Running payroll for a South African business is more complex than in many other countries. You need to handle PAYE (with the right SARS brackets and age rebates), UIF contributions, SDL, produce EMP201 returns, generate IRP5 certificates, and file UI-19 reports. Then there’s leave management, shift scheduling, BBBEE reporting, POPIA compliance — most payroll tools only cover the accounting layer.
What SARS-compliant payroll must cover
- PAYE calculation with current SARS tax tables and age rebates (primary, secondary, tertiary)
- UIF contributions (1% employee + 1% employer, capped at the monthly remuneration ceiling)
- SDL contributions (1% of leviable amount, exempt if annual payroll under R500,000)
- EMP201 monthly employer declaration export
- IRP5 / IT3(a) annual tax certificates per employee
- UIF UI-19 declaration report for SARS submissions
What SARS compliance actually means in practice
“SARS compliant” on a pricing page can mean anything. In practice it must cover the full monthly and annual cycle:
- Monthly: PAYE calculated on current-year tax tables (with age-based rebates), UIF at 1% employee + 1% employer up to the ceiling, SDL at 1% where your annual payroll exceeds R500,000 — all summarised in an EMP201 you submit on eFiling by the 7th.
- Interim & annual: EMP501 reconciliation that ties every EMP201 payment to employee-level certificates, and IRP5 / IT3(a) certificates generated per employee.
- When someone leaves: a UI-19 declaration for the Department of Employment and Labour, generated from data already in the system — not rebuilt by hand.
- When tables change: the annual budget speech changes brackets and rebates. Software that requires a manual update, or a paid upgrade, to get new tax tables is a compliance risk with a subscription fee.
MYWorkSuite runs this cycle inside the same system that already holds attendance, leave and HR records — which is what makes month-end reconciliation a report, not a project.
The platforms compared
| Feature | MYWorkSuite | Sage Pastel Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll SA | SimplePay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | R550/m payroll + 8 more modules | ~R500/m | ~R300/m | ~R200/m base per-employee pricing |
| PAYE / UIF / SDL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EMP201 / IRP5 exports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave & HR in same system | ✓ | Add-ons | Limited | Basic |
| Shift scheduling | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| GPS clock-in → payroll | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Competitor details reflect publicly listed plans at time of writing — check current pricing pages before deciding.
MYWorkSuite (from R550/month)
Built in South Africa for South African businesses. Payroll is one of 9 integrated modules — which means approved clock-in hours flow directly into the pay run with no export/import step. Features:
- PAYE, UIF, SDL with current SARS brackets
- EMP201, IRP5 and UIF UI-19 exports
- GPS time and attendance that feeds payroll directly
- Leave management with accrual rules and leave pay calculations
- BBBEE reporting built in
- Multi-company / multi-entity support
Business plan at R1,750/month for 15 users covers payroll, HR, scheduling, finance and procurement. No per-payslip fees. 14-day free trial. See all features →
Sage Pastel Payroll (~R500/month)
Established SA payroll tool, widely used by accountants. Strong on SARS compliance and tax submissions. Limited on scheduling, GPS attendance and modern HR workflows. Requires separate add-ons for most HR functions.
QuickBooks Payroll SA (~R300/month)
Adapted for South Africa. Good for businesses already on QuickBooks accounting. Payroll is tightly integrated with bookkeeping. Limited HR, no scheduling, no field-staff tools.
SimplePay (~R200/month base)
Cloud-based, clean interface, good SARS compliance. Per-employee pricing model. No scheduling, no time and attendance, no procurement or finance modules.
What most payroll tools miss for SA operations
If your business has field staff, shift workers, or multiple departments, basic payroll software leaves gaps:
- No GPS clock-in (manual timesheets create payroll disputes)
- No shift scheduling (rosters are done in spreadsheets)
- No BBBEE reporting (separate tool or manual)
- No POPIA compliance tools (separate process)
- No procurement integration (purchase orders don’t connect to finance)
MYWorkSuite was built specifically to close these gaps for South African SMEs in construction, retail, logistics, hospitality and professional services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run payroll for multiple companies?
Yes. MYWorkSuite supports multi-entity operations with isolated data per company. Accountants and group structures can manage multiple payroll entities from one dashboard.
Does payroll software handle the 2026 SARS tax tables?
MYWorkSuite is updated with each SARS budget announcement to reflect the latest tax brackets, rebates and thresholds. No manual updates required.
How do I migrate from Sage Pastel to MYWorkSuite?
MYWorkSuite supports data import from Sage, Xero and Pastel. The team assists with data migration as part of onboarding at the Business tier.
Is there a free payroll option in South Africa?
SARS eFiling includes basic payroll tools for very small businesses (under 5 employees). For anything beyond basic, a paid platform is recommended to avoid compliance risk.
How much does payroll software cost per month in South Africa?
Basic payroll software starts around R150 to R300/month for simple tools. Full-featured platforms range from R500 to R2,500/month for SMEs. MYWorkSuite Business (payroll, HR, scheduling, time and attendance and finance) is R1,750/month for up to 15 users, with additional users at R130 each.
What is the difference between EMP201 and EMP501?
EMP201 is the monthly declaration of PAYE, UIF and SDL you submit with payment by the 7th. EMP501 is the twice-yearly reconciliation proving your monthly declarations match the employee tax certificates. Software that produces one without the other leaves you doing the reconciliation by hand.
Does payroll software need to update SARS tax tables automatically?
Yes. Brackets, rebates and thresholds change after the annual budget. Cloud payroll applies new tables server-side; desktop packages typically require a paid annual update — budget for it or risk running stale tables.
MYWorkSuite starts at R550/month with a 14-day free trial. No card required, no contract. Explore MYWorkSuite → or get a personalised demo →