Pay Stub Guide
How to Read Your ADP Pay Stub — Every Code Explained
ADP processes payroll for about 1 in 6 US workers. If your employer uses ADP, your pay stub has a specific layout and a set of abbreviation codes that are not always self-explanatory. This guide explains all of them.
How to access your ADP pay stubs
If your employer uses ADP, you access your pay stubs through the ADP employee self-service portal at my.adp.com. You need the registration code your employer provided when they set up your account. If you never received one, ask your HR or payroll department — they can resend it.
Once logged in: go to Myself → Pay → Pay Statements. You can view, download, and print any historical pay stub from the date your employer started using ADP. PDF downloads are available for every statement.
If your employer recently switched to ADP, pay stubs from before the switch may not be available in the portal. You would need to request those from your previous payroll provider or HR department directly.
The structure of an ADP pay stub
ADP pay stubs have a consistent layout regardless of which ADP product your employer uses (RUN Powered by ADP, ADP Workforce Now, ADP TotalSource, etc.). The top section shows employer and employee information. Below that are two tables side by side: earnings on the left, deductions on the right. The bottom shows net pay, and below the main table is a year-to-date (YTD) summary.
The YTD section is important at tax time — it shows your cumulative gross pay, total taxes withheld, and total deductions for the calendar year to date. When you receive your W-2 in January, the figures should reconcile with your final pay stub's YTD totals.
ADP earnings codes
| Code | Meaning | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| REG | Regular Pay | Your standard hourly or salaried pay for the period. |
| OT | Overtime | Hours beyond 40/week at 1.5× rate (federal minimum; some states are higher). |
| BONUS | Bonus | Performance or signing bonus. May be taxed at the flat supplemental rate (22% federal). |
| COMM | Commission | Sales commission earnings. |
| HOL | Holiday Pay | Pay for company-designated public holidays. |
| VAC | Vacation Pay | Paid out vacation time, either as you take it or on termination. |
| SICK | Sick Pay | Paid sick leave used in the period. |
| PTO | Paid Time Off | Consolidated leave that covers vacation and sick days together. |
| RETRO | Retroactive Pay | A pay correction for a prior period — catch-up for a raise applied late, for example. |
ADP deduction codes
| Code | Meaning | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| FWT | Federal Withholding Tax | Federal income tax based on your W-4 and current year brackets. |
| FICA-SS | Social Security (FICA) | 6.2% on earnings up to $176,100 (2025 wage base). |
| FICA-M | Medicare (FICA) | 1.45% with no earnings cap. Additional 0.9% above $200,000. |
| SWT | State Withholding Tax | State income tax. Zero in Alaska, Florida, Nevada, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY. |
| LWT | Local Withholding Tax | City or county income tax where applicable (e.g. New York City, Philadelphia). |
| 401K | 401(k) Contribution | Pre-tax retirement contribution. 2025 limit: $23,500 employee ($30,500 if 50+). |
| ROTH | Roth 401(k) | Post-tax retirement contribution. Same limits as traditional 401(k). |
| MED | Medical Insurance | Employee share of employer-sponsored health insurance premium. |
| DENT | Dental Insurance | Employee share of dental coverage premium. |
| VIS | Vision Insurance | Employee share of vision coverage premium. |
| HSA | Health Savings Account | Pre-tax contribution to HSA. 2025 limits: $4,300 individual, $8,550 family. |
| FSA | Flexible Spending Account | Pre-tax contribution to FSA. 2025 limit: $3,300. |
| GTL | Group Term Life (imputed income) | Employer-paid life insurance over $50,000 is taxable income — this is the imputed value. |
| GARN | Wage Garnishment | Court-ordered deduction for debt, child support, or student loans. |
What to do if your ADP pay stub looks wrong
First, check whether the error is in the current period or in the YTD totals. A one-off error in a single pay period (wrong hours, missing bonus, wrong rate) needs to be corrected in the next payroll run — ask your payroll or HR team to issue a correction or retroactive adjustment (it will appear as RETRO on your next stub).
If the issue is with tax withholding — you're withholding too much or too little — the fix is to submit a new W-4 to your employer. Too much withholding means a refund at tax time but less take-home pay now. Too little means you may owe when you file.
If you believe your FICA taxes are wrong, check against the current year's rates: Social Security is 6.2% on the first $176,100 of wages (2025), and Medicare is 1.45% on all wages. If the amounts don't match those rates multiplied by your gross pay, raise it with your payroll team.
Need a pay stub but don't use ADP?
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