Can I Get In Trouble for Using a Fake Pay Stub Generator?

Plenty of states legally require employers to give their workers some form of a written pay statement. Even if you live in a state that doesn’t require a pay statement, it won’t change the fact that an employer is still legally obliged to report and track your hours for tax purposes. This is where pay stubs come in.

What are pay stubs?

A pay stub, which is a document that lists down the essential information about the employee’s pay, usually comes along with an employee’s paycheck. The pay stub also reflects the taxes and other deductions. As an employee, the pay stub can either be in a physical or electronic form, depending on the employer. 

Also read: What Should I Do If My Employer Won’t Provide A Pay Stub?

Importance of a pay stub

Many new employees may think that the pay stub only functions as a piece of paper that has the breakdown of how much they’ll get for a pay period. However, a pay stub is actually more than a piece of paper.

To illustrate, here are some reasons why a pay stub is important: 

• Shows your proof of income

The primary goal of a paystub is to show your proof of income. Your proof of income, in turn, plays an important role when you’re planning to rent a place, purchase a house or a vehicle, and apply for a new credit card or loan. Essentially, if there’s any significant amount of money involved in a transaction, it’s expected that dealers or lenders want proof that you have sufficient money to cover your expenses.

This means that if you’re planning to make a major purchase soon, then it’s best if you gather your pay stubs. Also, it’s advisable that you always double-check if the amount being reflected on the stub is accurate. Otherwise, make sure to contact your employer or accountant to verify. 

• Settles pay disputes

Regardless if the world is going digital and automated these days, mistakes can still happen. One mistake that every employee doesn’t want to occur is around their pay. Usually, pay disputes happen due to overtime not being recognized or incorrect deductions of your insurance, among other things.

Hence, if you think that your pay is lacking or you’re not receiving your agreed-upon salary, your pay stub would be very helpful as it displays the necessary information you need. A pay stub settles any pay dispute since it shows both your gross (total salary before any deductions) and net (the amount you get after tax and insurance deductions) income. It even displays any taxes or insurance premiums deducted from your gross pay. 

• It helps you prepare for tax filing

If you’re aware of what’s being deducted from your pay throughout the year, then you won’t be as surprised when it’s time for you to file your taxes. So by having a pay stub, which as mentioned also shows your tax deductions, you’ll save yourself from a potential headache.

Still, if you notice that what’s being taken out isn’t enough, you can change your withholdings. This way, you won’t owe as much during tax season. 

Also read: How to Get Free Pay Stubs Online

Reasons why people fake their pay stubs

Now that the importance of a pay stub is established, you may wonder why people resort to generating fake pay stubs. What’s their motivation in doing such illegal actions? To paint a clearer picture, here are some reasons why people use a fake pay stub generate along with the consequence they can face: 

• Planning to scam

Usually, people plan to scam by using fake pay stubs. This means they’ll use fake pay stubs for mortgage or even loan applications. They might even use it to scam their insurance provider with the hopes to receive benefits they’re not entitled to in the first place. By delving into this practice, you’re only getting yourself in a world of fraud that you’re certainly not ready for.

From the perspective of people or companies making fake pay stubs, do note that they’re only taking advantage of people who want to have money fast. Hence, regardless of how desperate you’re feeling, the risks of such a scam are too large to take. For instance, if you get caught, you’ll be legally obliged to pay for fines that are not worth the whole effort.

Also, even if you’re successful but the company or person you contacted for a fake pay stub gets caught, you might get tracked, turning your success into a complete failure. 

• Acquiring a loan

In addition to scamming, people resort to using fake pay stubs to secure a loan. As mentioned earlier, most, if not all, lenders will require several pay stubs to assure themselves that the borrower is financially capable of paying the loan back. But this requirement can be difficult for people who are unemployed, which is the reason why they resort to fake pay stubs. 

One might think that using fake pay stubs to get a loan isn’t a big deal as long as you can make your payment on time. However, falsifying a loan document is already a form of fraud, which will result in jail time. In addition to serving time in jail, you might also pay severe fines, causing you to owe more money. Thus, never give a lender a fake pay stub so you can avoid any legal consequences; the money you get won’t be worthy if you just spend your life in jail. 

False benefits of having a fake pay stub

Companies that generate a fake pay stub lure people to avail of their services by appealing to the idea that the latter can have their loan requests approved faster, allowing them to acquire their money fast. In addition to fake pay stubs, another way to falsify a document includes duping one’s education grade and level, salary, employment duration, and the company they’re working for.

However, forged documents will pose a major risk to lenders, especially if it goes unnoticed. For instance, if the lender is proven that they’re holding false documents, then it may spell their demise, as well as the middleman and any of their relationships with other borrowers. Hence, if you’re a lending company, always ensure that you’re not receiving any false documents. This can be done by doing a rigorous background check on any applicant, specifically on their pay stubs.

As noted above, you’ll face legal fines and jail time when you falsify your pay stub, yet many people still do it. Perhaps this is due to the idea that income fraud is the easiest to perform. Despite income fraud being the easiest, it’s still one of the most difficult to spot, especially in the eyes of the lender.

Even if lenders can’t easily spot a fake pay stub, you shouldn’t resort to generating one as it can result in felony and misdemeanor, not to mention that it can also result in fines and incarceration. 

Also read: How Can You Tell If Someone Is Using A Counterfeit Pay Stub

Should you resort to fake pay stubs as an employer?

Fake pay stubs invite legal trouble. That’s why you must be wary if there are other people suggesting to resort to such illegal acts.

If you’re the business owner, you should make sure that your accountant doesn’t suggest using fake pay stubs. Instead, your accountant should have the necessary know-how to legitimately come up with an accurate pay stub. Also, you can even resort to a software that generates a professional pay stub. Just make sure that all the information reflected on the pay stub is legitimate.

If an employee notices that you’re generating a fake pay stub, then they may have a suspicion that you’re running an illegal hustle on the side. In this context, there’s going to be a huge chance that they’ll call an employment lawyer, which will eventually cause the end of your business.

As an employer, though, you can make use of a fake pay stub generator but not for legal purposes. For instance, generating a fake pay stub will allow you to calculate your earnings, giving you a reliable projection. You can also use it to have an estimate of your taxes. 

Also read: What is The Importance Of Keeping Your Pay Stub?

Takeaway

Both employee and employer should value the importance of a pay stub. This is because a pay stub will record the salary, taxes, premium deductions, among other things. Additionally, an employer can use a pay stub as a way to keep track of their financial status and show the authorities that they’re paying their employees properly.

Falsifying your income to reduce your tax payments or get fast approval in loans can result in legal troubles. Due to the fear of hefty fines and serious jail time, plenty of people—especially those ‘working under the table’—resort to generating fake pay stubs in the effort to make their income legitimate in the eyes of the law. 

However, since fake pay stubs are illegal, you can get serious jail time for fake pay stubs. Additionally, if you’re the business owner, it may tarnish your business reputation, which is surely not a business owner’s dream. Thus, it’s best to avoid using a fake pay stub generator for legal purposes.