Payroll Checks Definition

Amounts found on a payroll check are often referred to and known as "net pay." On the wage statement, or payroll check “stub”, you can find an employee’s gross wages (also known as his total wages), any tax deductions the employee has withheld, and any other earnings and deductions. After all adjustments have been made to the employee's gross wages, the amount remaining is the net pay.

Many laws dictate the terms of issuing payroll checks, or direct deposit. Payroll checks cover a scheduled pay period, which can be on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly basis. Some state laws set how frequently employees need to be paid. No matter what pay period basis employer pay employees, they must pay their employees for any work completed within that pay period. 

An executive, authorized member of a company must sign a payroll check that is given to its employees. After a payroll check has been signed and issued to an employee it is valid for only a specified period of time.