How to Spot a Fake W-2 & Fake Pay Stub — A Detailed Guide

Why spotting fake W-2s and pay stubs matters

Fake W-2s and fake pay stubs are commonly used to misrepresent income for loans, rentals, immigration paperwork, or other financial advantages. They can also appear in identity-theft schemes or scams where someone uses another person’s information to fabricate earnings. Detecting falsified documents protects lenders, landlords, employers, and individuals from legal trouble, denied applications, or financial loss. Learn the simple, repeatable checks you can run every time a W-2 or pay stub is presented.

If you need a trustworthy, properly formatted pay stub to compare against, consider using our Pay Stub Generator to create a clean, accurate example for reference.

Quick checklist: red flags to watch for

• Inconsistent or missing employer information — no EIN, wrong company name, PO boxes instead of a physical address.
• Formatting oddities — different fonts, inconsistent spacing, blurred or soft logos, misaligned columns.
• Suspicious figures — unrealistic salary, rounded totals that don’t match hourly rate × hours, or tax lines that don’t add up.
• Incorrect tax year or pay period dates — dates that don’t match the claimed pay period or tax year.
• No supporting deposits — bank statements do not match the payment amounts or dates shown.

Use this checklist as a first pass. If one or more items fail, move to verification steps below before accepting the document as proof of income.

Inspect the W-2 itself: line-by-line verification

A W-2 has required fields and a recognizable layout. When reviewing a W-2, check these elements carefully:

• Employer Identification Number (EIN) — a valid EIN is 9 digits. If present, verify format and, when necessary, confirm with the employer.
• Employer name and address — should match known company information and the EIN.
• Employee Social Security Number (SSN) — check for obvious transposition errors or formatting issues.
• Box totals — wages (Box 1), Social Security wages (Box 3), Medicare wages (Box 5), and withheld taxes (Boxes 2, 4, 6). Totals should be consistent (e.g., Box 1 ≤ Box 3 or Box 5 depending on pre-tax deductions).
• Tax year — ensure the form year at the top matches the tax year being claimed.
• Form copies and paper quality — official W-2s often have specific copy labels (Copy B, Copy C, Copy 2). Extremely low resolution, smudges, or inconsistent paper types are suspicious.

If anything looks off, ask for an explanation and follow up with independent verification—see the verification section below.

Examine the pay stub: numbers and logic

Pay stubs can vary widely in layout, but every honest stub should show a logical trail from gross pay to net pay. Focus on these checks:

• Gross pay math — hourly rate × hours (regular + overtime) or salary pro-rata should equal gross pay. If it doesn’t, ask for timesheets or payroll records.
• Withholding breakdown — federal, state, local taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and any voluntary deductions. Percentages and amounts should align with known tax rates and payroll rules.
• YTD (year-to-date) consistency — YTD totals should increase logically across pay periods. A stub showing large jumps with no explanation is suspect.
• Pay period dates and check numbers — check numbers, direct deposit references, or pay date stamps should be consistent with typical payroll practices.

For a reliable sample layout to compare against, see our Regular Pay Stub guide or create a sample with the Pay Stub Generator.

Technical clues: fonts, spacing, and PDF metadata

Falsified documents often reveal themselves through technical inconsistencies:

• Fonts and kerning — multiple typefaces or mismatched letter spacing may mean the document was pieced together.
• Image quality of logos — copied logos that look stretched, pixelated, or placed at odd positions are red flags.
• PDF properties — when a document is a PDF, metadata (author, creation date, software used) can provide clues. A W-2 claiming to be from 2023 but created in 2025 is suspicious.
• Layered elements — some forgeries are obvious if text layers don’t align or if there are cut-and-paste artifacts.

Technical signs alone don’t prove fraud, but combined with content inconsistencies they strengthen the case for verification.

Verification steps you should take

1. Contact the employer directly — use official contact details (company website, corporate switchboard) — not the details on the suspicious document — to confirm employment and wages.
2. Ask for supporting records — payroll reports, direct deposit slips, bank statements showing employer deposits, or HR confirmation letters.
3. Check tax filings — when appropriate, request W-2 copies the filer submitted to the IRS (for lenders or auditors this may be possible via secure channels).
4. Use ID verification — confirm the employee’s identity and SSN match the name on the document (with consent and in line with privacy laws).
5. Run a side-by-side comparison — generate a sample pay stub using our Pay Stub Generator to compare format and math.

Always record the verification steps you take; documenting your process reduces liability and is good practice if disputes arise.

What to do if you discover a fake

If you determine a document is fraudulent, take these steps:

• Stop processing — pause loan, lease, or hiring processes that rely on the document.
• Notify relevant parties — inform your compliance team, HR, or legal counsel depending on context.
• Preserve evidence — save original files, emails, and communication for an investigation.
• Report fraud — for serious cases, report to law enforcement, the lender’s fraud unit, or appropriate authorities.

Handling suspected fraud carefully helps protect your organization and preserves options for legal remedy.

Safe alternatives and best practices

When you need proof of income, prefer primary-source documentation:

• Employer verification letters on company letterhead.
• Official W-2s directly from payroll or tax filings.
• Bank statements showing regular deposits from the employer.
• Tax returns (Form 1040 and attached schedules) or 1099s for contractors.

If those aren’t available and a pay stub is acceptable, use a verified and accurate format. You can generate a correct pay stub to understand what a legitimate, consistent document should look like before accepting one from an applicant.

Conclusion

Spotting fake W-2s and fake pay stubs requires a mix of document literacy, math checks, and verification. Start with the quick red-flag checklist, inspect numbers and employer details carefully, and then verify with primary sources. Use tools like our Pay Stub Generator to produce reference examples and consult the Regular Pay Stub guide for common fields and layouts. When in doubt, verify—accepting unverified documents can lead to serious financial and legal consequences.