Company Information▼
Employee Information▼
Pay Details▼
Bank Details (for EFT)▼
Tax References (for SARS)▼
Leave Balance (Optional)▼
Custom Payslip Items▼
| Description | Amount (R) |
|---|---|
| Basic Salary | 0.00 |
| Allowances | 0.00 |
| Statutory Deductions | |
| PAYE (SARS) | -0.00 |
| UIF (1% capped) | -0.00 |
| Other Deductions | -0.00 |
| Total Earnings | 0.00 |
| Total Deductions | -0.00 |
| Net Pay | R 0.00 |
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Free Payslip Generator for South African Businesses
Creating payslips for your employees doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. SmartSheets's free payslip generator is built specifically for South Africa — it automatically calculates PAYE income tax using the latest SARS 2025/2026 tax brackets, UIF contributions (1% employee + 1% employer, capped at R17,712 monthly remuneration), and shows a clear earnings-and-deductions breakdown that meets the requirements of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). Simply enter your employee's salary, choose a template, and download a professional PDF payslip — no payroll software subscription needed.
How to Generate a Payslip — Step by Step
Add your company name, address, PAYE reference number, and UIF reference number.
Fill in the employee's name, ID/passport number, and job title.
Select the month or pay cycle (e.g. "March 2026" or "Week 1–4, March 2026").
PAYE tax and UIF are calculated automatically from the salary amount.
Include travel, housing, overtime, pension, medical aid, and other items.
Pick from 7 layouts: Corporate, Classic, Modern, Minimal, Executive, Compact, or Bold.
Save as PDF, email directly to the employee, or send to the self-service portal.
What's Included in Every Payslip
Automatic PAYE Tax
PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the income tax withheld from an employee's salary each month. Our generator uses the official SARS 2025/2026 tax tables — annual brackets from 18% to 45%, with primary rebate (R17,235), secondary rebate (R9,444 for 65–74), and tertiary rebate (R3,145 for 75+). Just enter the salary and the tax is calculated instantly.
UIF & SDL Deductions
UIF is 1% of the employee's remuneration (employer matches 1%). Maximum monthly remuneration for UIF: R17,712, so the max employee deduction is R177.12/month. SDL (Skills Development Levy) of 1% applies to employers with annual payroll over R500,000. Both are calculated automatically.
BCEA Compliance
Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act requires every payslip to include: employer name and address, employee name and occupation, pay period, gross remuneration, itemised deductions, and net pay. Our payslips include all required fields. Non-compliance can result in fines.
Professional Templates
7 professionally designed layouts generating clean A4 PDFs. Corporate (blue) for professional services, Classic (green) for traditional businesses, Modern (teal) for tech companies, Minimal (grayscale) for clean simplicity, plus Executive, Compact, and Bold premium designs.
Free Payroll & Tax Tools for South Africa
In addition to our payslip generator, we offer a complete suite of free calculators and tools for South African businesses:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this payslip generator really free?
Yes. You can generate 1 payslip per month completely free with no signup required. The free plan includes automatic PAYE and UIF calculations, PDF download, and access to the Corporate and Classic templates. For more payslips and premium templates, see our pricing plans.
How does the PAYE calculation work?
Our generator uses the official SARS 2025/2026 annual tax brackets. It takes the employee's monthly taxable income, annualises it, applies the progressive tax rates (18% to 45%), subtracts the applicable rebates (primary, secondary, or tertiary based on age), and divides by 12 to get the monthly PAYE amount. This is the same method prescribed by SARS for employers.
What is UIF and how much is deducted?
UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) is a mandatory deduction of 1% of the employee's remuneration. The employer contributes a matching 1%, making the total UIF contribution 2%. The maximum monthly remuneration for UIF purposes is R17,712, so the maximum employee deduction is R177.12 per month. UIF provides short-term financial relief to workers who become unemployed, ill, or go on maternity leave.
Is the payslip BCEA-compliant?
Yes. Our payslips include all fields required by Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act: employer details, employee name and occupation, pay period, gross remuneration, itemised deductions, and net pay. The BCEA requires employers to provide a written payslip with every payment.
Can I generate payslips 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. Enter the domestic worker's salary, and the generator will calculate PAYE (if applicable) and UIF contributions. Domestic employers must also register with SARS and the UIF.
Can I email payslips directly to employees?
Yes. After generating a payslip, click "Email Payslip" and enter the employee's email address. The PDF payslip will be sent directly to their inbox. Premium users can also set up an employee self-service portal where employees can log in and view their own payslips.
What are the current SARS PAYE tax brackets for 2025/2026?
The 2025/2026 tax brackets are: R1–R237,100 at 18%; R237,101–R370,500 at 26%; R370,501–R512,800 at 31%; R512,801–R673,000 at 36%; R673,001–R857,900 at 39%; R857,901–R1,817,000 at 41%; and above R1,817,000 at 45%. The primary rebate is R17,235. Our payslip generator applies these brackets automatically.
Do I need to register with SARS to use this?
You don't need a SARS registration to use the payslip generator, but if you employ staff, South African law requires you to register as an employer with SARS within 21 business days. This gives you a PAYE reference number for monthly EMP201 submissions. You can add your PAYE and UIF reference numbers to the payslip for compliance.
Can I download a blank payslip template?
Yes! Visit our Payslip Template page to download free BCEA-compliant payslip templates in Excel (.xls) and Word (.doc) formats. These templates include all required fields and can be customised with your company details.
Is my data safe?
The free payslip generator works entirely in your browser — salary data is not sent to any server. If you create an account, your data is stored securely on Google Cloud (Firebase) with encryption at rest and in transit. We never share your data with third parties.
Learn More About Payroll in South Africa
Not based in South Africa? Use our free international payslip generator with support for USD, GBP, EUR, INR, NGN, KES, PHP, AUD, CAD, and custom currencies.