Work out what an employee really costs your business. Enter a gross salary and headcount, and we estimate employer UIF, SDL, PAYE and ETI on the SARS 2025/26 tax tables, plus your total cost to company. Instant, free, no sign-up.
The total monthly gross pay for one employee, before any deductions.
Use 1 to see the cost per person, or your headcount for a total.
When ticked, we apply an illustrative first-12-month ETI reduction to your PAYE cost.
Cost to company = gross salaries + employer UIF + SDL. PAYE is an employee deduction shown for context (it is paid over to SARS from the employee's gross, not added on top). ETI, where it applies, reduces the PAYE your business pays over to SARS.
This calculator gives an illustrative estimate to help with planning. PAYE is estimated on gross salary using the SARS 2025/26 brackets and the primary rebate (R17,235) only, it does not account for age-based rebates, pension or retirement annuity contributions, medical aid credits, travel allowances, fringe benefits or other adjustments. Actual UIF, SDL, PAYE and ETI depend on each employee's full circumstances. Always confirm with a registered tax practitioner or use dedicated, SARS-compliant payroll software before filing. AVAV accepts no liability for decisions made on these estimates.
Employers contribute 1% of remuneration to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, matched by a 1% deduction from the employee. The contribution is capped using the R17,712 monthly earnings ceiling, so the employer pays at most R177.12 per employee per month.
The Skills Development Levy is 1% of your total monthly payroll, paid to SARS. Employers with a total annual payroll of R500,000 or less are exempt, this calculator applies that exemption automatically to your entered figures.
Pay-As-You-Earn is the income tax withheld from an employee's salary using the SARS annual brackets, less the primary rebate of R17,235. It is deducted from the employee's gross, not added on top, but it shapes their take-home and your admin load.
Employers contribute 1% of an employee's remuneration to UIF, matched by a 1% deduction from the employee, for a combined 2%. The employer 1% is capped at R177.12 per month per employee, based on the UIF earnings ceiling of R17,712 per month.
The Skills Development Levy is 1% of your total monthly payroll, paid by the employer to SARS. Employers whose total annual payroll is R500,000 or less are exempt from SDL.
PAYE is calculated on the SARS 2025/26 individual income tax brackets applied to annual taxable income, less the primary rebate of R17,235. This tool gives an illustrative estimate on gross salary and does not account for pension, medical aid or other deductions.
The ETI is a government incentive that reduces the PAYE an employer pays to SARS when employing qualifying young workers (generally aged 18 to 29) earning below R6,500 per month. It lowers your cost of employment for the first 24 months of qualifying employment.
No. It is an illustrative estimate to help you plan cost to company. Actual PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI depend on each employee's full remuneration structure, age, deductions and eligibility. Always confirm with a registered tax practitioner or dedicated payroll software such as PeopleCore before filing.
PeopleCore handles PAYE, UIF, SDL, ETI, EMP201 and EMP501 automatically, on the current SARS tables, every month. See it working.