Employers in South Africa are required to submit their EMP501 Interim Reconciliation for the first half of the tax year to the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

The exact submission dates for this year have not yet been confirmed, but historically the period runs from mid-September to the end of October. For the latest updates, visit the Pay As You Earn page on the SARS website.

To help you prepare in advance (especially in August), here are some key steps:

1. Stay updated on your payroll version

• The submission must be done on our next update, Release 6.5a.

• This new update will be released for the mid-year submission — the release schedule and dates will be shared in the community.

• The update will include the IRP5 changes to align your system with the latest specifications from SARS.

2. Verify company information

• On the Basic Company Information screen, ensure all reference numbers and submission details are accurate.

• Double-check company date settings in the Period Info section:

  • Processing period

  • Tax year start and end dates

  • Pay periods in the tax year

  • Weeks in the month

3. Review earning, deduction & contribution definitions

• Ensure all definitions are set up correctly.

• Pay special attention to taxability and IRP5 codes — these directly affect payroll calculations and reporting.

• Reach out to your Business Partner to review your setup.

4. Confirm employee information

• SARS requires correct employee contact details, bank details, and tax registration numbers.

• Review the IRP5 start dates per employee - any changes on this field could result in tax changes.

• Update any missing or incorrect records before submission.

5.  EMP501 reconciliation

• Generate the EMP501 Reconciliation report to reconcile PAYE, UIF and SDL values.

• Reconcile with declarations and payments on eFiling to spot irregularities early.

6. Reconcile Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) values

• Important: ETI not used in August cannot be carried over to September.

• Use the EMP501 Reconciliation report and ETI Validation report (Report No. 767 in the Reports & Maintenance menu) to review values monthly.

• The ETI Validation Utility is also available to verify ETI values in your payroll.

7. Run key validation & exception reports

• Negative Year-to-date (YTD) report — run during the Start of Period process or under Audit Reports.

• Reimbursive Travel History report — to identify exceptions.

• IRP5/IT3a report (Validation only option) — to find and correct issues.

Be sure to book your consultation in time with your Business Partner if you need help with reconciliations and submissions.

If you have tips or processes that make submissions smoother, share them in the discussion forum — your insight could help others.