Rail layout looks like
The main column starts with the company name, address, EIN and phone, then an Earnings table (hours, rate, current and YTD) and a Deductions table, each with a colored rule under its headings and a tinted total row. A tinted net pay bar with YTD net pay closes the column, with any reimbursement and memo noted below it.
The sidebar carries the “Earnings Statement” title and separate blocks for the stub number, pay period, pay date, the employee (name, address, masked SSN, ID) and the pay itself: pay type, frequency, filing status and how it was paid. With Contractor / 1099 mode on in the builder, the Employee heading reads Contractor and tax rows are left off.
On the stub
Sections, top to bottom
- Company block
- Earnings table with gross taxable pay
- Deductions table with total deductions
- Net pay bar with YTD net pay
- Sidebar: stub number, pay period and pay date
- Sidebar: employee or contractor, and the pay details
Best for
Who this template suits
Contractors, and anyone who needs to find the dates fast: the pay period and pay date always sit in the same spot on the right. It suits readers who check who was paid and when before they look at the amounts.
Overview
About this side rail earnings statement template
The Side Rail Earnings Statement Template is a side-by-side ledgers layout: two ledgers or panels next to each other, or a main column with a sidebar. Tables on the left; stub number, pay period, pay date and employee details in a sidebar on the right.
From top to bottom it runs company block, earnings table with gross taxable pay, deductions table with total deductions and net pay bar with YTD net 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 earnings statement downloads as a PDF.
Related: all pay stub templates · 1099 contractor pay stubs · paystub generator
Section by section
What each part of the Side Rail shows
2. Earnings table with gross taxable pay
The second block on the Side Rail. Earnings lines: hours × rate for hourly pay, one line for a salary, and separate lines for overtime, bonuses or tips. On the Side Rail, the total of these lines is the gross pay.
3. Deductions table with total deductions
The third block on the Side Rail. 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.
4. Net pay bar with YTD net pay
The fourth block on the Side Rail. The take-home figure. The Side Rail gives net pay its own block so it is the first number a reader finds; it equals gross minus deductions, plus any reimbursement.
5. Sidebar: stub number, pay period and pay date
The fifth block on the Side Rail. The dates that tie the stub to a paycheck: the period worked and the pay date, with pay frequency and filing status where the Side Rail shows them. The pay date should match the deposit.
6. Sidebar: employee or contractor, and the pay details
It closes the Side Rail. Period start and end, pay date and frequency. On the Side Rail these read as the stub’s facts, so a reader can match it to a bank deposit before reading the figures.
Fields
What you enter, and where it prints on the Side Rail
| You enter | It prints in |
|---|---|
| Company name, address, EIN, phone and logo | Company block |
| Employee name, address and ID | Sidebar: employee or contractor, and the pay details |
| Last four digits of the SSN | Sidebar: employee or contractor, and the pay details |
| Pay period, pay date and pay frequency | Sidebar: stub number, pay period and pay date |
| Filing status and how the pay was made | Sidebar: employee or contractor, and the pay details |
| Hours and rate, or the salary for the period | Earnings table with gross taxable pay |
| Overtime, bonus, commission and tips lines | Earnings table with gross taxable pay |
| Federal, state, Social Security and Medicare (estimated) | Earnings table with gross taxable pay |
| Your own deductions (health plan, retirement, garnishment) | Deductions table with total deductions |
| Year-to-date totals | Net pay bar with YTD 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
Side Rail colours
The Side Rail comes in Denim blue, Harbor blue, Violet, Lagoon, Emerald, Ember red, Slate grey and Black & white, with Denim blue as its standard colour. The colour you choose recolours the accents (the bands, ledger rules and total bars); the figures and layout stay the same, and every colour is included in the price.
Document type
Why the Side Rail 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 Side Rail 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 Side Rail
Comparing two columns at once
The Side Rail puts two panels next to each other, so current and year-to-date or earnings and deductions can be compared without scrolling.
1099 contractors
The Side Rail is contractor-ready: with Contractor / 1099 mode on, it relabels the parties and leaves the withholding rows off.
A formal statement
The Side Rail’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 Side Rail prints year-to-date figures in “Net pay bar with YTD net pay”, so a run of consecutive stubs shows the year building up period by period.
Compare
How the Side Rail compares
The Side Rail belongs to the Side-by-side ledgers family, with Split Ledger, Accent Panel and Center Bands. They share the same overall order; what sets the Side Rail apart is tables on the left; stub number, pay period, pay date and employee details in a sidebar on the right.
Compare them: Split Ledger · Accent Panel · Center Bands
Print and PDF
Printing and reading the Side Rail
With two columns sharing each row, the page is short; on a phone the PDF is best read in landscape or zoomed to one column at a time. 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 Side Rail
- In “Earnings table with gross taxable pay”, rate × hours equals each line, and the lines add up to gross pay.
- In “Earnings table with gross taxable pay”, every tax and deduction you expect is listed once, with its correct name.
- In “Net pay bar with YTD net pay”, net pay equals gross pay minus total deductions (plus any reimbursement) and matches the deposit.
- In “Net pay bar with YTD 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 Side Rail template
1
Open the builder with the Side Rail 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 with gross taxable pay”.
4
Check the estimated taxes and add your own deductions (they print in “Earnings table with gross taxable pay”); every amount can be edited.
5
Pick a colour (Denim blue, Harbor blue and Violet 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
Side Rail Earnings Statement Template questions
Is the Side Rail 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 Side Rail come in?
Denim blue, Harbor blue, Violet, Lagoon, Emerald, Ember red, Slate grey and Black & white. The colour changes the accents only, and every colour is included.
Does the Side Rail show year-to-date totals?
Yes. The “Net pay bar with YTD 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 Side Rail for a 1099 contractor?
Yes. It is contractor-ready: with Contractor / 1099 mode on, the headings change for a payer and a contractor and the withholding rows are left off.
Is there a free Side Rail template for Word or Excel?
No. The Side Rail 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 Side Rail 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 Side Rail 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.