A new year is typically a stressful start for many small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are already feeling the hot breath of the Tax Year-End (TYE) on their necks.   To remain compliant, business owners (or their payroll and HR function, if they have one) must stay up to date on how legislative changes impact their TYE processes.  It’s not easy. In fact, in the Payroll and HR in SA: Rising to the challenges of change report by Sage, 77% of respondents say they battle to grasp complex payroll taxes, and 50% struggle to explain tax calculations to their employees.  Time ..read more

Is payroll driving you up the wall? Payroll is typically one of the top concerns that many small business owners have when running their companies. However, it’s really important that you do get it right. Your employees will expect to be paid on time, and receive the correct salary too. And if there are additional payments to include, such as bonuses and holiday pay, then this adds to the complexity of your payroll tasks. But get your payroll right and you’ll keep your employees happy and focused on their role in growing your business. Read this article for tips on the payroll tasks you need t ..read more

The world of HR is becoming unrecognisable. Things are changing. And quickly.   Employees are expecting more from their workplaces, businesses are re-prioritising what matters, and the value HR delivers is reaching an all-time high.  While this is all incredibly exciting, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.   After all, when an entire profession changes this quickly, how can you keep pace?  To answer that question and find out what’s really going on, we spoke to over 1000 HR leaders and c-suite execs. We then published everything we learnt in a new ..read more

The world of HR is becoming unrecognisable. Things are changing. And quickly.   Employees are expecting more from their workplaces, businesses are re-prioritising what matters, and the value HR delivers is reaching an all-time high.  While this is all incredibly exciting, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.   After all, when an entire profession changes this quickly, how can you keep pace?  To answer that question and find out what’s really going on, we spoke to over 1000 HR leaders and c-suite execs. We then published everything we learnt in a new ..read more

Setting up a payroll structure is a critical component of the payroll function to ensure that your employees are paid the correct salary in addition to overtime, commissions, and bonuses. Payroll managers must understand the fundamental principles of additional compensation to provide informed advice when developing policies and to ensure employees are correctly compensated or rewarded. This article will walk you through the definitions and ideas of overtime, commission, and bonuses, including: Calculating overtime Calculating bonuses Calculating commission The impact of overtime, commissions ..read more

Staying ahead of the payroll game is no easy feat. With the continual changes in legislation and regulations, HR and payroll professionals have their work cut out for them. To stay compliant, they need to understand the impact of legislative changes on processes and systems such as UIF and PAYE calculations, pension and medical aid fund contributions, and – since the start of the pandemic – how to manage the complexities of a remote or hybrid workforce. In fact, the Sage HR and payroll in SA: Rising to the challenges of change research found that 77% of respondents struggle with the complexity ..read more

Managing the costs of a small business is never easy. Budgets are tight, profit margins are small, and there are many expenses that need to be paid. One of the biggest expenses also happens to be the most important: payroll. In this article, we explore how you can make this process simpler and keep the stress at bay. We cover the following: Why you need to get payroll right Master the pay run with these 5 tips Top payroll software features to look out for Final thoughts Why you need to get payroll right Running a business means you have many plates to spin. It sometimes feels impossible to k ..read more

Tax Year-End is almost here, but don’t stress. If you haven’t already planned for it, you still have time to get everything ready. Out of all the preparation and processes for payroll year-end, reporting to SARS on the previous tax year before 28 February 2022 is the most important thing to remember. Unless otherwise specified by the Commissioner, all businesses must submit their annual employer reconciliation returns to the South African Revenue Services (SARS) within 60 days of the start of the Employer Tax Filing season. Here are a few measures to take and important dates to help you prepar ..read more

Taking maternity leave is a happy time for new mothers to enjoy settling in and bonding with their babies (despite that lack of sleep everyone keeps telling you about). But before you think about putting in maternity leave, there’s some admin that needs to be taken care of, like claiming maternity benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). To help you get started, here is everything you need to know to make the process as seamless as possible. Who can apply for maternity benefits? Maternity benefits are exclusive to women (sorry, boys) who are employed and actively contributing to th ..read more

With the holidays only a few weeks away, it’s time to hire seasonal workers to cope with increased demand or instances where most of your permanent employees are on leave. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) defines a seasonal worker as “a person who is only employed during a peak period for a specific period”. It’s not just the tourism and hospitality industries that need seasonal workers, but also engineering, IT, customer service, office support sales, and manufacturing. Here are some tips when hiring seasonal workers. Create a seasonal recruitment strategy December and January are the ..read more