Payroll Africa vs Xero Payroll
Xero has phased out South African payroll and now integrates with third-party providers. Xero no longer offers native SA payroll. Payroll Africa is a certified SA payroll product that pushes the payroll journal into Xero on every run.
Payroll Africa Editorial · SARS Payroll Compliance Team
The Payroll Africa editorial team is composed of registered tax practitioners, payroll administrators and BCEA specialists who maintain the SARS PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI engines that power the platform. Every article is reviewed against the current SARS BRS and Basic Conditions of Employment Act before publication.
- SARS registered tax practitioners
- SAPA-affiliated payroll administrators
- BCEA and LRA compliance reviewers
Last updated 01 Oct 2026
Xero Payroll vs Payroll Africa — feature comparison
How the two products compare on the features South African employers actually use monthly.
How to migrate from Xero Payroll to Payroll Africa
Migration is free. Our team handles every step and reconciles YTD balances to the cent.
- Sign up on Payroll Africa
- Connect Xero via built-in OAuth
- Payroll journal syncs after every run
Is Payroll Africa a good Xero Payroll alternative?
For South African SMBs (1–500 employees), yes. Payroll Africa is built in South Africa for South African tax law, priced per employee with no lock-in, and includes every SARS artefact Xero Payroll produces — plus WhatsApp payslips, auto runs and an AI payroll assistant.
Compare
| Feature | Payroll Africa | Xero Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| SARS PAYE / UIF / SDL | ||
| EMP201 + EMP501 + IRP5 | ||
| Xero GL journal push | ||
| Employee master sync | ||
| POPIA-compliant SA hosting |
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Stop looking this up. Let payroll do it.
Payroll Africa applies vs Xero Payroll rules automatically every month — SARS PAYE, UIF and SDL, payslips, EMP201 and IRP5. From R90/month.
- No card required
- 30-day free trial
- Free migration from Sage, SimplePay, PaySpace or Excel
- Cancel anytime
Run Payroll Africa alongside your current system until you're happy to switch.