Understanding Your Payslips
4 min read — Updated February 2026
Payslip Header
Every payslip includes the employer name/address, employee name, ID number (if provided), employment type, pay period dates, and the date the payslip was generated.
Earnings Section
This shows all income components:
- Basic Pay - days worked multiplied by daily rate (or hours × hourly rate, or the monthly salary)
- Overtime - hours worked beyond the ordinary working day, at a flat 1.5×
- Sunday & Public Holiday Pay - premium rates under BCEA sections 16 and 18
- Night Shift Allowance - where night work applies (at least 10% of the daily wage for farm workers)
- Bonus - December bonus or other bonus amounts
- Other Allowances - transport, housing, or any additional amounts
Deductions Section
Standard deductions include:
- UIF (1%) - automatically calculated on gross pay, capped at R17,712/month
- Loan/Advance Repayment - if the employee has an active loan balance
- Other Deductions - any manually added amounts
UIF is mandatory if the employee works more than 24 hours per month. The employer also contributes 1% (not deducted from the employee's pay).
Totals
Gross Pay is the total of all earnings before deductions. Net Pay is what the employee actually receives - gross pay minus all deductions. Both amounts are clearly shown on the payslip.
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