How to Scan a Pay Stub with Your iPhone
Use Document mode, tear along the perforation cleanly, and capture the stub straight down on a contrasting matte surface. Pay stubs are small, densely printed, and often on tinted security stock, so lift contrast after capture rather than over-lighting them. PDF and JPG export is free with no watermark and nothing is uploaded.
Tools used: Crop & perspective fixBrightness & contrastMarkupOCR text recognitionPDF conversion
Step by step
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Separate the stub cleanly at the perforation
A stub still attached to its cheque or mailer has a ragged perforated edge that edge detection reads as noise, and the attached part drags the crop wider than the stub itself. Tear along the perforation and press the frayed edge flat with a fingernail. A clean rectangular edge is what the detector is looking for.
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Use a contrasting matte background
Stubs are small relative to the camera frame, so the detector needs an obvious boundary to lock onto rather than a pale stub on a pale desk. Put it on a dark matte surface and fill more of the frame with the stub itself. Do not zoom the camera in — move the phone closer instead, which keeps far more detail.
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Flatten folds and shoot straight down
Pay stubs get folded into wallets and mailers, and a fold that runs through the deductions column will shadow exactly the numbers you need. Flatten the paper first, then hold the phone parallel to it and centered so the printed columns stay rectangular. Square with Crop & perspective fix afterwards if there is any residual tilt.
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Raise contrast for tinted security stock
Many stubs print grey or blue type on a lightly tinted, patterned security background specifically so photocopies look poor — which affects phone scans the same way. Use Brightness & contrast to push the type away from the background pattern. Stop when the small deduction-line text is solid but the thin strokes have not started breaking up.
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Batch several periods into one PDF
If someone has asked for the last few pay periods, capture them in date order in a single session so they export as one PDF instead of a pile of loose images. Confirm the pay-period dates and the net pay figure are legible at 100% zoom before you send. Run OCR if you want the PDF to be searchable.
Frequently asked
- How many pay stubs are usually requested?
- That is set by whoever is asking — a landlord, lender, or employer will state how many recent periods they want, and it varies by country and organization. Ask the recipient rather than guessing. Whatever the number, capture them in date order and export as one PDF.
- Why is the deductions table hard to read after scanning?
- Deduction lines are usually the smallest type on the stub and often sit on a tinted band. Get closer with the phone rather than zooming the camera, hold steady so the digits do not blur, and raise contrast moderately after capture. Check the figures at 100% zoom before sending.
- Can I hide my national ID or account number on the stub?
- You can cover an area using the Markup tool before exporting. That is a drawn overlay on the scan rather than a certified redaction process, so decide carefully what to send and to whom. If the recipient has a required redaction method, ask them what it is.
- Is the pay stub image sent anywhere?
- No. Capture and text recognition run on the device using Apple's built-in frameworks, and document images are not uploaded to a server. You do not need an account to scan or export, and export to PDF or JPG is free and unwatermarked.
- Should I send a pay stub as PDF or a photo?
- PDF is the safer default: it keeps several periods together in one file, prints predictably, and is what most recipients expect. Use JPG only when an upload form specifically asks for an image. When in doubt, ask the recipient which they want.
Last updated 2026-07-28