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- Sage Pastel Payroll Administration Course (5 days)
Sage Pastel Payroll Administration Course (5 days)
Payroll administrators who run a correct, compliant monthly payroll in Sage Pastel Payroll – and can prove it at reconciliation time.
Payroll mistakes are expensive. A wrong tax calculation, a late EMP201 or a leave error leads to SARS penalties, unhappy staff and hours of corrections when the EMP501 reconciliation comes round. This five-day Pastel payroll course trains the people who run your monthly payroll to operate Sage Pastel Payroll correctly and to understand the legislation behind every calculation.
Day one covers running a compliant payroll office: the monthly cycle, legal responsibilities, company policy, terminations, reconciliations and statutory returns. Day two puts that into the software: setting up the payroll, employee records, leave, payslips, electronic bank transfers and month-end. Day three uses the software fully – importing and exporting data, protecting employee information, transaction templates, batch processing and historical reports. Day four is correct taxation: fringe benefits, tax directives, bonuses and other irregular payments, and PAYE calculations. Day five covers tax discrepancies, leave adjustments, payroll reports and audits, and backing up and restoring data.
This is a practical course for staff who already understand payroll administration and now need to run it confidently in Sage Pastel Payroll. Tax tables and thresholds are taught for the current tax year.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Fewer SARS penalties and fewer corrections at reconciliation time
- A repeatable, documented monthly payroll cycle
- Reduced key-person risk through a trained second administrator
- Employee payroll data handled in line with POPIA
- Fewer payslip queries and leave disputes from staff
For your delegates
- Confidence with PAYE, UIF and SDL calculations
- Hands-on practice at every stage of the payroll cycle
- A month-end and year-end checklist for Sage Pastel Payroll
- An understanding of the legislation behind the software's calculations
What delegates will be able to do
- Run a monthly payroll cycle that meets legal and company-policy requirements
- Set up the payroll, create employee records and process leave and payslips
- Process terminations correctly, including final pay and the UI-19
- Prepare statutory submissions such as the EMP201 and the EMP501 reconciliation
- Import and export payroll data and protect employee information
- Use transaction templates and batch processing to save time
- Calculate PAYE on salaries, fringe benefits, bonuses and other irregular payments
- Apply tax directives correctly
- Identify and correct tax discrepancies before the reconciliation deadline
- Produce payroll reports, support an audit, and back up and restore payroll data
Who should attend
Payroll administrators, HR and finance staff who run or support the payroll, staff who have inherited payroll after a system change, and a second administrator being trained to reduce key-person risk. Delegates must already understand payroll administration; staff who are completely new to payroll should ask us for a foundation option first.
Course outline
Day 1 – Running a compliant payroll office
The payroll office
- Roles, segregation of duties and the monthly payroll cycle
- The payroll calendar and cut-off dates
- Company policy and authorisation of changes
Legal responsibilities
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act: hours, overtime and leave
- PAYE obligations under the Income Tax Act
- UIF and SDL contributions
- COIDA return of earnings
- POPIA and employee information
Terminations and reconciliations
- Processing resignations, dismissals and retrenchments
- Final pay, leave pay-outs and the UI-19
- Monthly payroll reconciliations
Statutory reporting
- EMP201 monthly declarations and payments
- The EMP501 reconciliation
- IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates
- UIF declarations to the Department of Employment and Labour
Day 2 – Using Sage Pastel Payroll effectively
Setting up the payroll
- Company setup and pay frequencies
- Earnings, deductions and company contributions
- Tax year and period setup
Employee data
- Creating and maintaining employee records
- Tax, banking and leave details
- Keeping records accurate and secure
Leave and payslips
- Leave types, accruals and leave processing
- Capturing transactions and creating payslips
- Checking payslips before release
Paying and closing
- Electronic bank transfer setup
- Month-end reports
- Closing the period
Day 3 – Using Sage Pastel Payroll fully
Data management
- Importing and exporting data
- Protecting payroll information: users, passwords and access
- Working safely with payroll exports and spreadsheets
Saving time
- Creating transaction templates
- Batch processing
- Recurring and once-off transactions
Historical information
- Historical reports
- Employee history and year-to-date figures
- Answering employee and auditor queries
Day 4 – Correct taxation
Tax legislation for payroll
- How PAYE is calculated on regular remuneration
- Medical scheme fees tax credits
- Retirement fund contributions
- The Employment Tax Incentive (ETI)
Fringe benefits
- Company cars and travel allowances
- Housing, low-interest loans and other benefits
- Calculating the taxable value
Tax directives
- When a tax directive is needed
- Applying a directive in the payroll
- Lump sums paid on termination
Irregular payments
- Bonuses and thirteenth cheques
- Commission and once-off payments
- Tax on annual payments
Day 5 – Advanced payroll features and auditing
Tax discrepancies
- Identifying tax discrepancies
- Correcting them before the EMP501
- Reconciling the payroll to the general ledger
Leave adjustments
- Leave adjustments and corrections
- Leave pay-outs and leave provisions
- Leave reports for managers
Reports and auditing
- Standard payroll reports
- Audit trails and exception reports
- Preparing for an internal or external audit
Backup and restore
- Backing up before and after each payroll run
- Restoring data safely
- Planning for power cuts and system failures
- Action plan and close
How it is delivered
Five days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; hands-on in a practice payroll. Laptops with the software can be supplied on request; workbook and step-by-step notes included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We were particularly impressed by the high standard of facilitation and the depth of expertise demonstrated throughout the programmes.”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
Is this official Sage training?
No. BOTI is an independent training provider, not a Sage training partner. Delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Is this course for beginners?
No. It assumes delegates already understand payroll administration. If your staff are new to payroll, contact us and we will recommend a starting point.
Is the tax content up to date?
Yes. Tax tables, thresholds and SARS forms are taught for the current tax year, as general guidance. Specific tax questions should go to your tax practitioner or SARS.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
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