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Pay Stub Abbreviations Decoded: FED, OASDI, YTD & Every Deduction Code

Last updated: October 15, 2026

FED, OASDI, YTD, PTO — pay stubs read like license plates. This 2026 decoder translates every common abbreviation, with the current tax rates where they apply.

The complete pay stub decoder (2026)

Code	Stands for	What it means
FED / FIT	Federal Income Tax	Withheld for the IRS, based on your W-4
SIT	State Income Tax	Withheld for your state (nine states have none)
OASDI / Soc Sec	Social Security	6.2% on the first $184,500 of 2026 wages
MED / HI	Medicare	1.45% on all wages
Addl MED	Additional Medicare Tax	Extra 0.9% on wages over $200,000
YTD	Year to Date	Running totals since January 1
Gross	Gross Pay	Earnings before any deductions
Net	Net Pay	Take-home pay after all deductions
PTO	Paid Time Off	Your vacation/sick leave balance
401(k)	401(k) contribution	Pre-tax retirement — lowers taxable income
Roth / 401(k) R	Roth contribution	Post-tax retirement
HSA	Health Savings Account	Pre-tax medical savings
FSA	Flexible Spending Account	Pre-tax care expenses
EE / ER	Employee / Employer	Whose share a benefit line represents
Garnish	Garnishment	Court-ordered withholding

Tax codes vs. benefit codes

Codes that send money to the government (FED, SIT, OASDI, MED) are mandatory — they appear on every employee's stub. Codes that fund your benefits (401(k), HSA, PTO) reflect choices you made during onboarding, so two coworkers can have very different benefit lines and identical tax lines.

The abbreviations that move your paycheck most

OASDI and MED are fixed percentages — they never change with your W-4. FED is the swing factor: two people with identical pay can have very different FED lines depending on their W-4 elections. If your take-home looks wrong, FED is the first line to investigate.

When a code looks wrong

Compare it against this decoder first, then ask your payroll or HR department. Mislabeled or duplicated codes are usually a payroll-setup issue they can fix within one pay cycle — but only if you flag it.

Decode your own stub

Frequently asked questions

What does OASDI mean on my pay stub?

OASDI stands for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance — the formal name for the Social Security tax. The 6.2% employee share shows up as OASDI (or Soc Sec) on most stubs, applied to the first $184,500 of 2026 wages.

What is FED on a pay stub?

Federal income tax withholding — the amount your employer held back for the IRS based on your Form W-4. It may also appear as FIT (federal income tax).

What's the difference between YTD gross and YTD net?

YTD gross is everything you've earned since January 1 before deductions; YTD net is what you've actually taken home. The gap between them is your total taxes and deductions for the year so far.

Why are there two Medicare lines on my stub?

The first is the standard 1.45% Medicare tax on all wages. The second is the Additional Medicare Tax: 0.9% on wages over $200,000. Higher earners see both lines.

What do EE and ER mean on a pay stub?

EE means employee (your share) and ER means employer (the company's share). You'll see the pair on benefit lines — for example, your 401(k) contribution might show as 401(k) EE while the company match shows as 401(k) ER.

Are pay stub abbreviations the same at every company?

No — there's no universal standard, and payroll providers use slightly different codes. This guide covers the most common ones; if a code on your stub isn't here, your HR or payroll department can decode it in seconds.

Sample documents for personal record-keeping. Not tax advice — verify calculations with your payroll provider or tax professional.