A convincing paystub can be generated or edited in minutes. But visual polish is not the same as internal consistency. A careful review combines arithmetic, dates, year-to-date progression, file structure, and permitted source verification.
1. Reconcile gross pay, deductions, and net pay
Gross pay − total deductions = net pay
Add each tax, benefit, garnishment, and other deduction rather than relying only on the printed total. Then subtract the confirmed total from gross pay. Record any difference exactly; do not assume a rounding discrepancy is deliberate manipulation.
2. Check rate, hours, and earnings
For hourly work, regular hours multiplied by the stated rate should align with regular earnings, with overtime or shift differentials handled separately. For salaried work, the pay frequency should produce a plausible periodic amount. Bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay, and pre-tax deductions can complicate simple comparisons.
- Pay-period dates and pay date follow a plausible cadence.
- Hours, rates, and earnings reconcile by category.
- Individual deductions add to the printed deduction total.
- Gross minus deductions equals reported net pay.
- Year-to-date values do not decrease without explanation.
3. Compare year-to-date progression
Across consecutive paystubs, prior year-to-date totals plus current-period values should generally equal the new year-to-date totals. A reset may be appropriate at the start of a calendar or fiscal year. Corrections, voided checks, or payroll migrations can also require explanation.
4. Inspect the original PDF
Check whether the producer metadata, timestamps, and revision structure fit a payroll-system download. Design software, a late modification, or multiple saves are reasons to request context—not proof of fraud. Use Ocolta’s private Integrity Scan to capture the supported file-level evidence.
5. Compare authorized adjacent evidence
The free cross-document panel runs this comparison on fields you enter. If your policy allows it, compare stated net pay with a corresponding bank deposit, the pay date with the deposit date, and consistent applicant or employer identifiers across documents. A matching deposit strengthens consistency; it does not independently prove the employment relationship or the origin of every file.
6. Escalate with a defined next step
For material unresolved differences, use the same source-verification process you apply in comparable cases. This may mean requesting an original payroll PDF, another pay period, or authorized employer/payroll confirmation. Avoid collecting more personal data than the decision requires.
Say “the reported net pay did not reconcile by $X” or “the PDF names a general-purpose editor.” Do not jump from a file observation to a claim about a person’s intent.