How to Get Your Pay Stubs (From Your Employer, a Former Employer, or Payroll Apps)

To get your pay stubs, log in to your employer's payroll portal — ADP iPay, Workday, Paychex Flex, Gusto, Paycom, or Paylocity are the most common — or ask HR or payroll directly. For a former job, contact the old employer's HR department or its payroll provider; many keep pay records for several years and will send copies on request.

This guide covers every route: current employers, former employers, gig apps, and what to do when the company itself is gone. If you're not sure what the document itself contains, start with what a pay stub is and come back.

Where to go, at a glance

Getting pay stubs from a current employer

The payroll portal

Most mid-size and large employers in the US run payroll through a provider, and each provider gives employees a self-service portal:

• ADP iPay — log in at my.adp.com, then Pay → Pay Statements.
• Workday — your company's Workday URL, then Pay → Payslips.
• Paychex Flex — paychexflex.com, then Pay History.
• Gusto — app.gusto.com, then Pay → Pay Stubs. Gusto keeps your account after you leave a job.
• Paycom — the Paycom app or web login, then Payroll → Pay Stubs.
• Paylocity — access.paylocity.com, then Pay → Earnings Statements.

Your first login usually requires a registration code or company ID from HR, plus a few details to confirm your identity. If you were hired recently, search your inbox for onboarding emails from the provider — the registration link is usually there.

If your pay arrives by direct deposit and you've never seen a paper stub, that's normal: the statement lives in the portal instead. Our guide to getting a pay stub when you're paid by direct deposit walks through that setup step by step.

Asking HR or payroll

Smaller employers without a portal can print or email copies. Put the request in writing, name the pay periods you need, and keep the email. Many states require employers to give employees access to their own pay records, so a written request creates a useful paper trail if anyone drags their feet.

Paper stubs

If you're paid by paper check, the stub is usually attached to the check itself. Detach and file it each payday — reprints later can be slow.

Getting pay stubs from a former employer

Leaving a job does not erase your pay records — you have more options here than most people expect.

Try your old portal login first

Several providers keep former-employee access alive. ADP, Workday, and Paylocity accounts often work for a window after separation (each employer configures its own cutoff), and Gusto accounts stay with you permanently. Before emailing anyone, try your old login — you may be able to download everything yourself in a few minutes.

Make a records request

If the portal is closed to you, request copies directly:

1. Find the right contact. Email the company's HR or payroll department. For large employers, there is often a dedicated former-employee or alumni line — check the company's careers or HR site.
2. Put the request in writing. State your full name as employed, roughly when you worked there, and which pay periods you need. Written requests are harder to lose and easier to escalate.
3. Expect an identity check. You'll typically be asked to confirm details like your Social Security number's last four digits, dates of employment, or a mailed code before records are released.
4. Allow processing time. A few business days to a few weeks is typical, depending on whether records are in an active payroll system or archived.

How long do old employers keep pay records?

It varies. Federally, the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to keep payroll records for at least three years. Many states go further — California, for example, gives current and former employees the right to inspect or copy their wage statements, and employers there must respond to a records request within 21 calendar days. Other states have their own retention periods and access rules, so if an employer stonewalls you, your state labor department's website is the place to check what you're entitled to.

The Work Number

The Work Number, a database operated by Equifax, holds employment and pay data reported by tens of thousands of US employers. If your former employer participates, you can request your own Employment Data Report from Equifax at no charge. It's not a stack of pay stubs, but it documents your employment history and reported wages when the employer itself is unresponsive.

Gig and app work: Uber, DoorDash, Instacart

App-based platforms generally treat you as an independent contractor, so they don't issue traditional pay stubs at all. What they provide instead:

• Uber — weekly earnings statements and annual tax summaries in the Driver app and at drivers.uber.com.
• DoorDash — earnings history in the Dasher app; annual tax forms arrive through Stripe Express.
• Instacart — payment history in the Shopper app, with tax documents issued each January.

These statements show gross earnings but no tax withholding, because none is taken out — you're responsible for your own estimated taxes. For gig work, your earnings statements, bank deposits, and tax forms together are the equivalent record set.

What if the employer no longer exists?

When a company shuts down, its payroll portal usually dies with it. You still have options:

• Bank records. Your bank can provide statements showing every payroll deposit — employer name, date, and net amount. Most banks keep several years of statements available online.
• IRS wage and income transcript. The IRS keeps a record of the wages each employer reported for you (from Forms W-2 and 1099). You can request a wage and income transcript free through your IRS online account. It shows annual totals rather than per-period detail.
• The payroll provider. If the company ran payroll through ADP, Paychex, or another provider, contact the provider directly — records sometimes outlive the client business.

Employer-specific guides

The exact login path differs by company. We keep short access guides for major US employers:

• Home Depot pay stubs — through Workforce Tools self-service.
• Walmart pay stubs — through the One Walmart portal.
• Amazon pay stubs — through the A to Z app and ADP.
• FedEx pay stubs — ADP or Workday, depending on operating company.
• UPS pay stubs — through UPSers.com.
• USPS pay stubs — through LiteBlue ePayroll.
• Target pay stubs — where team members find pay statements.
• CVS pay stubs — access steps for CVS Health employees.
• Starbucks pay stubs — where partners find their pay statements.
• Kroger pay stubs — access steps for Kroger associates.

Keeping your own copy

However you retrieve your stubs, download them while you still have access — portal access ends faster than most people expect after a job change. Check each statement's year-to-date figures against your own records so errors surface early.

If you need a clean, itemized record of pay you've already received — reconstructing figures from bank deposits and tax forms for your own files — you can build a pay stub with our template and preview it free. Be clear about what that is: a personal record-keeping document that formats numbers you enter. It does not replace employer-issued records, and it shouldn't be presented as if an employer issued it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get my pay stubs from an old job?

Try your old payroll portal login first — ADP, Workday, Gusto, and Paylocity often still work after you leave. If not, send a written request to the former employer's HR or payroll department with your name and employment dates. Federal law requires payroll records be kept at least three years, and many states grant former employees access on request.

Can I get pay stubs from my bank?

No. Your bank only sees the net deposit, so it can't produce a pay stub — it has no record of your gross pay, taxes, or deductions. What your bank can provide is statements showing each payroll deposit with the employer's name and date, which is useful supporting documentation when stubs aren't available.

Do gig apps like Uber and DoorDash give pay stubs?

Not traditional ones. Because drivers and shoppers are independent contractors, these platforms provide earnings statements and annual tax summaries in-app instead. Those documents show gross earnings without withholding, since contractors handle their own taxes.

How long does an employer have to keep pay records?

At least three years under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and longer in many states. Access rules vary too: California, for instance, requires employers to let current and former employees inspect or copy wage statements within 21 days of a request. Check your state labor department for the rules that apply to you.

Sources

1. Fact Sheet #21: Recordkeeping Requirements under the FLSA — U.S. Department of Labor
2. Paydays, pay periods, and final wages FAQ — California Department of Industrial Relations
3. Bank Accounts and Services — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau