Payslips. First off, what is a payslip?
A payslip is an important employment document. It’s a document that breaks down an employee’s income and deductions. Additionally, it serves as proof of employment. 

Employee payslips are a legal requirement. In terms of Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, employers must provide their employees with the following information, in writing, when they are paid:

1. The employer’s name and address;
2. the employee’s name and occupation;
3. payment period;
4. the employee’s remuneration in money;
5. the amount and purpose of any deduction made from the remuneration;
6. the actual amount paid to the employee; and
7. if relevant to the calculation of that employee’s remuneration-
   1. the employee’s rate of remuneration and overtime rate;
   2. the number of ordinary and overtime hours worked by the employee during the period for which the payment is made;
   3. the number of hours worked by the employee on a Sunday or public holiday during that period;
   4. if an agreement to average working time has been concluded in terms of section 12, the total number of ordinary and overtime hours worked by the employee in the period of averaging.

Employers often do not meet these basic requirements.

Payslip Distribution

Employees can receive their payslip in one of two ways:

• Printed Payslips.
• Secure email portal, or even SMS.

Employers must understand their employee’s requirements when it comes to payslips. Whether it is a basic payslip or detailed employee statement.

Keeping Your Payslips On Record

There is no need to keep payslips for any longer than 6 months. Many people prefer to keep them for longer, but it is not necessary. If you are applying for credit, financial institutions usually require 3 months’ worth of payslips.

Since many businesses now provide digitally secured payslips, it’s easier keep record of them.

However, payroll providers need to keep copies of payslips for three years from the end of the tax year.

Payslip Service

Outsourcing Solutions offers a range of professional, pre-printed payslip stationery for your business that is convenient and ready to use. Our payslips match the payslip templates available in Pastel Payroll. At a glance, your employees can see their gross and net pay amounts as well as total deductions, company contributions and fringe benefits.

For more information, get in touch with our expert team today – info@outsol.co.za

Payroll jobs require individuals who have exceptional attention to detail, numeracy skills and accuracy. Additionally, they need to have a working knowledge of all applicable laws and statutes regarding taxes, deductions, and more.

Managing and processing payroll is a complicated task. Therefore, there are a few payroll positions available for each role.

Each position obviously requires specific skills, background, and qualifications. Here are the main payroll jobs employers need to fill when they choose to hire staff:

Payroll Administrator or Payroll Clerk

The payroll clerk or payroll administrator position is an entry level position in the payroll office.  They perform a wide range of basic payroll duties and are responsible for preparing the information needed to complete the payroll. Including correct wages/salaries are paid, managing employee data and ensuring accuracy of timesheets.

Strong numeracy skills and multitasking skills are necessary should you want to be a successful payroll administrator.

Payroll Coordinators

Coordinators of payroll are responsible for keeping the payroll organized. Payroll administrators/clerks report to payroll coordinators. If the company does not have a payroll administrator, then the coordinator processes the payroll.

These professionals work with other departments in the business, including HR and auditors. They are normally employed by larger corporations that have complex payroll systems.

Payroll Manager

These payroll leaders oversee the entire payroll department. They are usually responsible for the payroll team who complete different tasks associated with their role in the payroll office.

Payroll managers require managerial and accounting credentials. These payroll specialists must be well versed in the calculation of taxes and laws. They usually work with members of the accounting department.

Is It Stressful Working In Payroll?

Yes. There is no sugar-coating here. Additionally, deadlines cause high stress levels.

Payroll is a critical function in any business. Particularly during the busiest times of the year. Additionally, if office managers and/or HR managers do not notify the payroll department of new employees, employees leaving or changing positions, or not filling in timesheets on time causes addon stress. However, the job is rewarding and like with any job, there are many benefits to working in payroll.

Outsource Your Payroll & Avoid The Added Stress. Contact our expert team today

In this article, we discuss how the effects of the coronavirus has impacted payroll operations and how payroll specialists can adapt to the “new normal” way of processing payroll.

The first question to ask is “Has Covid19 Impacted Payroll”?

And the most obvious answer would be, yes. There is not a single area of our lives (personally and professionally) that has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although many business operations have slowed down during times like these, payroll operations are the one area of business that has had to step up. Additionally, its vital role in business is more clear than ever. Businesses and payroll professionals seek to overcome challenges of today and adapt for tomorrow. Therefore, payroll processing modified to keep up with our ‘new normal’ way of living.

Payroll processing is impacted in a number of ways:

• Less ability and work responsibility from staff who are sick with COVID19 or who are looking after family members who are sick. Therefore, requiring flexible work arrangements.
  
• Staff who are starting to work from home may be limited due to not having the adequate tools and documents available that they would normally have available at the office. Especially if your business system is on-premise solutions.
  
• Payroll calculations need to be updated as most governments have provided tax and illness relief to staff and businesses. Therefore, payroll specialists need to ensure the new regulations reflect correctly.

All the above has put extraordinary stress on payroll systems. Therefore, forcing the payroll specialists to adapt quickly. We are currently living through the biggest global crisis that many of us will experience in our lifetime.

Although, they might have been able to improvise by working overtime and putting in extra effort for a while, it is clear that business owners need to have a plan to mitigate the ongoing impact on business.

Is there a way for payroll providers to adapt to the “new normal”? Can staff feel relief from new workplace stress?

Here are 4 tips we think will help you:

Tip 1: Process Automation

Reduce the need for human involvement and you will minimize operational disruptions. Process automation eliminates congestion and error, which leads to lost time and revenue. Thus, control and improvement in productivity, customer experience and business performance overall will improve.

Tip 2: Remote Access To Data

Organise and store data and files securely in the cloud. Move from hard copy files to electronic. Therefore, you, your staff and your customers can access the neccessary important information any time, from anywhere!

Tip 3: IT Infrastructure

IT plays a vital role in the delivery of data and financial services. Therefore, businesses need to have secured IT infrastructure. Additionally, 24/7 support and maintenance must be available.

Tip 4: Remove People Dependencies

Review employee roles and responsibilities and ensure there are back up plans in case of staff not becoming available due to COVID19. Set up automated delegation routines that give the replacement staff member automatic access to documents in case that specific employee is not available.

While these tips may help you to better master your business challenges and payroll operations, they will also improve the efficiency of your business operations as well.

At Outsourcing Solutions, we have experience in assisting businesses transform and modernize their payroll operations. Therefore, we can help you to move your payroll to a secure, cloud-based environment efficiently. Contact us today.