Job question: How do employer verify salary info?

[PenguinPower]

depends on the company. i don't think a prior company is allowed to disclose salary information though.

i've had ones ask for pay stubs, but that was early on in my career. now when they ask me how much i make at my current job, i tell them it's totally irrelevant. if they don't accept the answer then it's not meant to be, because that just means they were looking to lowball anyways.

Yes, they are. They can disclose any information about you if it is truthful (barring medical/disability-related information).

Now, whether or not they are willing to release that information is a different story. Most HR departments I've been in/managed only release dates of employment and confirm position title to employer requests.