About StubTrue
Who built this, and why.
The first time Eric sat down with a job offer letter, he spent more time than he'd like to admit trying to figure out what the salary number actually meant for his bank account. The gross figure was right there on the page. What wasn't there was any math behind the line items beneath it — a health premium, a 401(k) amount, Social Security, Medicare — just deduction amounts with no formulas and no explanation of why they added up to what they did.
He went looking for a calculator that would show the work. He found plenty that handed back a take-home number. Most offered no formula, no source, no way to verify whether the output was right. A few were more detailed but required creating an account before showing the breakdown. None of them explained the distinction that turns out to matter most: why your health insurance lowers your Social Security and Medicare bill, but your 401(k) contribution doesn't.
StubTrue is the calculator he built instead. Every tool gives you a full paycheck breakdown — each deduction named, each formula shown, each source linked. The math behind a pay stub isn't complicated. It just rarely gets explained.
Eric is a W-2 employee who has negotiated offer letters, puzzled over explanation-of-benefits documents, and done the same mental math that most employees do without much support. He's not a licensed payroll professional — and he's upfront about that. What he is, is someone who has read IRS Publication 15 carefully, tracked down SSA wage base announcements each October, and worked through the FLSA guidance to understand the payroll math that most employers never bother explaining. Every tool on this site reflects that research.
Part of the Veraino network of free tool sites.
How the tools are built
Every tool on StubTrue starts with a documented primary source — a published IRS formula, a specific SSA announcement, or a DOL regulation. If a calculation can't be traced back to a citable source, it doesn't ship. That rule applies to rates, thresholds, and formulas alike, without exception.
For paycheck math specifically, that means FICA rates from IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Social Security wage base figures from SSA.gov annual COLA announcements, and overtime rules from the FLSA via DOL.gov. When figures change — the SS wage base is updated every October — relevant tools are reviewed and updated in January. Every tool that uses time-sensitive numbers carries a “Last reviewed” date so you can see exactly how current the figures are.
One thing StubTrue deliberately doesn't cover: federal and state income tax withholding. That calculation depends on your W-4 elections, filing status, and state — variables that differ too much per person to compute accurately in a general tool. Every applicable calculator states this limitation clearly, right next to the tool.
What to expect from this site
- Free, no account required. Every tool on this site is free to use with no sign-up, no subscription, and no paywall — and that's not changing.
- The formula is always shown. Every calculator includes the methodology, the source citations, and any stated assumptions — so you can verify the output yourself instead of just trusting a number.
- Honest about what isn't covered. Where a tool can't handle something accurately — like income tax withholding — that limitation is labeled directly, not buried in a footnote.
- Maintained when figures change. Tools that use rates or thresholds that update over time are treated as ongoing responsibilities, not one-time builds. The “Last reviewed” dates are real.
Get in touch
If something on your stub doesn't match what a calculator shows, write to hello@stubtrue.com with the tool name, your inputs, and what you expected. Eric reads every message personally and treats calculation corrections as a priority — if the math is off, he wants to know.
Suggestions for new tools, improvements to existing calculators, or general questions are equally welcome.