How to check if you were paid right

Most people glance at the total on their paycheck and move on. But payroll mistakes are common — a missed overtime hour here, a wrong rate there. Here’s a 2-minute routine to make sure every check is right.

Why checks come up short

It’s rarely anything dramatic. The usual culprits are small and easy to miss:

• Missed overtime — a long day or week that didn’t get bumped to 1.5× or 2×.
• Missing hours — a shift that never made it onto the timesheet.
• Wrong pay rate — a raise that didn’t take effect, or the wrong rate on file.
• Forgotten premiums — holiday, weekend, night-shift, or meal premiums left off.

Any one of these can quietly cost you $20, $50, $100 in a single pay period. Over a year, that adds up.

The 2-minute payday routine

The trick is to compare two numbers: what you should have earned, and what you actually got paid. Counted does the first part for you all pay period — the Pay Checker handles the rest.

Step 1 — Track your hours like normal

Clock in and out as you go. Counted is already calculating your regular, overtime and premium pay in the background, so it knows what you’re owed.

Step 2 — On payday, enter what your check paid

Grab your pay stub and type in the gross amount (and hours, if shown). It takes about 30 seconds.

Step 3 — Read the verdict

Counted compares the two, line by line, and gives you a clear answer:

• Paid right — the numbers match. Done.
• Looks short by $X — with exactly where the gap is, so you have a specific question to ask.

What to do if you look short

Start simple and professional:

• Double-check your own hours first — make sure every shift is logged correctly.
• Bring the specific numbers to your manager or payroll department. “My stub shows X, my records show Y for these dates” is far stronger than “I think I got shorted.”
• Keep your records. Counted’s export gives you a clean PDF or CSV you can share, and the Pay Checker can build an itemized dispute summary for HR.

The running “money found” total

Every time the Pay Checker catches a gap that gets fixed, it adds to a running total of money you’ve recovered. It’s a satisfying number to watch grow — proof that checking pays off.