Do you have to log onto a website or intranet to get your paystub?  Do you just let those stubs sit in the cloud, figuring they’ll be there later if you need them?  Well, that’s true as long as you’re employed, but once you leave your job or are terminated, you will likely lose your electronic access to that account.

Those paystubs may become important in the future.  They show how much vacation time you’re owed, whether and how much you contributed to your 401k or profit sharing account, any contributions you have made to your long-term disability insurance, and a whole lot more.  You might also need the stubs as proof of income for a mortgage application or some other confirmation of employment.

So every time you are paid, you should make a practice of downloading the paystub and saving it on a personal computer, i.e. one that you own and that you will not have to return if your job ends.  It may seem like a hassle, but it will only take a minute each week or two, and this simple practice will save you lots of aggravation in the future.