Free Payslip Template South Africa
Download BCEA-compliant payslip templates in Excel and Word — free, no signup required
Excel Template with Automatic PAYE Formulas
The free templates below add up your rows — this one calculates the tax itself. Type in the salary and PAYE, UIF and net pay calculate instantly using the official SARS 2026/2027 tax tables. No formulas to build, no tax tables to look up.
- PAYE auto-calculated from SARS 2026/2027 brackets — including 65+/75+ rebates and medical aid tax credits
- UIF at 1%, correctly capped at R177.12/month
- Employer view: employer UIF, SDL and total cost-to-company
- Editable tax tables sheet — update once a year, keep using it
- All 5 designs included: Classic Green, Corporate Blue, Executive Dark, Minimal Grayscale, Domestic Worker
- Plain formulas, no macros — works in Excel, Google Sheets & LibreOffice
Sample values — the yellow cells are inputs; PAYE, UIF and net pay calculate automatically in Excel.
All 5 designs included · Instant download after payment · Card, EFT or SnapScan via PayFast
Excel Payslip Template
Editable Excel (.xlsx) template with working formulas. Automatically calculates gross pay, total deductions, and net pay. Compatible with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.
- Working SUM formulas for auto-calculation
- Pre-filled sample earnings and deductions
- Company logo placeholder
- Print-ready A4 layout
Word Payslip Template
Editable Word (.docx) document with a professional payslip layout. Easy to customise with your company details. Compatible with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer.
- Easy text editing and formatting
- Customisable company header
- Employee and employer signature fields
- Print-ready A4 layout
Industry-Specific Payslip Templates
Download payslip templates tailored to your industry — with relevant earnings, deductions, and job titles pre-filled.
Mining & Resources
Includes Danger Pay, Shift Allowance, and COIDA deduction fields
Healthcare
Night Shift and On-Call Allowance fields for medical professionals
Agriculture
Seasonal Bonus and Transport Allowance for farm operations
Education
Research Allowance and Housing Allowance for academic staff
Hospitality
Tips / Service Charge and Meal Allowance for F&B teams
Legal & Professional
Professional Allowance and Cell Phone Allowance for law firms
Logistics & Transport
Driving Allowance and Overtime fields for fleet operations
NGO & Non-Profit
Field Allowance and Housing Allowance for development organisations
What Is a Payslip Template?
A payslip template is a pre-built form you fill in each pay run to show an employee what they earned and what came off. In South Africa it is not optional paperwork: section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act requires you to give every employee written details of their pay, in the workplace or somewhere private, each time you pay them.
BCEA Payslip Requirements — What Must Be Included?
These eight items are the statutory minimum. Both templates above already contain all of them, so filling in the blanks is enough to comply.
| Required by law | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Employer details | Registered business name and physical address |
| Employee details | Full name and occupation |
| Pay period | The dates the payment covers, such as 1–31 March |
| Ordinary hours and wage | Basic salary, or the hourly rate and hours worked |
| Overtime | Hours and amount, at 1.5× the normal rate, or 2× on Sundays and public holidays |
| Other payments | Allowances, bonuses and commission |
| Deductions | PAYE, UIF, and anything else the employee has agreed to in writing |
| Amount actually paid | Net pay — what lands in their bank account |
Payslip Format for South Africa
The law says what a payslip must contain, not how it should look. Convention is to work top to bottom: your company details and PAYE reference at the head, the employee and pay period beneath, then earnings and deductions in two columns that meet at gross pay, total deductions and net pay.
Year-to-date totals are worth adding even though nothing requires them. Employees ask for them when applying for credit, and they make the IRP5 far easier to reconcile at tax year end.
How to Use the Payslip Template
Download either format above, then replace the placeholders with your company name, address and PAYE reference — do this once and save it as your master copy. For each pay run, fill in the employee, the period, and the earnings and deductions.
Check that gross pay less deductions equals net pay before you send it. The Excel template works this out for you; in Word you are adding it up yourself, which is where mistakes creep in. Keep a copy of every payslip you issue — SARS can ask for them, and the BCEA requires you to hold employment records for three years.
PAYE and UIF on Your Payslip
PAYE is the income tax you withhold from the salary and pay over to SARS each month on an EMP201. It is worked out from the SARS tax tables, which run from 18% to 45% for 2026/2027, less the primary rebate.
UIF is 1% of the employee's remuneration, and you contribute a matching 1% as the employer — so 2% reaches the fund, but only the employee's half shows as a deduction on the payslip. Contributions are capped at a monthly remuneration ceiling of R17,712.
Both are easy to get wrong by hand, particularly in a month with a bonus or a mid-month start. Our payslip generator applies the current tax tables for you if you would rather not calculate them.
Payslip Template vs Payslip Generator — Which Should I Use?
Take the template if you already work in Excel, your accountant hands you the PAYE figures, or you need the layout to match something you use elsewhere. You keep full control of the document, and nothing depends on us.
Use the generator if you are calculating PAYE yourself. It applies the current SARS tables, produces a PDF, and can email the payslip to the employee — which removes the arithmetic most people get wrong. For one or two employees a month either works; past a handful, the manual route stops being worth the time.
Frequently Asked Questions — Payslip Templates
What must a South African payslip include by law?
Section 33 of the BCEA requires: employer name and address, employee name and occupation, pay period, remuneration in money, any deductions made, and the actual amount paid (net pay). Failure to provide a payslip can result in a fine from the Department of Employment and Labour.
Can I use these templates for domestic workers?
Yes. Domestic workers in South Africa are covered by the BCEA and Sectoral Determination 7, which means they are entitled to a written payslip. These templates include all legally required fields for domestic worker payslips.
Are these payslip templates free?
The basic Excel and Word downloads are completely free with no signup required — you can download and use them as many times as you need. We also offer an optional premium Excel template with automatic PAYE, UIF, and medical tax credit formulas for a once-off fee.
What is the difference between a payslip and a pay stub?
They are the same document — a record of earnings and deductions for a pay period. "Payslip" is the standard term in South Africa, the UK, Australia, and India. "Pay stub" is the American and Canadian term. "Salary slip" is common in India and the Philippines.
Do I need to keep copies of payslips?
Yes. South African employers are required to keep payroll records for at least 3 years (as per the BCEA) and 5 years for SARS purposes. The templates make it easy to save copies in your preferred format.
How do I calculate PAYE for the payslip?
PAYE is calculated using SARS annual tax brackets applied to the employee's taxable income, minus any rebates. For automatic calculation, use our payslip generator or the PAYE calculator.
Is a payslip legally required in South Africa?
Yes. Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) requires every employer to give each employee written particulars of pay — a payslip — on every pay day. This applies to all employers, including private households employing domestic workers.
Can I email payslips instead of printing them?
Yes. The BCEA requires payslips to be given in writing, and an electronic payslip (PDF via email) satisfies this as long as the employee can access, read, and keep a copy of it. Many South African businesses now email PDF payslips instead of printing.