5 Signs of Fake Pay Stubs Every Landlord Should Know

A tenant with a 700 credit score submitted what looked like legitimate pay stubs. Six months later, the landlord was filing for eviction after discovering the income was completely fabricated. The pay stubs? Generated from a $20 online template in under 5 minutes.

Fake pay stubs are epidemic. Online generators let anyone produce professional-looking documents with custom employer names, salaries, and deductions for under $20. But these forgeries often contain telltale signs that careful landlords can catch—if they know what to look for.

Here are the 5 most common red flags:

1. Perfect Round Numbers

Real pay stubs rarely have perfectly round numbers. When you see a gross pay of exactly $5,000.00, net pay of $4,000.00, and all deductions ending in .00, that's a red flag.

Why it matters: Real payroll systems calculate precise amounts based on hours, tax brackets, and benefit deductions. The odds of everything landing on round numbers are extremely low.

What to look for: Authentic pay stubs typically have amounts like $4,847.23 for gross pay and $127.84 for Medicare tax. Suspiciously clean numbers suggest manual entry rather than payroll software.

2. Math That Doesn't Add Up

Fake pay stub generators often produce documents where the math is simply wrong. The gross pay minus deductions doesn't equal net pay. The YTD (year-to-date) totals don't align with the pay period.

Why it matters: Professional payroll software never makes math errors. If 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4 on a pay stub, that document wasn't produced by legitimate payroll software.

What to check:

• Does gross - deductions = net pay?
• Does (pay period amount) x (number of periods YTD) ≈ YTD total?
• Are tax withholdings reasonable for the income bracket?

3. Missing or Generic Employer Information

Legitimate pay stubs include specific employer details: company name, address, EIN (Employer Identification Number), and often a phone number. Fake stubs often have vague information or obviously placeholder company names.

Red flag examples:

• "ABC Company" or "XYZ Corporation" (classic placeholder names)
• Missing EIN or a clearly fake number
• Generic address like "123 Main Street"
• No company contact information

Verification tip: Google the employer name and address. Call the company to verify employment. Legitimate employers will confirm basic employment details when asked.

4. Inconsistent or Missing Standard Fields

Professional payroll systems include standard fields that fake generators often miss or fill incorrectly:

• Pay period dates: Should show clear start and end dates
• Check/payment date: When the money was actually paid
• Employee ID: Most companies assign employee numbers
• Tax filing status: Single, Married, etc.
• State tax withholding: Missing in states that have income tax

If a pay stub from a California "employer" shows no state tax withholding, that's a problem. California has state income tax.

5. Formatting That Looks "Too Clean" or Inconsistent

Professional pay stubs have a specific look based on the payroll software used (ADP, Paychex, Gusto, QuickBooks, etc.). Templates from fake generators often look either too generic or have subtle formatting inconsistencies.

Watch for:

• Misaligned columns or uneven spacing
• Different fonts within the same document
• Pixelation or low quality on employer logos
• Generic design that doesn't match any known payroll software

What to Do If You Suspect Fraud

If you spot these red flags, don't immediately reject the applicant—mistakes happen. Instead:

1. Ask for additional documentation: Request bank statements showing direct deposits that match the pay stub amounts. As one landlord on BiggerPockets advised: "If person submits fake stubs, then ask them for their bank statement to see it hitting their bank."
2. Verify employment directly: Call the employer using a number you find independently (not one provided by the applicant).
3. Request tax documents: W-2s or tax returns are harder to fake and can corroborate income.
4. Use document verification tools: AI-powered tools like TenantProof can analyze documents for inconsistencies that manual cross-checking might miss—and save you hours of phone calls and spreadsheet math.

The Bottom Line

Credit checks are essential, but they verify credit history—not document authenticity. A tenant can have excellent credit while submitting completely fabricated income documents. Taking a few extra minutes to verify pay stubs can save you thousands in eviction costs and months of headaches.

Remember: When in doubt, verify independently. A legitimate applicant will understand your diligence. A fraudster will often withdraw their application when faced with verification requests.