What it covers
Salaries and wages, overtime, commission and allowances; PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI; the medical aid and retirement contributions the business pays; payslips; and the EMP201 figures each month. Employee ID, tax and bank numbers are encrypted and only people with payroll access can see them.
What it does not cover
Company cars and other fringe benefits, travel allowances, tax directives and leave pay-outs. If your payroll needs those, use a specialist payroll package and keep your books here.
Starting part-way through the tax year
Paste the year-to-date totals from your old payroll report into Pay before Books. Each line is matched to the person by name, so the year-end certificates cover the whole year, not only the months you were here.
The dates that matter
The EMP201 and its payment are due by the 7th of the following month (the last business day before, if the 7th is a weekend or public holiday). The EMP501 reconciliations are due twice a year. The deadline calendar reminds you; you submit on eFiling.