Payroll and monthly SARS EMP201 Submission

What is payroll?

Payroll calculates, from the employee basic salary, how much to pay the employee and how much needs to be paid to SARS. It also includes several other aspects that result from an employment relationship, such as:

• overtime or commission amounts
• leave accruals and days taken (annual, sick and compassionate leave)
• loans or advance payments
• retirement annuity or medical aid tax credits and deductions

For employees earning the same amount each month, it can be fairly straightforward but for several employees, with weekly pay, overtime, etc it can become more complicated with several adjustments required to be entered into the payroll software.

What is the SARS EMP201 submission?

Every month employers are required to submit a summary of the tax amounts owed to SARS due to employment contracts and pay this amount over.

There are three main taxes owed, PAYE, UIF and SDL* and there are certain tax incentives, such as the Employment Tax Incentive ( ETI), that reduce the amount owed.

These tax amounts are calculated in the payroll process and then submitted on the EMP201 form. The form must be submitted and the related payment made by the 7th of the month after the payroll period, or the previous business day if that falls on a weekend or public holiday.

*SDL is only required when the expected payroll amounts will exceed R500,000 in the coming 12 months.

Creative CFO can help with this process and will:

1. Help process the payroll amounts in the payroll system (see options below)
2. Gather all completed payroll and leave documentation required for the submission
3. Confirm the salaries payable to staff and the amount owed to SARS
4. Submitting the EMP201 form to SARS via e-filing
5. Set up the payment on your bank account or send manual payment instructions

Please select your number of employees on your payroll, or select zero if you would just like us to assist with steps 2 to 5.

If you have more employees than the options allow please contact us for a specific quote. We will prepare and provide any documentation used in the submission to assist in a SARS audit post submission, but an ongoing audit of payroll is not covered in this product and will require separate engagement.