Good day everyone,

May kindness find its way to you today.

As technology makes our work faster and more connected, it also opens doors for new digital risks. We’d like to share a few quick checks to help you stay secure.

Financial and data accuracy go hand-in-hand, especially as systems update automatically or process information across multiple platforms.

Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and SARS has warned of new phishing scams mimicking fraudulent SARS notices, including threats of summonses, blacklisting, stop orders, refund or payment claims, FICA-related delays, audit alerts, settlement notices and more:

5 simple checks for your payroll risk mitigations:

1. Review benefit contributions:
   Compare your total statement with the per-employee breakdown. Cross-check with payroll to ensure no ex-employees or incorrect amounts are paid.
2. Schedule mini audits:
   Independent reviews aren’t about catching people out: they strengthen your processes and prevent errors.
3. Train a backup:
   Ensure more than one person understands payroll and eFiling: it’s about continuity, not suspicion.
4. Reconcile payments:
   After each pay run, match the payroll register to bank payments. Use a dedicated payroll account and automate this where possible.
5. Empower your staff:
   Encourage employees to review their payslips and IRP5s against bank deposits. A simple habit that catches errors early.

Very Important

Employees:

• Always check your payslip’s net total against your bank statement.
• Verify your IRP5 values before accepting them on eFiling and raise concerns with your finance or HR team if something doesn’t add up.

Payroll and HR Teams:

• Cross-check each employee’s net pay against the actual proof of payment from business accounts.
• Discrepancies often arise when system updates or alternative payroll changes occur after payments have been processed.

Why These Checks Matter:

Small mismatches can go unnoticed because EMP201 submissions reconcile at summary level but not at individual transaction level.
Checking proof of payments ensures payroll matches what was truly paid out, helping avoid:

• Audit exceptions and re-submissions
• PAYE/UIF/SDL under- or overpayments
• Delays in SARS compliance and increased employee queries

Implementing these checks protects your people, your business, and your reputation.

Why These Errors Often Go Undetected

During EMP201 submissions, payroll and SARS statements usually appear balanced because they reconcile at a high level, even when individual transactions don’t match.

But when you compare actual proof of payments from your business account with payroll records, you often uncover unnoticed differences such as unrecorded payments or post-processing changes.

These issues typically surface later during audits or recons, leading to rework, backdated adjustments, and compliance complications.

For employees, it may result in incorrect PAYE, UIF, or SDL deductions and could even affect benefit calculations.

With cyber risks and payroll fraud increasing, implementing these verification checks now can save time, money, and unnecessary stress later.

Stay Cyber-Smart

SARS will never request banking details or verification changes via email or unknown contact numbers.
Use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and remind your team to verify suspicious messages.

Please reach out to your business partner or feel free to contact [email protected] for full articles, checklists or further assistance.

Thank you and have a beautiful day,

BSM Support Desk
We're here to help.