Pay stub requirements in New York
Calculated
New York asks for more on a wage statement than any other state, and backs it with a penalty measured in days rather than pay periods: the Department of Labor can assess $250 per day per worker, and an employee can sue for up to $5,000. Pay frequency turns on job category — manual workers weekly, clerical and other workers semi-monthly — and the minimum wage splits three ways by region, $17.00 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $16.00 in the rest of the state.
- Pay stub required
- Yes, with the longest item list in the US
- Electronic delivery
- Yes, if you can access and print it
- Minimum wage 2026
- $17.00 downstate, $16.00 upstate
- Pay frequency
- Weekly for manual workers, semi-monthly otherwise
01 — The law
What New York law requires
A statement with every payment of wages
Section 195(3) requires the dates of work covered, employee name, employer name, employer address and phone number, the rate or rates of pay and the basis of them, gross wages, deductions, any allowances claimed as part of the minimum wage, the home care aide benefit portion where applicable, prevailing wage supplements where claimed, and net wages.
New York Labor Law § 195 (notice and record-keeping) →Extra lines for non-exempt and piece-rate workers
Employees who are not exempt from overtime must also see the regular hourly rate or rates, the overtime rate or rates, the number of regular hours worked and the number of overtime hours worked. Piece-rate employees must see each applicable piece rate and the number of pieces completed at each.
New York Labor Law § 195 (notice and record-keeping) →Written explanation of the calculation on request
Section 195(3) closes with a duty most states do not impose: on an employee’s request, the employer must furnish a written explanation of how the wages were computed.
New York Labor Law § 195 (notice and record-keeping) →Electronic statements need access and a printer
The Department of Labor treats electronic wage statements as acceptable where workers can reach them on a computer the employer provides and can print a copy for their own records.
NYS Department of Labor — Wage Theft Prevention Act FAQ →Pay frequency depends on what kind of work you do
A manual worker is paid weekly, no later than seven calendar days after the end of the week in which the wages were earned; very large employers may be authorized by the commissioner to pay them semi-monthly instead. A railroad worker is paid by Thursday for the seven days ending the previous Tuesday. Commission salespersons are paid at least monthly. Clerical and other workers are paid at least semi-monthly on paydays designated in advance.
New York Labor Law § 191 (frequency of payments) →Penalties run per day and per worker
The Department can assess $250 per day per worker where proper wage statements are not given. An employee’s own suit for defective statements is capped at $5,000 per worker.
NYS Department of Labor — Wage Theft Prevention Act FAQ →
02 — Local rates
Local rates above the New York minimum
New York City
$17.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026. Tipped food service workers: $11.35 cash wage with a $5.65 tip credit; other tipped service employees: $14.15 cash wage with a $2.85 tip credit.
NYS Department of Labor — Minimum wage →Long Island and Westchester
$17.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026, on the same tipped schedule as New York City.
NYS Department of Labor — Minimum wage →Remainder of New York State
$16.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026. Tipped food service: $10.70 cash wage with a $5.30 tip credit; other tipped service employees: $13.30 cash wage with a $2.70 tip credit.
NYS Department of Labor — Minimum wage →
03 — What we calculate
What this generator calculates for New York
| Withholding line | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | irs.gov | Calculated |
| Social Security | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| Medicare | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| NY state income tax | tax.ny.gov | Calculated |
State withholding for New York is calculated from the 2026 figures the state publishes, and our test suite holds those figures against the state's own published calculation rather than against arithmetic of ours.
See the New York withholding tables and work out take-home pay →04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Why does New York pay some workers weekly and others twice a month?
- Labor Law § 191 sorts employees into categories and gives each its own deadline. A manual worker is paid weekly, within seven calendar days of the end of the week in which the wages were earned. Clerical and other workers are paid at least semi-monthly on paydays set in advance. Commission salespersons are paid at least monthly. Railroad workers have a schedule of their own.
- Does my New York pay stub have to show overtime hours separately?
- If you are not exempt from overtime, yes. The statement must carry your regular hourly rate, your overtime rate, the number of regular hours and the number of overtime hours, on top of everything § 195(3) requires of every statement.
- Can my employer stop sending paper stubs?
- Yes, if the electronic version is genuinely reachable. The Department of Labor’s position is that workers must be able to access their statements on a computer the employer provides and to print a copy for their records.
- What is the minimum wage where I work in 2026?
- $17.00 an hour in New York City, on Long Island and in Westchester; $16.00 an hour in the rest of the state. Both figures took effect on January 1, 2026, and from 2027 the rate is tied to a three-year average of the Northeast Consumer Price Index.
- What can I recover if my stubs are wrong?
- The Department of Labor can assess the employer $250 per day per worker. If you sue on your own, damages for defective wage statements are capped at $5,000 per worker, and you can also ask for a written explanation of how your wages were computed.
Sources
- New York Labor Law § 195 (notice and record-keeping)
- New York Labor Law § 191 (frequency of payments)
- NYS Department of Labor — Minimum wage
- NYS Department of Labor — Wage Theft Prevention Act FAQ
Wage and hour law changes. Check the linked source before relying on any figure here, and treat this page as a starting point rather than legal advice.