Your first payroll
Start with approved pay arrangements, the pay calendar and employer details. Agree how starters, variable pay and salary changes reach the preparer before a payroll is run.
ACCOUNTING & BOOKKEEPING · SOUTH AFRICA
Payroll support for the people behind your business.
Payday should follow a clear process. Vatco helps businesses organise employee information, calculate payroll and prepare payslips and agreed employer submissions, with a defined approval routine that connects the monthly pay run to the records needed later.
Your requirements · A clear scope · Your next step
YOUR SERVICE GUIDE
Payroll services
Payroll services
01
Set upReview employee and employer records.
02
ApproveCheck changes before the pay run.
03
ReconcileConnect payroll to employer reporting.
Start with the details that matter.
A clear place to start.Tell us what your business needs.
GET PAYDAY ORGANISED
A recurring service with clear responsibilities.
Payroll combines people, payments and reporting. A salary change affects an employee’s payslip, the business’s costs and potentially the amounts declared to SARS. A reliable process starts before the calculation: employee details need to be correct, changes need approval and the person responsible for the final pay run needs a complete view of what has changed.
Vatco’s payroll service can cover recurring calculations, payslip preparation and agreed employer reporting. The exact scope depends on your workforce, pay frequency, existing registrations and records. Tell us whether employees receive fixed salaries, variable hours, commission, benefits or a combination. These differences affect the information needed and the review involved.
- Keep management’s responsibility for employment decisions, salary approval and payroll funding explicit, even where payroll preparation is outsourced.
- Agree who supplies changes, checks the draft and approves final figures, with clear authority for each stage of the payroll.
- Identify who releases payments separately. A prepared payroll records the agreed figures but does not establish that employees have been paid.
YOUR SITUATION
Match payroll support to your employment records.
Changing providers during the year
Bring year-to-date figures, tax certificates, reconciliation history and carried-forward deductions. A provider switch must preserve the earlier payroll history as well as calculate the next payment.
Your team or pay structure is changing
Explain overtime, commission, multiple pay dates and approval roles. These affect the work and review needed beyond simply multiplying a monthly salary.
COSTS BEFORE YOU COMMIT
What the quote needs to cover.
Swipe across to compare all columns.
| Cost item | Amount or pricing basis | Inclusions and separate work |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll preparation | Quoted by employee count, pay cycles and complexity | Confirm payslips, payroll summaries, revisions and the approval timetable. |
| Setup or provider transfer | Quoted after reviewing year-to-date records | Identify opening data, carried balances and any reconciliation required. |
| Employer declarations | Included only where expressly agreed | Specify EMP201/EMP501 preparation, submission and payment-allocation support separately. |
| Salaries and statutory amounts | Actual payroll and authority liabilities | These are paid by the employer and are not Vatco professional fees. |
Vatco confirms the professional fee, included work and any separate costs in writing after reviewing the records and scope. No unapproved price or package is implied.
THE STARTING INFORMATION
Documents and records to prepare.
Start with the records relevant to your situation. We confirm the exact scope and any authority-specific attachments before submission; briefing information is not automatically a mandatory filing document.
- EmployerEmployer references and pay calendar
Provide business particulars, relevant employer registrations and the pay calendar. Identify the previous payroll summaries available to support the handover.
- Existing payrollYear-to-date payroll and tax certificates
Bring year-to-date amounts, available tax certificates and reconciliation history, including outstanding notices or unresolved differences. Midyear transfers need earlier figures as well as the next salary payment.
- Where deductions carry forwardLoan and deduction authorisations
Identify staff advances, outstanding loans and recurring deductions that must carry forward. Include the supporting authorisation and remaining balances for each relevant item.
- Relevant employeesEmployee records and approved pay changes
The team needs the agreed employee details, employment dates, remuneration arrangements and applicable deductions or benefits. Confirm how variable hours, overtime, commission, leave without pay and changes to bank details are approved.
- Payroll should reflect documented instructions rather than an informal message whose authority cannot be established.
