To print payroll checks, first finish your payroll calculations elsewhere, then print one check per employee for the net pay, with an earnings statement on the stub, the pay period dates, a unique check number and the payday date. Printing the check is the last step of a payroll run, not the first. The check shows the result of payroll. It does not work out wages or taxes.
This page is general information, not payroll, tax or legal advice. Payroll involves withholding and filings that vary by location and employer, so confirm the details with your accountant or payroll provider.
What is the payroll check process from start to finish?
A payroll check is the final output of several earlier steps. Seeing the whole chain makes it clear where printing fits and what must be correct before you do it.
- Collect hours, salaries and any additions or deductions for the pay period.
- Calculate gross pay, withholdings and net pay, using a payroll provider, payroll software, your accountant or a spreadsheet they approve.
- Review the totals against the previous period and look for anything unusual.
- Prepare one earnings statement per employee showing how gross turned into net.
- Print one check per employee for the net amount, with the earnings statement on the stub.
- Sign, distribute and record the checks.
- Keep the payroll records and make any deposits and filings your accountant or provider handles.
Steps 1 to 3 and the tax side of step 7 are outside what a check printing tool does. If you need a walkthrough of a small employer doing this at a home office, see how to print payroll checks at home. If you are printing for a whole team in one sitting, see how to print checks for multiple employees.
What belongs on a payroll check and its stub?
The check itself looks like any other business check (see what are voucher checks for how stub paper works): your business name and address, the employee as payee, the net amount in numbers and words, the date and your signature. The stub is where payroll differs, because employees need to see how their pay was worked out.
| Item | Where it goes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employee name | Pay to the order of line and stub | Use the legal name from your records. |
| Pay period dates | Stub | Start and end dates of the work period covered. |
| Pay date | Check date and stub | The date you are issuing the check. |
| Gross pay | Stub | Pay before deductions, with hours and rate if hourly. |
| Deductions and withholdings | Stub | Listed by type, as your payroll calculation produced them. |
| Net pay | Check amount and stub | Must match exactly. |
| Year-to-date totals | Stub, if you track them | Often useful to employees and requested by some employers. |
| Check number | Check and register | Unique per check. |
What an earnings statement must include can depend on where you operate, so ask your accountant or check with your state labor department. Do not guess about what is required.
How do you print payroll checks step by step?
- Confirm that the payroll figures are final and reviewed. Printing corrections later costs more than catching them now.
- Choose the bank account that funds payroll. If you keep a separate payroll account, use its own routing and account numbers and check number sequence.
- Enter each employee as a saved payee so names stay consistent from period to period.
- For each employee, enter the net pay as the check amount. The amount in words should read correctly, for example $1,043.17 is One thousand forty-three and 17/100.
- Add the earnings and deduction lines to the stub. Paste them from your spreadsheet or type them in.
- Set the date to your payday and double-check the pay period on the stub.
- Run a test print on plain paper and compare it to your stock. Do this every period you change anything.
- Print the checks on your stock. Keep them in alphabetical or department order so distributing them is quick.
- Have the authorized signer sign them. Do not sign blank checks ahead of time.
- Record each check number and amount against the payroll run total. The sum of the net pay checks should equal the net pay total from your payroll calculation.
How do check numbers and pay period dates work together?
Check numbers should run in order with no repeats, even if you issue payroll checks and regular business checks from the same account. When a number is skipped or a check is voided, write down why. Gaps without notes are what an auditor, your bank or a careful bookkeeper will ask about.
The pay period tells the employee what work the check covers. The check date tells them when it was issued. They are rarely the same day. A paycheck dated on Friday the 15th might cover the two weeks ending the previous Friday. Put both on the stub so there is no confusion and so your records show them clearly.
When will employees be able to cash the check?
Deposit timing is a practical point many small employers overlook. On payday you need enough money in the account for all the payroll checks, and that includes checks that might be cashed on the first morning. Pay attention to these points:
- Keep the balance high enough to cover every check on the day you hand them out, not only when they clear.
- Hand them out early enough that employees can deposit before weekends and bank holidays if they need to.
- Employees who deposit by mobile app or ATM may see funds on a different schedule than at a branch. That is up to their bank.
- Do not date payroll checks in the future to stretch the cash. Employees may be able to deposit them before the date, and it creates a record you do not want.
What records do you keep for payroll checks?
Keep a record that ties together the payroll calculation, the check and the bank statement. At minimum, hold the payroll register for the period, each employee's earnings statement, the check register entry with check number, date, payee and amount, and the bank statement showing the cleared checks. Retention periods for payroll records vary by type of record and location, so ask your accountant how long to keep each item.
Also keep a record of voided and reissued checks. If you replace a payroll check because it was lost or misprinted, void the original and issue a replacement under a new number, as described in how to void a printed check. Employees should never end up holding two live checks for the same pay.
What are the most common payroll check mistakes?
- Printing the gross amount instead of the net amount on the check.
- A stub that does not add up to the check amount.
- Mixing up two employees with similar names when you pick payees.
- Reusing a check number after a misprint.
- Leaving signed payroll checks in an unlocked place.
- Storing payroll files and employee information where others can see them.
- Treating the check printing tool as if it handles taxes. It does not, and you should not rely on it for that.
Check Writer 123 prints the check and the stub you give it. It has a saved employees list, automatic check numbers, stub lines you can paste from a spreadsheet, and a register. It does not calculate payroll taxes, run direct deposit or file anything, so do those with your accountant or payroll provider.
Putting it together
A payroll check is the last step in a longer process. Get the numbers right first, then print one check per employee with a clear earnings statement, a unique number and the right dates. Match the total of your checks to your payroll total, record everything, and keep the supporting paperwork. If your accountant or payroll provider already produces earnings statements, print the check from their final numbers and keep their report with your check register.