EMP201: Your Monthly SARS Declaration
4 min read — Updated September 2026
What Is an EMP201?
The EMP201 is a one-page monthly return telling SARS how much you owe them for that month's payroll. It is a declaration, not a payment - you declare on the form and pay the amount separately.
It covers three amounts added together:
- PAYE - income tax you deducted from employees' pay (source code 4102)
- UIF - the employee's 1% plus your matching 1%, so 2% in total
- SDL - the Skills Development Levy, 1% of pay, only if you are liable (source code 4142)
When It Is Due
The EMP201 for a payroll month is due by the 7th of the following month. March payroll is due by 7 April. If the 7th falls on a weekend or public holiday, SARS expects it on the last business day before.
SA Wages Pro shows the due date next to every month in the table, so you can see at a glance what is coming.
Late EMP201s attract a 10% penalty on the amount owed, plus interest. Submitting on time but paying late still attracts interest.
How to Generate It
- Go to Reports and open the SARS & UIF Forms tab.
- Pick "EMP201" as the form.
- Choose the tax year, and set the scope if you only want part of your workforce.
- Check the four summary cards - PAYE payable, UIF payable, SDL payable, and the total to SARS.
- Download either the SARS CSV (for your records or your bookkeeper) or the PDF (a printable declaration).
- Capture the figures on SARS eFiling and pay by the 7th.
The table lists every month in the tax year on its own row, so you can generate the whole year at once and work through the months you still owe.
Where the Figures Come From
Everything on the EMP201 is added up from your finalised payslips for that month. Nothing is estimated and nothing is entered by hand. If a figure looks wrong, the cause is almost always a payslip - either one that was never finalised, or one with the wrong pay on it.
If you see "No finalised payslips found", the month has no completed payroll yet.
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