Year-to-Date Pay Stub: What YTD Means and How to Use It
February 25, 2026
What Does YTD Mean on a Pay Stub?
YTD stands for Year-to-Date. The YTD column on your pay stub shows cumulative totals for all earnings and deductions from January 1 of the current year through your current pay date. Every paycheck adds to your YTD totals.
Your final pay stub of the year (usually December 31 or the last pay date) shows annual totals that should match your W-2.
YTD Columns on a Typical Pay Stub
- YTD Gross Earnings — Total wages earned since January 1
- YTD Federal Income Tax — Total FIT withheld since January 1
- YTD Social Security — Total OASDI withheld
- YTD Medicare — Total Medicare withheld
- YTD State Tax — Total state income tax withheld
- YTD 401(k) — Total retirement contributions made
- YTD Net Pay — Total take-home pay received all year
5 Things to Verify Using Your YTD Figures
1. Cross-Check With Your W-2
Your final pay stub YTD gross earnings should closely match Box 1 of your W-2 (federal taxable wages). They will not match exactly — pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health insurance reduce Box 1. But the math should add up: YTD Gross − Pre-tax deductions = W-2 Box 1.
If there is a significant unexplained difference, contact your payroll department before filing your taxes.
2. Check Your 401(k) Contribution Limits
The 2026 401(k) contribution limit is $23,000 (or $30,500 if you are 50+). If your YTD 401(k) contributions are approaching this limit mid-year, confirm your payroll department will stop contributions at the cap — over-contributions can cause tax complications.
3. Verify Social Security Cap
Social Security tax (6.2%) only applies to wages up to the annual wage base ($176,100 in 2026). If your YTD Social Security wages cross this threshold, your employer should stop withholding Social Security for the rest of the year. Check that this actually happens — if over-withheld, you can claim a refund on your tax return.
4. Track Medical Expense Deductions
If you pay significant out-of-pocket medical expenses, the IRS allows a deduction for amounts exceeding 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. YTD health premium figures help you determine your total medical spend for the year.
5. Verify After a Raise or Job Change
If you started a new job mid-year or received a raise, your YTD figures only reflect time at this employer. Your new employer does not know about wages from a prior employer — they will not apply the Social Security cap correctly without proper coordination. Filing your taxes carefully handles this, but the YTD column helps you spot the issue.
Reading YTD After Mid-Year Benefits Changes
If you changed your health insurance plan, increased your 401(k) contribution, or added a dependent during open enrollment or a qualifying life event, you may notice a jump in YTD deductions. The YTD column only reflects actual deductions taken — not future or retroactive adjustments.
Automate Pay Stub and YTD Extraction
For mortgage lenders, accountants, HR teams, and benefits administrators processing large volumes of pay stubs: Pay Stub Parser extracts all pay stub data automatically — including YTD gross, YTD federal and state tax, YTD Social Security and Medicare, and YTD retirement contributions — from PDF pay stubs. Structured output ready for your systems.