What must a South African payslip include?

Section 33 of the BCEA requires the employer's name and address, the employee's name and occupation, the period of payment, the ordinary rate and overtime rate, the number of ordinary and overtime hours, any allowances or premiums, gross remuneration, every deduction (PAYE, UIF, medical aid, retirement, etc.) and the net amount paid.

Is a payslip legally required in South Africa?

Yes. The BCEA requires every employer to give each employee a written payslip on each pay day — printed, emailed or via a secure portal.

Do I need to show UIF and PAYE separately on a payslip?

Yes. Statutory deductions such as PAYE, UIF and (where applicable) SDL must be itemised so the employee can see what was withheld and paid to SARS on their behalf.

Can I use an Excel or CSV payslip template?

Yes, for small teams. Excel or CSV is fine provided every BCEA field is included, calculations are correct and the payslip is delivered to the employee on pay day. As headcount grows, move to payroll software or an outsourced provider to reduce PAYE and UIF errors.

How long must I keep payslips?

Payroll records — including payslips, EMP201s and IRP5s — must be kept for at least 5 years under the Tax Administration Act and BCEA.

South Africa · BCEA s.33

Free payslip template for South Africa (BCEA-compliant)

A ready-to-edit CSV payslip covering every field the BCEA requires — earnings, statutory deductions, company contributions and YTD totals. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.

Download the template

One row per payslip line. Fill in your employer info once, then duplicate for each pay run. All statutory fields (PAYE, UIF, SDL) are pre-labelled.

What must appear on an SA payslip

Employer name, address, PAYE and UIF reference numbers
Employee name, ID / employee number and occupation
Pay period, pay date and payment method
Ordinary and overtime hours plus their rates
Every earning line (basic, allowances, overtime, bonus, leave pay)
Every deduction (PAYE, UIF, medical, pension, garnishee)
Employer contributions (UIF, SDL, medical, retirement)
Gross remuneration, total deductions and net pay — plus YTD columns

When a template stops being enough

A CSV works well up to about 5 employees. Above that, PAYE age-rebate logic, medical tax credits, retirement caps and UIF ceilings become error-prone. Move to payroll software or an outsourced provider to keep SARS penalties away.

Let Patuza run your payslips

Branded PDF payslips, EMP201, UIF declarations and IRP5s from R150 per employee — no spreadsheet errors, no SARS penalties.

Talk to a payroll specialist

Related guides & calculators

PAYE calculator →
2025/2026 SARS tables with age rebates and medical credits.
UIF contributions →
1% + 1% split, the R17,712 ceiling and UI-19s.
13th cheque tax calculator →
See how a bonus is taxed and its impact on net pay.
Notice pay guide →
BCEA s.37 notice periods and pay in lieu.

General information based on the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and SARS guidance current at publication. Not legal or tax advice.