Pay Stub Abbreviations: The Complete 2026 Glossary

Why Pay Stubs Use Abbreviations

Payroll software inherits decades of mainframe formatting where field lengths were limited. Most stubs still use short codes — here's what they mean.

Earnings Abbreviations

• REG — Regular hours/wages
• OT — Overtime (typically 1.5x)
• DT — Double-time (2x)
• HOL — Holiday pay
• VAC / PTO — Vacation or paid time off
• SICK — Sick pay
• BON / BNS — Bonus
• COM / COMM — Commission
• TIP — Reported tips
• RET — Retroactive pay adjustment

Federal Tax Abbreviations

• FED / FIT / FITW — Federal Income Tax Withheld
• FICA-SS / OASDI / SS — Social Security tax (6.2%)
• FICA-MED / MED / HI — Medicare tax (1.45%)
• Add'l Med — Additional Medicare tax (0.9% over $200K)

State and Local Abbreviations

• SIT / ST / SWT — State Income Tax
• SUI — State Unemployment Insurance (usually employer-paid)
• SDI — State Disability Insurance (CA, HI, NJ, NY, RI)
• PFL — Paid Family Leave
• LIT — Local Income Tax
• OCC — Occupational/city tax

Pre-Tax Deduction Abbreviations

• 401K — Traditional 401(k) contribution
• ROTH — Roth 401(k) contribution
• HSA — Health Savings Account
• FSA — Flexible Spending Account
• DEP CARE — Dependent care FSA
• MED / DENT / VIS — Medical, dental, vision insurance
• LIFE — Group term life premium
• 125 — Section 125 cafeteria plan (pre-tax)

Post-Tax Deduction Abbreviations

• ROTH IRA — Roth IRA contribution
• GARN — Wage garnishment
• UNION — Union dues
• CHILD SUP — Child support order
• ADV — Pay advance repayment

Totals & Status Abbreviations

• YTD — Year-to-Date
• QTD — Quarter-to-Date
• GROSS — Total earnings before deductions
• NET — Take-home pay
• TAX BL / TAXABLE — Taxable wages (gross minus pre-tax)
• MS — Marital Status (S = single, M = married)
• EX / ALLOW — Withholding allowances
• DD — Direct Deposit
• CHK — Paper check

Need a Cleaner Pay Stub?

Our paystub templates use plain-English labels alongside abbreviations so employees never have to guess what a line item means.