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How to Make a Payslip: Step by Step Guide
A payslip is a legal and professional document that records what an employee was paid in a given period. Whether you are a small business owner setting up payroll for the first time, a freelancer who needs income documentation, or an HR professional who needs a quick replacement payslip, making a payslip correctly the first time saves time and avoids disputes.
This guide covers two methods: the manual method (Excel, Word, or PDF) and the faster online generator method. Both produce a professional, complete payslip.
What you need before making a payslip
Before making any payslip manual or generated gather this information:
- Employer details: company name, address, and contact email
- Employee details: full name, job title, employee ID number, department
- Pay period: start date, end date, and the payment date
- Earnings: basic salary amount, overtime hours and rate, any bonuses or allowances
- Deductions: income tax amount, pension contribution, national insurance or social security, any other deductions
- Currency: which currency the payslip should be issued in
Method 1 How to make a payslip using the free online generator
This method takes under 60 seconds and requires no spreadsheet setup or formatting work.
- Open techtester.online/payslip generator/ in any browser no account or login required
- Enter your company name and address. Upload your company logo if you have one.
- Enter the employee name, job title, employee ID, and department
- Set the pay period start date, end date, and payment date
- Add each earnings line click Add Earning for basic salary, overtime, bonus, allowances
- Add each deduction line click Add Deduction for tax, pension, insurance, loan repayments
- Net pay calculates automatically verify it looks correct
- Select your currency from the dropdown (supports PKR, SAR, AED, INR, GBP, USD, EUR, and more)
- Click Download PDF the payslip downloads immediately with no watermark
| The downloaded PDF is clean and professional no TechTester branding, no watermark, no advertisements. It contains all standard payslip fields and is accepted by banks, landlords, and visa offices for income documentation. |
Method 2 How to make a payslip manually in Excel
Setting up your Excel payslip template
Open a new Excel workbook. Create the following sections working top to bottom:
- Header row: merge cells across the top row and add your company name in large bold text. Below it add your company address and contact details.
- Employee section: create a 2 column table with labels in the left column (Employee Name, Job Title, Employee ID, Department) and blank cells in the right column for data entry.
- Pay period section: add Pay Period From, Pay Period To, and Payment Date fields.
- Earnings table: create a 3 column table with headers Description, Hours/Units, Amount. Add rows for Basic Salary, Overtime, Bonus, and any allowances. Add a TOTAL EARNINGS row with a SUM formula.
- Deductions table: same 3 column format. Add rows for Income Tax, Pension, National Insurance, and any other deductions. Add a TOTAL DEDUCTIONS row with SUM formula.
- Net Pay section: add a NET PAY cell with the formula =Total Earnings Total Deductions.
- Footer: add your company registration number, payment method, and any legal notices.
What every payslip must include
- Company name and address
- Employee name and employee ID
- Pay period start and end dates
- Payment date
- Gross pay total earnings before deductions
- Itemised earnings each type listed separately
- Total deductions
- Itemised deductions each type listed separately
- Net pay the amount actually paid
In the UK, itemised deductions are legally required under the Employment Rights Act 1996. In Pakistan, EOBI contribution and basic salary must be shown separately. In India, PF and TDS deductions must be itemised. In the UAE, no tax deduction line is needed. Always check your local legal requirements.
How to do payroll without software
For small businesses with fewer than 5 employees, running payroll without dedicated payroll software is practical:
- Calculate gross pay: multiply hourly rate by hours worked, or use the monthly salary amount directly
- Calculate deductions: use your country is tax table to determine income tax withholding. Apply pension and insurance rates per your scheme.
- Calculate net pay: gross pay minus total deductions
- Create the payslip using the generator at techtester.online/payslip generator/ or your Excel template
- Keep records: save a copy of every payslip issued in a secure folder organised by employee and pay period
- File tax returns: submit payroll tax filings on your country is schedule (monthly in most countries)
FAQ
Open techtester.online/payslip generator/ and fill in your company and employee details, earnings, and deductions. Net pay calculates automatically. Download a clean PDF with no watermark. Completely free, no account required.
Payroll set up is the process of establishing how you will calculate, record, and pay employee wages. It includes registering with your tax authority, determining pay periods, setting up deduction calculations for tax and pension, and creating payslip templates or using a payroll system. For small businesses issuing occasional payslips, the TechTester payslip generator handles the document creation step without a full payroll system.
Yes. Making your own payslip is legal for legitimate income documentation. Use the TechTester free payslip generator or create one in Excel or Word. What is not legal is creating a payslip that misrepresents income you did not earn.