Paystub Abbreviations Explained
FICA, OASDI, YTD, OT, FED, SS, MED — what all those pay-stub codes actually mean.
- ✓FICA / OASDI. Social Security tax — the federal payroll tax that funds retirement and disability benefits.
- ✓MED / Medicare. The Medicare portion of payroll tax, funding federal health coverage for seniors.
- ✓FED / FIT. Federal income tax withheld based on your W-4 and earnings.
- ✓YTD. Year-to-date — the running total for the year.
- ✓OT. Overtime pay, usually 1.5× your regular rate for hours over 40 in a week.
- ✓Gross / Net. Gross is pay before deductions; net is your take-home after them.
Preview Only
CO.FILEDEPT.CLOCKVCHR.NO062
bvw2750881968571728172169
COMPANY NAME
(555) 555-5555
COMPANY ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP
Social Security Number:XXX-XX-1234Taxable Marital Status:Single
EarningsRateHoursAmountYear To Date
Regular20.0080.001,600.0020,800.00
Gross Pay1,600.0020,800.00
DeductionStatutory
FICA - Medicare-23.20301.60
FICA - Social Security-99.201,289.60
Federal Tax-108.151,405.95
State Tax-0.000.00
Net Pay$1,369.45
Check-$1,369.45
Net Check$0.00
Earnings Statement
Period Beginning:06/14/2026Period Ending:06/27/2026Pay Date:06/27/2026
EMPLOYEE NAME
(555) 555-5555
EMPLOYEE ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP
Other Benefits
and InformationThis PeriodYear To Date
and InformationThis PeriodYear To Date
Pay stubs are full of abbreviations because there isn't much room to spell things out. Most of them fall into two buckets: earnings codes and deduction (tax) codes.
Here are the ones you'll see most often, translated into plain English so nothing on your stub is a mystery.
Frequently asked questions
- What does FICA stand for on my pay stub?
- The Federal Insurance Contributions Act — it covers Social Security (OASDI) and Medicare taxes.
- What is OASDI?
- Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance — the formal name for the Social Security portion of FICA.
- What does SS or SST mean?
- Social Security tax, the same as the OASDI/FICA Social Security line.
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