SARS-compliant payroll software for South African businesses
Payroll Africa is SARS-compliant cloud payroll software built in South Africa. It automatically calculates PAYE, UIF and SDL using the current SARS tax tables, generates EMP201 and EMP501 returns, produces IRP5/IT3(a) certificates for SARS e@syFile, and delivers branded payslips via email or WhatsApp — replacing SimplePay, Sage Payroll and manual spreadsheets.
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 30 Sept 2026
What makes payroll software SARS compliant?
SARS-compliant payroll software must accurately calculate every statutory deduction South African employers are required by law to withhold and remit to the South African Revenue Service. It must use the current PAYE tax tables published by SARS, apply the correct UIF ceiling (R17,712 per month), calculate SDL at 1% for employers with an annual payroll above R500,000, and produce every statutory return in the exact format SARS requires.
A truly compliant system also handles the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) for qualifying employees aged 18–29, applies fringe-benefit rules under the Seventh Schedule, and produces IRP5/IT3(a) tax certificates that reconcile perfectly across the EMP501 bi-annual and annual submissions.
- PAYE calculated on the current SARS tax tables (2026/27 tax year)
- UIF at 1% employee + 1% employer, capped at R17,712/month
- SDL at 1% of leviable amount for employers above the R500k threshold
- ETI for qualifying 18–29 year old employees
- EMP201 monthly returns and EMP501 bi-annual + annual reconciliations
- IRP5 and IT3(a) tax certificates exported for SARS e@syFile
Key SARS-compliance features in Payroll Africa
Every calculation and every filing artefact is aligned to the current SARS tax year. When SARS publishes new brackets in the annual Budget, Payroll Africa updates the tax tables — historic payslips are never re-calculated, so audit trails remain intact.
- Versioned tax engine — every payslip records which tax-year tables it was calculated on
- One-click EMP201 PDF, ready to capture on eFiling
- EMP501 CSV that imports directly into SARS e@syFile Employer
- IRP5/IT3(a) generation for the full tax year with balancing checks
- Automatic ETI calculation and monthly claim on EMP201
- Directive support (IRP3(a), IRP3(b), IRP3(c)) for lump sums and severance
- Full audit log of every payroll adjustment, approver and timestamp
How Payroll Africa keeps you compliant every month
The monthly payroll cycle is fully automated. Add or edit an employee, run payroll, review the summary, approve, and Payroll Africa produces payslips, a bank payment file, the EMP201 return and a full journal for your accounting system in one click. Employees receive their payslips via email or WhatsApp with a secure, time-limited link.
At the end of each tax period, generate the EMP501 reconciliation and IRP5 certificates directly from the Filings module. The exports are validated against SARS format rules before you download them, so imports into e@syFile succeed on the first attempt.
Why South African employers choose Payroll Africa
Payroll Africa is built in South Africa for South African tax law — not adapted from a foreign product. It runs entirely in the cloud, so there's nothing to install, no annual upgrades, and no risk of running an outdated tax table. Every feature — WhatsApp payslips, auto-run, ETI, IRP5 export, Xero/QuickBooks integration — is included on every plan.
Compare
| Compliance feature | Payroll Africa | SimplePay | Sage Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current SARS PAYE / UIF / SDL tables | |||
| EMP201 export | |||
| EMP501 e@syFile CSV | |||
| IRP5 / IT3(a) generation | |||
| ETI automatic calculation | |||
| Auto payroll runs (unattended) | |||
| WhatsApp payslip delivery | |||
| Included AI payroll assistant | |||
| Starts at R90/month |
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Stop looking this up. Let payroll do it.
Payroll Africa applies SARS compliance 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.