Payslips are a legal requirement, and your employer must give you one. You may think it’s just a piece of paper, but your payslip contains important information about your employment. If your payslip doesn’t have the right information on it, you could for example, be turned away when you apply for a new account or a loan at the bank because of this. It’s also important for recordkeeping if you have a pay dispute with your employer and need to take matters to the Department of Labour.
What must my payslip show?
According to Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), employers must provide workers with the following information in writing when they are paid:
- Employer’s name and address
- Employee’s name and occupation
- Period of payment
- Employee’s wage and wage rate
- Hours worked – ordinary hours, overtime, Sunday time and hours worked on a public holiday
- Any other pay arising out of the worker’s employment
- Deductions
- Employer’s registration number with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the employee’s contribution
What can an employer deduct from your pay?
There are a number of deductions an employer is allowed to make, but you should check your payslip to make sure the correct amounts are being deducted.
Statutory deductions are enforced by the law, these are UIF and Pay As You Earn (PAYE).
Industry deductions, for example bargaining councils or trade union membership.
Deductions required by a court order or arbitration award, for example family support or garnishee orders.
Voluntary deductions, like pension/provident fund contributions and company medical aid.
Deductions for loans, these are limited to 10% of the employee’s monthly remuneration.
Deductions for loss and damages, these may not come to more than 25% of the employee’s monthly pay. The loss and damage must have been the employee’s fault and occurred during their employment, and the employer must have followed a fair procedure. Employers may not just deduct for loss or damages without discussing with the employee first and following a proper procedure.
What can I do if I’m not getting a payslip?
By law, all employers must provide their workers with a payslip containing all the relevant information listed above. This payslip can be given to the employee electronically over online payroll systems like Sage, by SMS or in person on paper. If your employer will not give you a payslip, you can report the matter to the Department of Labour and they will take things further.
You can also go to the relevant bargaining council if one exists for your industry. Most are serious about employers complying with the law regarding payslips, and if the employer does not meet the relevant payslip requirements, they could face arbitration with the bargaining council, which could result in financial penalties against the employer.
You may also be interested in:
3 must-know tips for CCMA arbitration
Can my employer loan me money?
Fixed term contract changes
If you have a query, follow us on Facebook and ask your question during our next Live Q&A (the first Thursday of every month).
* This is only basic advice and cannot be relied on solely. The information is correct at the time of being sent to publishing.