Decode and verify a pay stub
Reconcile dates, hours, rates, earnings, taxes, deductions, reimbursements, leave, and net pay.
OSHA: Young Workers’ Rights
From U.S. Department of Labor. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
During the course primer, listen for ideas that change how you approach “Decode and verify a pay stub.” Pause once to capture a useful point, then apply it while producing a redacted pay-stub reconciliation showing expected pay, actual pay, each difference, and any written follow-up.What this lesson is really solving.
Reconcile dates, hours, rates, earnings, taxes, deductions, reimbursements, leave, and net pay. This is lesson 2 because later decisions depend on a redacted pay-stub reconciliation showing expected pay, actual pay, each difference, and any written follow-up. A pay stub is a reconciliation statement: trace each number back to time, policy, or an authorized choice. Use your own numbers, files, environment, and constraints so the result survives outside the course.
Understand the idea before touching the steps.
A pay stub is a reconciliation statement: trace each number back to time, policy, or an authorized choice.
Follow these steps in order.
Take the action in each step; then use the deliverable below to prove the lesson is finished.
- 1
Match employer and worker details, pay period, pay date, regular and overtime hours, rates, tips, bonuses, and year-to-date totals to your records.
- 2
Separate required taxes from benefit contributions, garnishments, repayment, and other deductions; identify anything you did not authorize or understand.
- 3
Recalculate gross pay and net-pay movement, then use the documented payroll question process for discrepancies.
See the standard in context.
Sam's log shows two overtime hours missing, so the question includes the dates, clock record, expected amount, and pay-stub line. The learner saves a redacted pay-stub reconciliation showing expected pay, actual pay, each difference, and any written follow-up and notes the evidence or assumption behind the choice so it can be reviewed and improved later.
Inspect before you move on.
- The finished work visibly includes a redacted pay-stub reconciliation showing expected pay, actual pay, each difference, and any written follow-up.
- You tested the work against this common failure: Checking only the bank deposit and missing an incorrect rate, missing hours, or an unfamiliar deduction.
- Another person could verify this mastery standard: Your independent calculation reaches the stated gross pay and every deduction has a label, basis, and follow-up if needed.
Your deliverable
A redacted pay-stub reconciliation showing expected pay, actual pay, each difference, and any written follow-up.
Watch for this
Checking only the bank deposit and missing an incorrect rate, missing hours, or an unfamiliar deduction.
Prove it—don’t just recognize it.
Your independent calculation reaches the stated gross pay and every deduction has a label, basis, and follow-up if needed.
Quick knowledge check
Answer from the lesson—not from confidence alone. Score at least 2 of 3 to unlock completion.
This curriculum-aligned check is scored automatically and stored with your account when signed in. It is an objective learning signal, but it has not yet been independently validated as a standardized assessment.
Tools, templates, and references
Pass the knowledge check above first.
Completion unlocks after a score of 2 out of 3. Then confirm that you produced the lesson deliverable.
Go to the knowledge check