# Do you file your pay stubs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243 "2013-07-11T19:15:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/21 "2013-07-12T15:32:54Z")
I still have my first pay stub from 1967. I made 95 cents an hour. Other than that and a few others for special occasions, no pay stubs. I do use direct deposit for my pay. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/22 "2013-07-12T15:40:34Z")
Well, that settles it. Guess who’s having a bonfire?! ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/23 "2013-07-12T15:46:48Z")
I trash mine. I’ve bought a house and recently refinanced it, both times they just wanted my one most recent stub, to which I said “I’ll bring it Friday”. I can’t imagine anyone else needing to see more, but I can get them printed at work if need be. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/24 "2013-07-12T16:17:04Z")
I’ve often found them helpful to refer to when trying to wrestle with my tax return. I also have multiple sources of income, some W2, some 1099, so having a single place to see what came from where, when, is great for me, YMMV. I don’t generally keep the PAPER for very long, though. If I get a paper stub, it goes in a file folder for a while, and then I scan them into a single PDF document. I usually do it by year, if there’s a lot I’ll also do it by employer/source. It takes up a lot less space on my hard drive than in my file cabinet. One place used to issue electronic paystubs. That was awesome and I wish more places did that. FWIW, I’ll direct deposit whenever it’s an option. Most of the 1099 stuff is a paper check, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/25 "2013-07-12T16:19:35Z")
Naw, I do the payroll and can pull up anything I need or request it. Plus the current stub should have all the year-to-date info on it, so at most all I need is the most current stub and prior year W-2s. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/26 "2013-07-12T17:42:12Z")
My employer (who now pays my pension) sends you a pay stub only a few times a year. When your pay changes (doesn’t happen with pensions) and when things like unemployment insurance or pension payments start with the first check of the year or stop later on. Since pensioners don’t pay these things, I get exactly one a year. There are no online stubs either. And the amount appears in my bank account at 12:00:00 AM on paydays. No more getting it on Friday when payday was Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/27 "2013-07-12T20:22:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Banner Is swearing allowed in this forum? 🙂 Banner, ugh! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/28 "2013-07-13T02:35:43Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Is swearing allowed in this forum? 🙂 > > Banner, ugh! Wait…banner is like a widely used program, not just something stupid UNH came up with on their own?? Why would such an awful program be popular? I hate it. Anyway, no pay stubs, just electronic. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/29 "2013-07-13T10:25:10Z")
I’ve long had a habit of keeping my pay records (stubs, whatever) for a couple years. When an employer stopped paying me and I had to go to the Labor Board it was really great to have all that on hand to prove that I worked for these people, and how much my usual pay was, because said (now former) employer _refused_ to respond to me so if I had relied on their records I would have been screwed. So… I’d suggest saving your pay record in _some_ form for a year or two just in case some Bizarre Screw Up occurs. More than that is probably not necessary. Sure, a W-2 is a record of your employment, but I’m not entirely sure I’m getting _that_ from the yahoos who used to employ me, either, so yeah, glad I kept some records of my payment. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/30 "2013-07-13T11:13:42Z")
I just had the pleasure of learning that a former employer REFUSED to confirm more than 7 years of employment history. My new employer said that they’d accept pay stubs, W2, or 1099 forms as documentation. I also didn’t have this, because I understood that you should only keep tax documents for 7 years and then shred them. I got the job, but boy have I learned my lesson. TL;DR version - make a filefolder called “employment history” and save at least your first & last paystub, W2, or 1099 with each employer. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/31 "2013-07-13T11:26:12Z")
I sometimes think the people making the “what to keep, what to shred” rules have had perfectly ordered lives with no snafus. ETA: once, when applying for a government job, I was asked for starting and ending salaries for _every job I’ve ever had_. For someone with a 30 year work history. Seriously, guys? At a certain point I just had to tell them I don’t have that information because when I was 18 I had no clue I’d need that info three decades later. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/32 "2013-07-13T12:13:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I sometimes think the people making the “what to keep, what to shred” rules have had perfectly ordered lives with no snafus. > > ETA: once, when applying for a government job, I was asked for starting and ending salaries for _every job I’ve ever had_. For someone with a 30 year work history. Seriously, guys? At a certain point I just had to tell them I don’t have that information because when I was 18 I had no clue I’d need that info three decades later. It appears to me that employers ask for much more than they need in the way of employment history and personal references. I also know for a fact that out of my 5 employers, all of them asked for personal contact information on 3-5 references, and never actually contacted any of them. It’s pretty crappy that they make you sweat bullets trying to dig up information they aren’t actually going to use, but there you have it. The employment application process is probably the least empowered period of your engagement with the company, and they certainly make the most of it. ---
**Author:** ![OneOfOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@OneOfOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneOfOne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/33 "2013-07-13T13:22:23Z")
Here in Ontario, Canada I don’t get pay stubs, unless I sign up through e-post. The money is always direct deposited. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/34 "2013-07-13T13:25:08Z")
Over the years I have found quite a few errors on my paystub, usually not in my favor. I’ve mostly worked for smaller companies with more manual systems, so there your are. I keep them for the year, and at tax time they get shredded, once I have captured all the numbers I need. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/35 "2013-07-13T15:34:59Z")
The feds once had trouble verifying I’d worked at one of my previous jobs and asked for stubs. I didn’t have them. Fortunately they accepted W-2s. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/36 "2013-07-13T16:38:38Z")
I don’t get a physical pay stub, it’s all on our HR site. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/37 "2013-07-14T00:30:21Z")
Well, then, I suppose you can consider me the one holdout on this. All of my pays sheets are electronic and direct deposit, of course, but I actually do print out the pay sheet every two weeks and manually file it. I have all of mine since 1992 at the age of 18, through various jobs. Why? It just my system. And I have used them occasionally to get salary history for job applications (which was simple to do given my records), and mortgage applications and such. I’ve caught errors too, but those are usually resolved by the next pay period. As my employer does provide a pension, I also will be using them when I retire to make sure my retirement calculations are correct. I suppose I could scan them into the computer, but at this point that’s more work than its worth. Meh, my system has worked since, again, 1992, no reason to change it now. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243/38 "2013-07-14T01:50:12Z")
Save the last one of the year (which may mean you might need to save a couple). Just in case you don;t get a W-2. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-file-your-pay-stubs/663243.md?page=1)