This screen is where you will enter most of the employee’s details such as their name, address, identification numbers and relevant dates. It is the second step in adding a new employee but can also be accessed at any time by going to the employee’s profile and clicking on Edit Info > Basic Info.
The fields in the Essentials section are compulsory for the setup process and are explained briefly below:
The Pay Frequency is how often they are paid e.g. weekly / monthly etc. You would have set up at least one pay frequency as part of adding the company and all available pay frequencies will appear in the drop-down menu. If the frequency you need isn’t there – for example, if you’ve always had weekly-paid employees and are now adding someone who is paid monthly – you will need to add this new pay frequency first. This process is explained in the following related article:
The employee’s First Names (including all middle names) and Last Name should be entered in full and as they appear on their identification documents.
You should take great care to ensure the accuracy of the Date of Birth and Date of Appointment as these fields could have a significant impact on the employee’s tax calculation and leave cycles / entitlements respectively.
For each Identification Type, you will be required to enter a valid identification number. If you are unsure of the type or if the employee has not provided you with any form of identification, select “None” for now. You will need to ensure that this information is completed in time to do your bi-annual filing.
Where “EFT” is selected as the Payment Method, the employee’s bank details must be entered. If you are going to be paying the employee by EFT but do not have their bank details yet, you can select “Cash”. You will, however, need to ensure that their bank details have been entered before creating your first pay run in order to use our EFT export file to pay this employee.
The employee’s Address(es) and Income Tax Number are not compulsory during setup but are required for filing with SARS so we recommend entering them at the outset where possible.
Certain information, such as a Pay Point or Job Grade, requires additional setup before it can be entered. Please see the following articles on these aspects:
If you are adding a new employee and have captured all of the necessary information in this section, you can move on to the final step – capturing their Regular Hours.
Please ensure that your employee contact details are kept up to date on the system to ensure accurate reporting to SARS.