Are wages and gross pay different?

[kwokandrew111k]

I have a number on my W-2, however when looking at my YTD on IDP it shows a slightly higher number. is this normal?

[SteamTrain]

@kwokandrew111k 

Yeah...they can differ...which is why we tell people not to use their pay stubs.

Particularly box 1 on a W-2 can be lower than expected...due to certain pre-tax contributions you might have made to things like a 401k, or some HealthCare contributions to HSA accounts.

[BillM223]

The numbers on the W-2 often vary slightly from the pay stubs (is IDP actually ADP?). This is because payroll often spans over the first day or the last day of the year, that is, the W-2 amount refers to pay made only on calendar days of the year, whereas payroll counts pay every two weeks or four weeks or whatever.