How to Spot a Fake Payslip or Pay Stub PDF

Fake payslips are used to fake income for loans, tenancies, and visas. A forged pay stub can look convincing, but editing the PDF typically leaves structural and metadata traces. Upload the payslip to the free PDF Verified checker to surface those signals before you rely on it.

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Step by step

  1. Open the free checker at /verify.
  2. Upload the payslip or pay-stub PDF.
  3. The engine analyses structure, metadata and revision history.
  4. Review the flags as part of your affordability or onboarding checks.

What to look for

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to spot a fake payslip?

Yes. Upload the PDF to the PDF Verified checker and get a verdict for free — no account needed. The file is analysed and not shared.

Do I need the original to compare against?

No. If the document was sealed by PDF Verified, the SHA-256 fingerprint is embedded and checked automatically. For any other PDF, the forensic checker inspects the file's own structure, metadata, and revision history.

Is my document kept private?

The file is processed only to produce the verdict and is not published or shared. Verification of a PDF Verified document can also be done with just the QR code or short code — without uploading the file at all.

How do I verify a payslip is real?

Upload the payslip PDF to the free checker at /verify. It flags the signs of editing — appended revisions, re-encoded figures and a producer that doesn’t match a payroll system — and reports AI-origin signals, so you can judge whether the pay stub is genuine before relying on it.

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