Names on Pay Checks - Help

Can any of you finance folks tell me what the regulation is on how names must appear on pay checks? If a person's social security card reads Mary Elizabeth Smith-Jones, is that how it must appear on their pay check or can it be Mary E. Smith-Jones?
Comments
Most payroll systems have a place you can list "legal name and address" which is what shows on W-2 and reported with wage tax and the other you can put for your convenience. The "Legal" name does need to be exactly like it i s on the SS card. You have it right.
E Wart
If you don't do this, the company has a mismatch and when the EE files income tax returns, they will have a mismatch if the w-2 records do not match the SS records.
One employees first and middle name is Michael Frederick and I can't fit the 'ck' of his middle name in the field spaces provided......so it's just not there!!!
This is within the IRS.gov website. It is instructions in pdf format for W-2 and W-3. Scroll down to page 2 and note the common errors in filing. At the bottom of that paragraph - the last common error shown, it tells you to use the middle initial and then the surname.
“Boxes e and f – Employees name and address. Enter the name as shown on your employees social security card (first, middle initial, last). Generally do not enter “Jr.,” “Sr.,” etc in the “Suff” box on Copy A unless the suffix appears on the card. However, SSA still prefers you do not enter the suffix on Copy A. If the name does not fit, you may show first name initial, middle name initial, and last name (and ignore the vertical line). If the name has changed, the employee must get a corrected card from any SSA office. Use the name on the original card until you see the corrected one. Do not show titles or academic degrees, such as “Dr.,” ”RN,” or “Esq.” at the beginning or end of the employees name.”
This is a 16 page instruction form and can be downloaded or printed from the earlier link.
Hope this gets you what you need.
edit: Our W-2's are printed from the same record as the paychecks, so if you want the W-2's to be properly formatted, they must follow the paychecks - at least that's the way it is in our shop. Your software may have other capabilities that allow you to format the names differently - ours does not.
This is our government at work!!I guess you can't win.
E Wart