What Goes on an Illinois Pay Stub?
An Illinois pay stub looks like most others across the country, with one detail worth knowing up front: the state tax line reflects a flat 4.95% rate, not a bracket that climbs with income. Federal tax, Social Security, and Medicare follow the same rules as anywhere else in the country, so the state line is really the only piece that changes shape from state to state.
USACalculator built this generator to produce a clean, accurate-looking stub for Illinois workers, calculating federal tax and FICA automatically so you can focus on getting the rest of the details right.
Using the Generator
Fill in employer details, employee information, pay period dates, and gross pay. The document preview updates as you type, calculating federal tax, Social Security, and Medicare automatically. Illinois isn't yet one of the listed presets in the state dropdown, so the generator defaults to the Other setting, which applies a generic state tax estimate rather than the exact 4.95% flat rate. You can manually override the state tax field with 4.95% of your taxable gross pay to make the stub reflect Illinois more precisely. Want to double-check the underlying math first? Run the same numbers through our Illinois Paycheck Calculator, which does use the exact flat rate.
How the Calculation Works
Federal tax is estimated using a simplified bracket approach, Social Security is calculated at 6.2% of gross pay, and Medicare at 1.45%, matching current federal rates. With the state set to Other, the state tax field applies a generic estimate rather than Illinois's specific flat rate, so overriding that field manually gives you the most accurate Illinois-specific stub.
Illinois-Specific Pay Stub Information
Legal Requirement to Issue Stubs
Unlike Texas, which has no specific state law requiring a pay stub, Illinois law is different. Under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, employers must give employees an itemized statement of earnings and deductions each pay period. This is a real legal requirement, not just a common courtesy.
What a Complete Stub Should Show
A compliant Illinois pay stub includes gross pay, hours worked, federal tax, FICA, Illinois state tax at the flat 4.95% rate, any pre-tax deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals. Employees rely on this information for loan applications, rental applications, and their own budgeting.
State Tax Line
Since Illinois taxes wage income at a flat 4.95% rate, the state tax line on a correctly built stub should reflect that percentage of taxable pay, not a bracket-based estimate. If you see a different rate on your actual employer-issued stub, it's worth double-checking with payroll.
Why Illinois Residents Use This Generator
Freelancers transitioning to W-2 employment use it to understand what their new stub should look like. Small business owners use it as a quick reference template before setting up formal payroll software. Employees who lost an old stub use it to reconstruct a reasonable record for their own files, then verify the math against our Illinois Paycheck Calculator.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using a generated stub as official proof of income for a mortgage or loan instead of employer-issued documentation.
- Forgetting to override the state tax field with the 4.95% flat rate, since Illinois isn't a built-in preset yet.
- Forgetting to update the pay period and YTD fields, which throws off the running totals.
- Skipping pre-tax deduction entries, which can make take-home pay look higher than it actually would be.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Illinois require employers to provide pay stubs?
Yes. The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act requires an itemized statement of earnings and deductions each pay period.
What information should an Illinois pay stub include?
Gross pay, hours worked, federal tax, FICA, Illinois state tax, pre-tax deductions, net pay, and year-to-date totals for each.
Does the pay stub generator have an Illinois preset?
Not yet. It uses the Other setting by default, which applies a generic state tax estimate rather than the exact 4.95% flat rate. You can manually enter the 4.95% figure for a more accurate stub.
Do Illinois pay stubs need a state tax line?
Yes, reflecting the flat 4.95% rate on taxable pay.
Can I use a generated pay stub for a loan application?
It's useful for personal records, but lenders typically want official documentation from your employer or payroll provider.
Is this pay stub generator legally binding proof of income?
No. It's a calculation and formatting tool, not an official payroll document from an employer.
How often should Illinois pay stubs be issued?
Each time you're paid, following your employer's pay frequency, under the itemized statement requirement in state law.
What's the difference between gross and net pay on a stub?
Gross pay is total earnings before deductions. Net pay is what's left, and actually deposited, after tax and other deductions.
Do independent contractors in Illinois need pay stubs?
Typically they receive 1099 payment summaries instead, since no tax withholding applies to contractor payments.
Are digital pay stubs valid in Illinois?
Yes. There's no required physical format, so digital and printed versions are both acceptable.
Related Calculators
Verify the underlying math with the Illinois Paycheck Calculator, or explore more free tools at USACalculator.
Sources: Illinois Department of Labor, Illinois Department of Revenue, IRS Publication 15-T. Figures reviewed for 2026. This tool provides estimates for planning and recordkeeping purposes and does not constitute official payroll documentation.