For real employers and real employees
A payslip shows an employee what they earned, what was deducted and what they were paid. It is their record for loans, rentals, visas and tax, and in many countries employers are required to give one every pay period. This tool is for small employers paying real staff. We do not make “novelty” or replacement pay stubs, and never will.
What a payslip shows
- The employer’s name and address, and the employee’s name, number and job title.
- The pay period and the pay date.
- Earnings: basic salary, allowances, overtime, commission, bonus.
- Deductions: income tax, social security, pension, health insurance, loans.
- Gross pay, total deductions and net pay, with net pay in words.
- Employer contributions, shown separately because they are not taken from the employee’s pay.
- The bank account it was paid to, masked to the last four digits.
Deductions are typed by you
Tax and social security rules change every year and differ by country, so SmallKits does not calculate them. Type each deduction as calculated by your payroll adviser, your tax authority’s calculator or your accounting software. As you type, common deduction names for your country are suggested: for example PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and Housing levy in Kenya; Income tax and National Insurance in the UK; Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare in the US; PF, ESI and Professional tax in India.
If deductions are larger than earnings, the payslip will not download until you fix it, because net pay cannot be negative.
Next month in one tap
Press “New” after downloading and the next payslip keeps the employee and every line, with the period moved on a month. Change what changed, and download. Employees are saved, so switching between staff is quick.
Confidential by default
Each payslip carries a “Confidential” note in the footer, and bank account numbers show only the last four digits.
Country notes
UK: employers must give itemised payslips showing gross pay, deductions and net pay, and the hours worked for hourly workers. India: salary slips commonly list Basic, HRA and allowances, with PF, ESI, Professional tax and TDS. Kenya: show PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing levy separately. US: many states require pay statements showing hours, rates and deductions. Check what your country requires.
A worked example
A small accounting firm pays Wanjiku a basic salary, a transport allowance and overtime for October. Under deductions, the owner types the income tax, pension and health insurance amounts calculated with the tax authority’s calculator. Employer pension contributions go in their own section. The payslip shows gross pay, total deductions and net pay, with net pay in words, the pay date and the last four digits of Wanjiku’s bank account. In November, the owner presses New: all the lines are kept and the period moves to November, so only the overtime needs changing.
Payslip checklist
- Employer and employee names, employee number and job title.
- Pay period and pay date.
- Every earning and every deduction on its own line.
- Gross pay, total deductions and net pay, which match what was actually paid.
- Employer contributions shown separately.
Payslip terms explained
- Gross pay
- Total earnings before deductions.
- Net pay
- What the employee actually receives.
- Statutory deductions
- Deductions required by law, such as income tax and social security.
- Voluntary deductions
- Deductions the employee agreed to, such as loan repayments or savings schemes.
- Employer contributions
- Payments the employer makes on top of salary, such as pension contributions.
- Year to date
- Totals since the start of the tax year; add them as notes if your employees need them.
Keep a copy of every payslip you issue. Employees may need them years later for loans, pensions or tax questions, and many countries require employers to keep payroll records for several years.
Payslips are numbered (PS-0001 and so on) so you and your employees can refer to them, and every payslip you download is kept under Documents in this browser.
Related free tools
- Free timesheet generator: to record the hours behind hourly pay.
- Free payment voucher generator: to record salary payments made in cash.
- Free expense claim form: for reimbursements outside payroll.
One more tip
Agree with each employee how they want to receive payslips. Many prefer them on WhatsApp or email as a PDF, which the Share button makes easy, while others want a printed copy each month for their records.
Updated 2026-10-29