1. Logo and company block
It opens the Soft Cells. This is where the payer is named. On the Soft Cells 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
Soft Cells Pay Stub Template
A light, form-style pay stub: a centered title, every detail on its own labeled line, and each earnings and deduction label set in a soft tinted cell.
- Layout
- Portrait statements
- Type
- Pay Stub
- Colors
- 8 included
Color · Inkwell
Sample data, shown for illustration. Colors are included in the price.
Use it in Inkwell →The layout
What the Soft Cells layout looks like
The company block sits at the top right, with your logo on the left when you add one. A large centered “Pay Stub” title and the stub number follow. The details below read like a neatly filled-in form in two columns: the employer and its address, the employee and their ID, the masked SSN and the employee’s address, and how the pay was made and the filing status, each shown only when you fill it in.
One tinted band carries the pay period start and end, the pay date and the pay frequency. Earnings, Gross pay, Taxes and deductions, and Net pay follow under plain headings. Every line label sits in its own soft cell and every figure in a pale cell, on one shared column grid, so rate, hours, this period and year to date line up down the page. Any memo you add prints as a note at the foot.
On the stub
Sections, top to bottom
- Logo and company block
- Centered title and stub number
- Labeled details in two columns
- Tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency
- Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD
- Gross pay
- Taxes and deductions
- Net pay, then time off and a memo note when you add them
Best for
Who this template suits
People who want a stub that reads like a completed form, with every value labeled in words rather than packed into a dense grid. The soft cells keep a long list of earnings and deductions easy to follow, and the centered title gives a single printed stub a clean, finished look.
Overview
About this soft cells pay stub template
The Soft Cells Pay Stub Template is a portrait statements layout: reads top to bottom, one full-width table per section. A centered title under the company block, labeled details in two columns, a tinted pay period band, and every line label in its own soft cell.
From top to bottom it runs logo and company block, centered title and stub number, labeled details in two columns and tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency, 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 Soft Cells shows
2. Centered title and stub number
The second block on the Soft Cells. 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. Labeled details in two columns
The third block on the Soft Cells. Labeled fields for the person paid and the pay facts: name, ID, masked SSN, the pay period, pay date and frequency. On the Soft Cells each value sits by its own label, so one detail can be checked without scanning the page.
4. Tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency
The fourth block on the Soft Cells. Period start and end, pay date and frequency. On the Soft Cells these read as the stub’s facts, so a reader can match it to a bank deposit before reading the figures.
5. Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD
The fifth block on the Soft Cells. 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.
6. Gross pay
The sixth block on the Soft Cells. Where the lines are added up. Gross pay should equal the earnings lines, total deductions the tax and deduction lines; the gap between them is net pay.
7. Taxes and deductions
The seventh block on the Soft Cells. 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.
8. Net pay, then time off and a memo note when you add them
It closes the Soft Cells. The take-home figure. The Soft Cells gives net pay its own block so it is the first number a reader finds; it equals gross minus deductions, plus any reimbursement.
Fields
What you enter, and where it prints on the Soft Cells
| You enter | It prints in |
|---|---|
| Company name, address, EIN, phone and logo | Logo and company block |
| Last four digits of the SSN | Tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency |
| Pay period, pay date and pay frequency | Tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency |
| Filing status and how the pay was made | Tinted band: pay period, pay date and frequency |
| Hours and rate, or the salary for the period | Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD |
| Overtime, bonus, commission and tips lines | Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD |
| Federal, state, Social Security and Medicare (estimated) | Taxes and deductions |
| Your own deductions (health plan, retirement, garnishment) | Taxes and deductions |
| Year-to-date totals | Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD |
| Memo or notes | Net pay, then time off and a memo note 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
Soft Cells colours
The Soft Cells comes in Inkwell, Midnight, Harbor blue, Lagoon, Spruce, Plum, Brick and Black & white, with Inkwell 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 Soft Cells a pay stub layout
The Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells
Line-by-line checking
Every section of the Soft Cells is its own full-width table, so you can check it top to bottom against a timesheet or bank record.
Employees on payroll
The Soft Cells prints the full set of withholding lines (federal, Social Security, Medicare, state) for a W-2 employee’s stub.
Several pay periods in a row
The Soft Cells prints year-to-date figures in “Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD”, so a run of consecutive stubs shows the year building up period by period.
Compare
How the Soft Cells compares
The Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells apart is a centered title under the company block, labeled details in two columns, a tinted pay period band, and every line label in its own soft cell.
Compare them: Stacked Sections · Letter Mailer · Sectioned Summary · Stacked Ledger
Print and PDF
Printing and reading the Soft Cells
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 Soft Cells
- In “Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD”, rate × hours equals each line, and the lines add up to gross pay.
- In “Taxes and deductions”, every tax and deduction you expect is listed once, with its correct name.
- In “Net pay, then time off and a memo note when you add them”, net pay equals gross pay minus total deductions (plus any reimbursement) and matches the deposit.
- In “Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD”, 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 Soft Cells template
1
Open the builder with the Soft Cells already selected (the “Use This Template” button does this).
2
Enter the company and the person paid; the business prints in the “Logo and company block” block.
3
Add the pay period, pay date and each kind of pay; the lines fill “Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD”.
4
Check the estimated taxes and add your own deductions (they print in “Taxes and deductions”); every amount can be edited.
5
Pick a colour (Inkwell, Midnight and Harbor 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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FAQ
Soft Cells Pay Stub Template questions
Is the Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells come in?
Inkwell, Midnight, Harbor blue, Lagoon, Spruce, Plum, Brick and Black & white. The colour changes the accents only, and every colour is included.
Does the Soft Cells show year-to-date totals?
Yes. The “Earnings with rate, hours, this period and YTD” 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 Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells template for Word or Excel?
No. The Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells 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 Soft Cells 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.