About Paystub Pilot

Tax data sources.Federal withholding uses the IRS Publication 15-T tables for the current tax year. State income tax brackets and rates come directly from each state's department of revenue (or equivalent agency) and are updated whenever a state publishes a new bracket schedule. Canadian federal tax uses the CRA T4032 payroll deduction tables; provincial and territorial rates come from each province's ministry of finance. Social Security wage base, Medicare thresholds, and Additional Medicare are tracked against the SSA's annual October announcement.

Update cadence. Federal and state tax tables are reviewed annually each November–December as new figures publish. Mid-year corrections (rate changes, bracket adjustments) are applied within two weeks of publication by the relevant authority. Every change is reflected in our test suite: the same calculator that powers the public-facing tool runs against thousands of regression tests across federal brackets, all 50 US states, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories.

Article methodology. Articles are written against primary sources: IRS publications, CRA bulletins, state DOR websites, payroll-provider documentation, and relevant payroll-related legal guidance. When a cited figure changes by year, such as the Social Security wage base or a contribution limit, the article should identify the year and follow the same review cadence as the calculator.

Corrections. If you find an error in our tax math, an outdated figure, or a misstatement in an article, email support@paystubpilot.com with the URL and the specific issue. We acknowledge corrections within two business days and publish substantive ones with a dated note in the article footer.

What we are not. Paystub Pilot is a document-generation tool, not a tax preparer, payroll service, accounting firm, or legal advisor. The articles on this site are educational; they are not personalized tax, financial, or legal advice. For complex situations (multistate withholding, mixed W-2 / 1099 income, unique deductions, immigration matters), consult a CPA, EA, or qualified attorney.

Calculation discipline: Tax lines are based on published tables and explicit inputs. We include details like Social Security wage-base caps, Additional Medicare thresholds, and state-specific adjustments where the calculator supports them.

Security: Your data is transmitted over HTTPS with TLS encryption. Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified processor, so we never see or store your credit card information.

Transparency: Preview free before paying. We are explicit about what the tool does and what it does not do: these are estimates for document generation, not payroll tax filings, employer compliance, or personalized tax advice.