Pay Stub Verification for Landlords: How to Confirm Tenant Income Quickly

Why Pay Stub Verification Matters for Landlords

The standard rule in residential leasing is that tenants should earn at least 3x the monthly rent. Verifying this requires confirming actual income — and pay stubs are the most common document tenants submit for income proof.

But pay stubs vary widely in format, and not all pay stubs are legitimate. A quick manual review is often not enough to catch fabrications or misrepresentations.

What to Look For on a Pay Stub

Gross Income vs. Net Income

Gross income is the number before deductions. This is what most 3x-rent calculations use. Net income (take-home pay) is significantly lower after taxes, benefits, and retirement contributions. Make sure you're comparing gross — not net — to the rent threshold.

Pay Frequency

A weekly gross of $1,500 = $6,500/month. A bi-weekly gross of $2,000 = $4,333/month. A semi-monthly gross of $2,500 = $5,000/month. Misreading pay frequency is a common mistake when calculating annual income.

YTD (Year-to-Date) Figures

YTD earnings should match: (YTD weeks worked) × gross per period. If a tenant is in month 4 and claims $8,000/month gross, YTD wages should be approximately $32,000. If the YTD shows $12,000 instead, the stated income doesn't match.

Employer Information

The employer name, address, and EIN should be consistent across multiple pay stubs. Simple verification: Google the employer name and address. Call the main number to confirm employment.

Red Flags That May Indicate Fraud

Round-number math: Every figure is suspiciously round — $5,000.00 gross, $1,000.00 tax, $500.00 FICA. Real paychecks have irregular deductions.
Wrong font or alignment: Different typefaces within the same document section
YTD doesn't add up: YTD gross ÷ pay periods should equal per-period gross
Missing deductions: Federal and state tax lines present, but no Medicare or Social Security
Employer not found: No online presence, phone number disconnected, or address doesn't exist

Automating Pay Stub Verification

For property managers handling multiple applications simultaneously, manual review doesn't scale. Automated pay stub parsing extracts every field and runs the math checks automatically:

Tenant uploads pay stub PDF through your application portal
Parser extracts gross income, net income, YTD, pay frequency, employer details
System calculates annual income and checks YTD consistency
Landlord sees a clean income summary — no manual reading required

How Many Pay Stubs Should You Request?

Best practice: request the 2 most recent pay stubs. This confirms income is current and allows you to verify consistency between periods. For variable-income tenants (hourly, commission), 3–4 months of stubs gives a more accurate average.

Beyond Pay Stubs: Supporting Documents

Pay stubs alone aren't always sufficient. For complete income verification:

Most recent W-2 (confirms annual income)
Most recent tax return (for self-employed applicants)
Bank statements showing regular payroll deposits
Offer letter for new employees who lack recent pay history

Verify Pay Stubs Instantly

Upload any pay stub to paystubparser.com to extract gross income, net income, YTD figures, and employer details automatically. Get a clean income summary without reading every line.