About PayTools.co.za
Why we built this — and why it matters for South African workers and employers.
Our Vision
A South Africa where every worker, employer, and small business owner can understand their financial and legal position in real time — without having to hire a consultant, decode a government PDF, or settle for an overseas calculator that does not know what PAYE is.
Whether you are checking your first payslip, calculating a retrenchment package, or costing your next hire, you deserve tools that speak the language of South African law and return numbers you can act on with confidence.
Our Mission
To build and maintain South Africa's most comprehensive, accurate, and accessible free resource for employment law and payroll calculations — with every formula verified against primary SARS, BCEA, LRA, and UIF Act sources, and updated the moment legislation changes.
We do not adapt international templates. We do not approximate. We build from the ground up for the South African context, because the accuracy of these numbers affects real decisions: whether a family can make rent after a retrenchment, whether a business can afford its next employee, whether a worker's leave entitlement is being honoured.
The Work Behind What You See
This platform is the result of more than two decades of hands-on work across South African real estate, legal administration, and business management — distilled into tools that turn complex legislation into clear answers.
Every calculator on this site was built, tested, and is maintained against primary sources:
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SARS Government Gazettes for tax brackets, rebates, and thresholds
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The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) for leave, notice periods, and severance rules
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The Labour Relations Act (LRA) for retrenchment formulas and procedural requirements
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The UIF Act for contribution ceilings and benefit calculations
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Relevant Sectoral Determinations for industry-specific minimum wages
All calculations run in your browser. We do not collect, store, or transmit the numbers you enter. That architectural choice was deliberate: your financial information belongs to you alone.
Who We Serve
Workers & Employees
Read your payslip with understanding, know your leave entitlement, calculate what you are owed in severance, and stand on solid ground when facing retrenchment.
Employers & HR
Calculate payroll costs accurately, verify PAYE deductions, check notice periods, and ensure your practices meet BCEA compliance without guesswork.
Small Business Owners
Estimate total employment costs including UIF, SDL and COIDA before you make a hiring decision, and build your team on financially sound foundations.
And every South African who has ever needed a straight answer from South African law and been met with a paywall, a foreign currency, or a disclaimer that the tool “may not apply in your jurisdiction.”
All free. No account required. No subscription. No email wall.
Our Principles
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Accuracy above convenience. We would rather delay updating a tool until we have verified the official Gazette than publish a fast guess.
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Privacy by design. Your data never leaves your device. We have no database of salaries, no logs of retrenchment packages, and no interest in building one.
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Transparency in method. We show you the formula, the worked example, and the legislative source. A number without context is not an answer — it is just output.
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Independence of calculation. Our results are purely mathematical. No formula is ever adjusted to favour a vendor, a product, or a commercial arrangement.
Editorial Policy
Every calculator, formula and article on PayTools.co.za goes through a structured verification process before it is published — and again whenever the underlying legislation changes. Here is exactly how that works.
Formula verification
Every calculation is cross-referenced against the primary source — the SARS Government Gazette, the BCEA, the LRA, the UIF Act, and the relevant Sectoral Determinations. We do not rely on secondary summaries or unofficial sources. If a figure cannot be traced back to an official publication, it does not go into a calculator.
Annual updates
South African tax brackets, minimum wage rates, UIF ceilings and BCEA thresholds change every year — typically in March following the National Budget Speech. We review and update every affected tool as soon as SARS and the Department of Labour publish the new figures. Every tool displays the tax year it is based on so you always know which legislative period applies.
Editorial independence
Our calculation results are purely mathematical. They are never adjusted to favour any payroll software vendor, financial services provider, or commercial partner. If we ever link to an external product or service, we disclose that relationship clearly. Our tools and our content remain editorially independent regardless of any commercial arrangements on the site.
Error reporting
If you spot a calculation that looks wrong or a rate that appears outdated, please contact us immediately. We investigate every reported discrepancy and correct verified errors as a priority. Accuracy is non-negotiable on a site people use to understand their legal rights.
Get in touch
Found an error? Want to suggest a tool? Have a question about the calculations?
Contact UsAbout the Founder
Faheema Sheikh
Founder & Editor — PayTools.co.za
Faheema Sheikh is the founder of PayTools.co.za. With over 20 years working across South African real estate, legal administration, and business management, she built this platform because the tools she needed — accurate, free, and specific to South African employment law — simply did not exist in one place.
Faheema holds a Diploma in Data Protection & Privacy from SAI Global Ltd and studied law at UNISA. Those credentials are not decorative. They inform the POPIA compliance built into the site's architecture and the legal rigour applied to every calculator and article published.
A Note of Responsibility
The tools and guides on this site are provided for informational and educational purposes only. They give you a solid, legislation-grounded foundation — but they are not a substitute for professional legal, tax, or financial advice. For matters involving significant sums, disputes, or complex legal rights, we always encourage you to consult a qualified professional.
Read our full disclaimer, privacy policy and terms of service.
Our Sister Sites
PayTools.co.za serves South African employment and payroll law. If your needs extend beyond the workplace:
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OurCalculators.com — legal and finance tools for the UK, US, and international jurisdictions
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SA Property Tools — rental yield, bond repayment, and property investment calculators built for the South African market
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Faraid Hub — Shariah-compliant inheritance planning, Zakat calculation, and SA estate duty guidance for Muslim families