Redacted Pay Stub Example: What to Hide and What to Keep

Why Landlords Ask for Pay Stubs

Pay stubs prove current, recurring income in a way W2s can't — they show your most recent pay period rather than last year's total. Landlords typically ask for 2–3 recent pay stubs to verify you earn enough to cover rent (usually 2.5–3x monthly rent in gross income).

They need to see your gross pay, employer name, and pay frequency. They do not need your SSN, your bank routing number, your insurance premiums, or your retirement contributions.

What to Always Redact

Social Security Number. Many pay stubs include the last four digits or full SSN. Always redact it completely.

Bank Account and Routing Numbers. If your pay stub shows direct deposit details, redact these. They can be used for unauthorized ACH withdrawals.

Home Address. The landlord already has this from your application.

What's Optional to Redact

Health insurance and benefit deductions. These reveal information about your health coverage and personal circumstances. They don't affect income verification, so you can redact them if you prefer privacy.

Retirement contributions (401k, IRA). Same reasoning — these show your savings habits but aren't relevant to whether you can pay rent.

If a landlord asks why certain fields are redacted, you can explain that you've kept all income-related fields visible and only removed personal identifiers.

Common Mistakes

Redacting gross pay or net pay. This defeats the purpose. The landlord needs to see your income figures.

Using screenshot editing tools. Cropping or editing a screenshot doesn't permanently remove data — metadata, undo history, or hidden layers can expose the original. Use pixel-level redaction instead.

Forgetting the last four of SSN. Many pay stubs show "SSN: XXX-XX-1234" thinking the partial is safe. Combined with other information, even partial SSNs are a risk.