Paycheck Error Review Kit

Build a factual review packet when a paycheck or paystub looks wrong, including missing hours, overtime, bonus, commission, reimbursement, deduction changes, tax or benefit differences, salary proration, or final-pay concerns. Use before contacting payroll, HR, an employer, or a qualified advisor.

Purpose

Turn a confusing paycheck problem into a clear, evidence-backed review packet. The skill helps the user compare expected pay with actual pay, gather supporting records, draft a calm payroll or HR message, and track follow-up.

This is a prompt-only administrative organization workflow. It is not legal, tax, financial, employment, accounting, or payroll advice.

Use This Skill When

Use this skill when the user reports any of these situations:

• Missing hours, overtime, shift differential, holiday pay, PTO, sick pay, or final pay.
• Incorrect hourly rate, salary proration, bonus, commission, tip payout, stipend, or reimbursement.
• Unexpected benefits, retirement, tax, garnishment, advance, fee, or one-time deduction changes.
• A paycheck that is late, lower than expected, unusually high, confusing, or missing supporting detail.
• A need to contact payroll, HR, a manager, a staffing agency, or an employer with organized facts.

Do not use it to interpret wage law, calculate tax liability, threaten an employer, fabricate hours, alter records, or replace qualified legal, tax, payroll, or financial guidance.

Best Inputs

Ask only for needed facts. Use placeholders for anything the user does not know or does not want to share.

• Pay period, pay date, employer or payroll provider, and pay frequency.
• Expected gross pay, expected net pay if known, actual gross pay, and actual net pay.
• Hours worked, overtime, rate, salary, bonus, commission, PTO, holiday pay, reimbursement, or final-pay details.
• Deduction or withholding changes the user noticed.
• Available evidence: paystub, timesheet, schedule, offer letter, employment agreement, commission plan, reimbursement approval, PTO record, prior paystub, manager message, or payroll ticket.
• Prior contact attempts and any response deadlines.

Workflow

1. Record paycheck basics. Capture pay period, pay date, employer, payroll provider, pay frequency, expected amount, actual amount, and urgency.
2. Compare expected vs actual pay. Build a table for hours, rates, overtime, salary proration, bonus, commission, reimbursement, PTO, holiday pay, final-pay items, and other earnings.
3. Review deductions and withholdings. List benefits, retirement, taxes, garnishments, advances, repayments, fees, and one-time adjustments without giving tax or legal interpretation.
4. Gather evidence. Match each suspected discrepancy to supporting records and mark missing documents.
5. Separate facts from questions. Distinguish clear discrepancies from items that may need payroll explanation.
6. Draft the first-contact message. Write a concise payroll or HR message with pay period, suspected issue, evidence, requested review or correction, and preferred response date.
7. Create a follow-up tracker. Record ticket numbers, names, dates, promised actions, corrected-pay status, and next steps.
8. Add escalation questions. For unresolved, repeated, late, or final-pay problems, provide neutral questions about official labor resources, internal policy, union or worker representative options, or qualified professional advice.

Output Format

Return the review kit in this order:

1. Paycheck Review Snapshot

Field	Detail
Employer or payroll provider
Pay period
Pay date
Expected amount
Actual amount
Main concern
Urgency or deadline

2. Expected vs Actual Pay Table

Item	Expected	Actual	Difference	Evidence	Notes
Regular hours or salary
Overtime or premium pay
Bonus or commission
Reimbursement
PTO, sick, or holiday pay
Final-pay items
Other earnings

3. Deduction and Withholding Review

Item	Current paycheck	Expected or prior amount	Possible explanation to ask about	Evidence

4. Evidence Checklist

Claim or question	Evidence available	Evidence still needed	Where to find it

5. Payroll or HR Message Template

A copy-ready message with subject line, pay period, concise issue summary, evidence list, requested review or correction, and preferred response date.

6. Follow-Up Log

Date	Channel	Person or ticket	Summary	Promised action	Next step

7. Escalation Questions

Neutral questions to ask if the issue is unresolved, repeated, involves final pay, or affects essential expenses.

8. Open Questions

A short list of missing facts that would make the review packet stronger.

Message Style

• Be factual, calm, and specific.
• Use exact dates, pay periods, amounts, and record names when available.
• Ask for review, explanation, correction, corrected pay timing, or written confirmation.
• Avoid accusations, threats, unsupported legal claims, or emotional pressure.
• Redact sensitive identifiers. Use employee initials, partial employee ID, or ticket numbers when possible.

Safety Boundary

• Do not provide legal, tax, financial, employment, accounting, payroll, or wage-law advice.
• Do not calculate tax liability, interpret garnishments, determine legal deadlines, or tell the user what an employer is legally required to do.
• Do not recommend threats, retaliation, record falsification, false claims, or withholding work.
• Do not ask for full SSNs, full bank account numbers, passwords, one-time codes, payroll logins, or complete identity documents.
• Encourage the user to verify employer policy, payroll rules, official labor or tax resources, union or worker representative guidance, or qualified professional advice for high-stakes, repeated, unresolved, final-pay, termination, garnishment, immigration-linked, or retaliation-related issues.
• If the paycheck problem creates immediate hardship, help the user identify factual next contacts and deadlines without promising outcomes.

Example Prompts

• "My paycheck is missing overtime. Help me organize what to send payroll."
• "My bonus did not show up on this paystub. Build a review packet."
• "My deductions changed and I do not understand why. Draft questions for HR."
• "I left my job and my final paycheck looks short. Help me gather the facts."
• "Compare my expected hours and actual paycheck before I contact payroll."