How to Calculate Year to Date Income From Pay Stub

Year-to-Date (YTD) income represents the cumulative total of earnings and deductions from the beginning of the calendar year up to the current pay period. A pay stub, also known as a payslip or earnings statement, is a document provided by an employer that details an employee’s gross earnings, itemized deductions, and net pay for a specific pay period. This article provides guidance on how to locate and calculate your YTD income using your pay stub.

Understanding Pay Stub Basics

A typical pay stub generally includes sections that provide an overview of your compensation. These sections commonly display employee information, employer details, the specific pay period dates, and a breakdown of earnings. Earnings might include regular wages, overtime pay, bonuses, or commissions.

Further sections detail various deductions and taxes withheld from your gross earnings. These deductions can be pre-tax or post-tax, impacting your final take-home pay. Pay stubs differentiate between current pay period figures and cumulative Year-to-Date (YTD) totals.

Locating Year-to-Date Figures

To find your Year-to-Date (YTD) income figures, begin by examining the layout of your pay stub. Most pay stubs are designed to clearly separate current pay period amounts from cumulative YTD totals. Look for labels such as “YTD” or “Year-to-Date” next to each earnings or deduction category.

These YTD figures are often presented in a dedicated column, typically located to the right of the current pay period’s amounts, or within a summary section on the pay stub. While pay stub formats can vary between employers, the presence of the “YTD” label is a consistent indicator of cumulative totals.

Key Components of Year-to-Date Income

YTD Gross Pay represents your total earnings before any deductions are taken out, encompassing salary, wages, bonuses, and overtime received since the start of the year. This figure is a fundamental measure of your total compensation.

Pre-tax deductions, such as contributions to a 401(k) retirement plan or health insurance premiums, are subtracted from your gross pay before taxes are calculated, thereby reducing your taxable income. YTD Taxable Wages are then derived by subtracting these pre-tax deductions from your YTD Gross Pay, forming the basis for income tax calculations.

YTD Taxes Withheld include various mandatory contributions. Federal Income Tax withholding is based on your earnings and the information provided on your Form W-4. Social Security tax is withheld at a rate of 6.2% on wages up to an annual limit, which is $176,100 for 2025. Medicare tax is withheld at 1.45% on all covered wages, with no wage base limit. An Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% applies to wages exceeding $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. Post-tax deductions, like Roth 401(k) contributions or wage garnishments, are taken from your pay after taxes have been calculated and do not reduce your taxable income.

Step-by-Step Calculation and Verification

If your pay stub explicitly lists a YTD gross pay figure, you can verify its accuracy by adding the current pay period’s gross pay to the previous pay period’s YTD gross pay. Alternatively, you can sum the gross pay from every pay stub you have received since the beginning of the current calendar year.

When YTD income is not explicitly stated, you can calculate it by totaling the “Gross Pay” amount from each pay stub issued to you within the current year. For instance, if you receive bi-weekly pay, you would add the gross pay from all your bi-weekly stubs starting from January 1st. While YTD income typically refers to YTD Gross Pay, other YTD figures like taxable wages or net pay are also important for different financial planning needs.