- Authorised recipientsPayroll access and distribution instructions
Agree how sensitive employee information will be exchanged and who may receive each output. Management may need an overall payroll summary, while individual payslips belong with the relevant employees.
- Access to employee information and authority to alter or approve payroll should be kept distinct wherever practical.
THE MONTHLY ROUTINE
From approved changes to useful records.
- 01
Collect and check the month’s changes
Gather starter and leaver information, pay adjustments and approved variable amounts by the agreed cut-off. Compare the input with the previous period so unexpected movements are visible.
- If something is missing or inconsistent, it is better to resolve the question before producing a final payslip or bank instruction.
- 02
Prepare the draft pay run
Calculate remuneration and the applicable deductions using the agreed payroll information. Review unusual changes against prior periods and identify matters requiring confirmation.
- The draft gives management a chance to verify employees, amounts and exceptions before approval, rather than discovering an avoidable error after payment.
- 03
Approve and issue the agreed outputs
Once authorised, the final payroll can be used to produce payslips, summary reports and any agreed payment information. Confirm who sends payslips and who makes payments.
- A payment file or summary does not prove that funds were released; the business should retain the relevant bank confirmation separately.
- 04
Connect the pay run to reporting
Payroll totals need to remain traceable to the accounting records and employer declarations. Keep adjustments and explanations with the period they affect.
- This creates a more usable history for reconciliation, employee queries and future handovers than keeping only the final net salary amounts.
PAYROLL AND DECLARATIONS
Related tasks that need to agree.
PLAN THE HANDOVER
A payroll quote should describe the workload.
Employee numbers are one part of the scope. Pay frequency, variable earnings, benefits, existing record quality and required submissions also matter. Separate once-off setup or historical reconciliation from the ongoing pay run, and explain whether you need additional support when employees join or leave.
Tell Vatco your intended first pay period and whether the previous provider will complete the current one. Timing can then be discussed around the availability of records and approvals. A rushed change without year-to-date information can create avoidable work later, so the handover plan should make missing items visible.
- Confirm which reports you will receive, when approvals are required and how errors or corrections will be handled during the payroll cycle.
- Agree an escalation route for late salary changes and employee queries, so urgent issues reach the responsible person in time for a decision.
CONNECT THE NEXT PIECE.
Related support
for your business.
YOUR QUESTIONS. A CLEARER NEXT STEP.
Payroll services:
frequently asked questions.
01Can you process payroll for a small team?
Discuss the number of employees, pay frequency and remuneration structure. A small team can still have complex arrangements, while a larger team with consistent salaries may have a simpler routine. The quote should reflect the actual work rather than assuming that headcount alone determines the service.
02Can we change payroll providers during the year?
Yes, subject to an organised handover. The new process needs the relevant year-to-date earnings, deductions, employee details and prior declarations. Identify who will complete outstanding reconciliations and resolve existing differences. Keep the previous records available rather than relying only on the most recent payslip.
03Does the service include paying salaries from our bank account?
Do not assume so. Preparing payroll, generating payment information and releasing bank payments are different responsibilities. Confirm the payment arrangement in the scope, including who approves amounts and who has bank authority. The business must ensure sufficient funds are available for approved salary and statutory payments.
04Are EMP201 and EMP501 submissions included?
They can be discussed as part of the payroll scope, but the agreed engagement must say which submissions and periods are covered. If historic declarations are missing or incorrect, that may require separate work. The linked SARS guidance explains how employer declarations and reconciliation relate to the payroll process.
05What happens when a salary changes after payroll is approved?
Notify the team before changing or paying an amount independently. The correction needs to be assessed against the current pay run, payment status and reporting already completed. Agree whether the change belongs in a revised run or a later adjustment, and retain the approval and explanation with the records.
06Can payroll guarantee that every employment arrangement is compliant?
No. Payroll depends on accurate inputs and the underlying arrangements agreed by the employer. Unusual benefits, termination payments, independent-contractor questions or cross-border work may need separate advice. Raise these matters early so they are considered before calculations and declarations are finalised.
Have a question about your situation?
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