Use one reading order for every pay period
| Step | What to read | What to verify elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identity and period | Employer, employee, payroll number and pay dates | The correct employment and pay period |
| 2. Gross pay | Basic pay plus separately labelled variable items | Hours, rates, bonus, commission or leave records |
| 3. Deductions | PAYE, employee NI, pension and every other labelled deduction | Tax code, NI category and scheme documents |
| 4. Net pay | The amount after the displayed deductions | The amount and date actually received |
Route each deduction to the evidence that owns it
- For PAYE, compare the payslip tax code with the code in the HMRC service or app.
- For employee National Insurance, confirm the category letter and pay frequency before using the Category A calculator.
- For a pension line, ask whether the scheme uses salary sacrifice, net pay or relief at source.
- For fixed or employer-specific deductions, check the contract, written statement or scheme document.
- Treat year-to-date totals and adjustments as payroll records that may require employer or HMRC reconciliation.
Check Great Britain and Northern Ireland coverage separately
The Great Britain GOV.UK guidance and Northern Ireland official guidance do not describe employment-status coverage in identical terms. Use the source for the place of employment before stating that a particular person has a payslip right.
PAYE and National Insurance can still appear across UK payroll, but that does not erase the employment-rights jurisdiction check or turn this article into legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a matching net payment prove the payslip is correct?
- No. It only reconciles the displayed net figure with the payment. The inputs, categories, tax code, pension method and adjustments still need their own checks.
- Can Wage101 calculate the whole UK payslip?
- No. Wage101 currently provides bounded Category A employee National Insurance only. PAYE, pensions, loans and employer-specific deductions remain outside a complete-payroll result.
Sources checked
- Payslips: employee rights — UK Government (accessed 2026-08-01): Great Britain payslip coverage and required-field context; Northern Ireland is checked separately.
- Being paid and payslips — Northern Ireland Executive (accessed 2026-08-01): Northern Ireland itemised-pay-statement coverage and fields; not a substitute for Great Britain guidance.
- Check if the tax on your payslip is correct — HM Revenue & Customs (accessed 2026-08-01): PAYE, tax-code, gross-pay, deduction and net-pay interpretation only.