Can AI explain my pay stub?
Yes. Paste the lines from your pay stub (without account numbers) and it explains each deduction, checks the math from gross to net, and lists questions for HR if something looks off.
01Why bot
- Pay stub terms are standard and AI explains them clearly.
- It checks that deductions add up to the difference between gross and net.
- It can't know your employer's specific benefit costs; HR can.
Sponsor slot · openFeatured tool for this task. A labeled card for one relevant tool.
Book this spot →02The prompt
Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your own details, then paste it into your AI app.
You are a payroll specialist who explains pay stubs in plain English. My pay stub lines (remove account numbers and ID numbers): [LINES] Pay frequency: [WEEKLY, BIWEEKLY, MONTHLY] Your task: explain my paycheck. Rules: - MUST explain each line in one plain sentence. - MUST check that gross minus deductions equals net and show the math. - NEVER give tax advice; tell me what to ask HR or a tax preparer. Give me: a table (line, what it means, amount), the math check, and questions for HR.
03Steps
- Copy the numbers, not your ID or bank details.
- Run the prompt.
- Ask HR about anything flagged.
04What can go wrong
- Never paste your Social Security or bank numbers.
- Withholding rules vary by state.
05What to use
Any major AI chat app.
06Our test runs
2 runs, each with a different made-up sample. 1 of 2 passed every check.
Run 1 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 11, 2026Passed with a catch
The made-up sample:
[LINES]Gross Pay: $2,500.00 Federal Income Tax: $350.00 State Income Tax: $100.00 Social Security Tax: $155.00 Medicare Tax: $36.25 401(k) Contribution: $125.00 Health Insurance: $90.00 Net Pay: $1,643.75[WEEKLY, BIWEEKLY, MONTHLY]BIWEEKLY
- Explain each line in one plain sentence
- Check that gross minus deductions equals net and show the math
- Never give tax advice; only suggest questions for HR
- Provide a table, the math check, and HR questions
- Didn't make up details we never gave it
What came back (excerpt):
Here's the explanation of your pay stub: | Line | What it means | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | Gross Pay | The total amount you earned before any deductions | $2,500.
Read the full answer
Here's the explanation of your pay stub: | Line | What it means | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | Gross Pay | The total amount you earned before any deductions | $2,500.00 | | Federal Income Tax | The amount of federal income tax withheld from your pay | $350.00 | | State Income Tax | The amount of state income tax withheld from your pay | $100.00 | | Social Security Tax | The amount of Social Security tax withheld from your pay | $155.00 | | Medicare Tax | The amount of Medicare tax withheld from your pay | $36.25 | | 401(k) Contribution | The amount you contributed to your 401(k) retirement plan | $125.00 | | Health Insurance | The amount deducted for health insurance premiums | $90.00 | | Net Pay | The amount you take home after all deductions | $1,643.75 | To check the math: Gross Pay: $2,500.00 Total deductions: $350.00 (Federal Income Tax) + $100.00 (State Income Tax) + $155.00 (Social Security Tax) + $36.25 (Medicare Tax) + $125.00 (401(k) Contribution) + $90.00 (Health Insurance) = $956.25 Net Pay calculation: $2,500.00 (Gross Pay) - $956.25 (Total deductions) = $1,543.75 (expected Net Pay), but your actual Net Pay is $1,643.75, which suggests there might be other factors or adjustments not shown here. You may want to ask your HR or a tax preparer about the following: - What other factors or adjustments might be affecting my Net Pay? - How do my 401(k) contributions affect my taxable income? - Are there any other deductions or benefits that I'm not seeing on this pay stub? - Can I adjust my tax withholding or 401(k) contributions to better suit my financial situation?
The line explanations are not full sentences, violating the plain‑sentence rule.
Run 2 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BNov 7, 2026Passed
The made-up sample (a messier one):
[LINES]Gross Pay: $2,350.00 Federal Tax: $350.00 State Tax: $90.00 Social Security: $145.70 Medicare: $34.08 Health Insurance: $120.00 (pre‑tax) Retirement 401(k): $150.00 (pre‑tax) Other Deduction (Gym): $25.00 (optional) Net Pay: $1,375.22[WEEKLY, BIWEEKLY, MONTHLY]BIWEEKLY
- Explain each line in one plain sentence
- Check that gross minus deductions equals net and show the math
- Never give tax advice; only suggest questions for HR
- Provide table, math check, and HR questions
- Didn't make up details we never gave it
What came back (excerpt):
Here's the explanation of your pay stub: | Line | What it means | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | Gross Pay | The total amount you earned before any deductions | $2,350.
Read the full answer
Here's the explanation of your pay stub: | Line | What it means | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | Gross Pay | The total amount you earned before any deductions | $2,350.00 | | Federal Tax | The amount of federal income tax withheld from your pay | $350.00 | | State Tax | The amount of state income tax withheld from your pay | $90.00 | | Social Security | The amount of Social Security tax withheld from your pay | $145.70 | | Medicare | The amount of Medicare tax withheld from your pay | $34.08 | | Health Insurance | The amount deducted from your pay for health insurance, taken out before taxes | $120.00 | | Retirement 401(k) | The amount deducted from your pay for your 401(k) retirement plan, taken out before taxes | $150.00 | | Other Deduction (Gym) | The amount deducted from your pay for a gym membership, which is an optional benefit | $25.00 | | Net Pay | The amount of money you take home after all deductions | $1,375.22 | To check that gross minus deductions equals net, let's do the math: Gross Pay: $2,350.00 Total deductions: $350.00 (Federal Tax) + $90.00 (State Tax) + $145.70 (Social Security) + $34.08 (Medicare) + $120.00 (Health Insurance) + $150.00 (Retirement 401(k)) + $25.00 (Other Deduction) = $914.78 Net Pay calculation: $2,350.00 (Gross Pay) - $914.78 (Total deductions) = $1,435.22 (but wait, this doesn't match the Net Pay on the stub) However, since Health Insurance and Retirement 401(k) are pre-tax deductions, they should be subtracted from the Gross Pay before calculating taxes. Let's recalculate: $2,350.00 (Gross Pay) - $120.00 (Health Insurance) - $150.00 (Retirement 401(k)) = $2,080.00 Then, taxes and other deductions are calculated based on this reduced amount, but the exact calculation depends on the tax rates and other factors. Given the provided information, we cannot accurately calculate the Net Pay, but we can see that the total deductions ($914.78) subtracted from the Gross Pay ($2,350.00) do not directly equal the Net Pay ($1,375.22) due to the pre-tax deductions. You may want to ask your HR representative: * How are my federal, state, and Social Security taxes calculated? * What are the details of my health insurance plan and how does it affect my taxes? * Can you explain how my 401(k) contributions affect my taxable income? * How does the gym membership deduction work and can I opt out or change it? * Can you provide more information on how my Net Pay is calculated, considering the pre-tax deductions?
Watch that the answer adds extra pre‑tax explanation beyond the required simple check.
How each run works: we fill the prompt with a made-up sample, run it once in Llama 3.3 70B, and GPT-OSS 120B grades the answer against the prompt's own rules. Word limits are counted by code, and every quote flagged as made up is checked against the full answer. Your results can differ. How we test.
Prompt packBills, Refunds & Disputes 10 step-by-step prompts that go further than this one, $15.
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