Payroll is the most heavily automated function in South African tax practice, and among the most exposed.
This professional certificate develops the competence to operate the payroll function and to account for it.
The programme covers the Fourth and Seventh Schedules to the Income Tax Act in the order in which a payroll administrator encounters them: who is an employee, what constitutes remuneration, how allowances and fringe benefits are valued, what may be deducted, and what must be declared, reconciled and declared to SARS.
The final three weeks apply that knowledge in Sage Business Cloud Payroll, processing a complete payroll cycle from company setup through to statutory reporting to SARS.
The distinction the programme draws is deliberate. Payroll software will produce a calculation. A payroll professional is the person who can verify that the calculation is correct, identify why it is not, and state the correction and its consequences. The Tax Faculty teaches the foundational principles that governs every payroll system, and then introduce the technology itself.
Mode of delivery
Online and flexible learning.
Duration and effort
Duration: Six months.
Daily effort: 1.5 to 2 hours per day.
What you will learn in this course
The modules in the course curriculum include:
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SAGE Business Cloud Payroll Processsing
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Understanding the Payroll Process
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Overview of Payroll Tax Legislation
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Remuneration - Earnings & Fringe Benefits
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Deductions
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Medical Tax Credits
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Calculating Employees’ Tax
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Third Party Requirements
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Third-party and statutory obligations
This course is for you if:
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You are serious about advancing your career in payroll administration.
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You are employed and require the knowledge and practical skills to advise employees on payroll taxes.
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You own a business, and you want to learn how to administer the payment of salaries.
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You have a passion for accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and administration.
Admission requirements
A senior certificate or equivalent qualification or appropriate experience.
Outcomes
On successful completion of this programme, the learner will be able to:
- Apply the Fourth Schedule definitions of employee, employer and remuneration to standard, non-standard and atypical engagements, including labour brokers, personal service providers and independent contractors.
- Calculate the monthly employees’ tax liability on the balance of remuneration, including annualisation and the medical scheme fees and additional medical expenses tax credits.
- Determine the taxable value of allowances and Seventh Schedule fringe benefits, and reflect each under the correct IRP5 source code.
- Calculate and account for UIF, SDL and the Employment Tax Incentive, including the eligibility and monthly determination rules.
- Administer third-party deduction obligations, including SARS agent appointments, emoluments attachment orders and maintenance orders, in the correct order of preference.
- Complete and submit the EMP201 declaration and the interim and annual EMP501 reconciliations, and issue IRP5 and IT3(a) certificates within the statutory periods.
- Reconcile payroll records, monthly declarations and payments to SARS, and resolve the discrepancies that cause an employer submission to be rejected.
- Process a complete payroll cycle in Sage Business Cloud Payroll, from company and employee setup through to payslips, statutory reports and certificate generation.
- Verify the output of a payroll system against the Fourth and Seventh Schedules, identify the cause of a mis-calculation, and state the correction and its consequences.
Learning Methodology
The Tax Faculty's inductive learning approach transforms tax education — shifting from passive content absorption to active discovery. Students take the lead by assessing their pre-existing knowledge and generating a learning plan before receiving formal content. Coupled with practical guidance on applying theory in real-world contexts — such as completing SARS tax returns, drafting objections, and navigating eFiling — this method builds confidence, problem-solving skills, and long-term understanding — empowering students to excel professionally.
Central to this approach is our adaptive learning model. Each module begins with a diagnostic pre-quiz that identifies your existing knowledge, learning gaps, and priority focus areas. Based on your results, the course guides you toward the content and activities that matter most to your development — so you spend less time on what you already know and more time where growth is needed.
What to Expect:
- Diagnostic Pre-Quizzes: Each topic opens with an adaptive assessment that maps your strengths and gaps, personalising your learning path and preparing you for deeper engagement with the study materials.
- Interactive Study Notes: Each topic is supported by rich, interactive study notes — designed using modern instructional design principles — that supplement the prescribed textbook. These notes bring concepts to life through embedded activities, visual aids, and practical examples, helping you engage with the material actively rather than passively.
- Practical Guides: Each module includes a hands-on practical guide that walks you through the completion of SARS tax returns, objections, and eFiling processes. These guides bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and the day-to-day tasks you'll encounter in practice — building your confidence with the systems and procedures that matter most.
- Weekly Discussion Forums: Engage in case-based scenarios, applying tax principles to real-world challenges.
- Live Weekly Sessions: Learn from expert tax professionals who unpack complex real-world case studies and practical insights.
- Post-Quizzes: Reinforce understanding and track your progress against the gaps identified in your diagnostic assessment.
- Ongoing Support: Lecturers provide continuous guidance and feedback throughout your journey — informed by your individual learning profile.
- Structured and Engaging Weekly Commitment: This course is a structured, interactive experience designed to keep you engaged, thinking critically, and applying tax knowledge every week — with each module adapting to meet you where you are.
Join us and experience a modern, adaptive learning approach that bridges tax theory with practical expertise — preparing you to thrive in the evolving world of taxation.
Accreditation
This course is presented as a short learning programme (SLP) by The Tax Faculty (TTF). TTF is accredited with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations as a skills development partner (SDP) under the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No 97 of 1998) and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) as ATSA training provider.
Assessment and award of certificate
Learners are assessed via a number of practical assignments and a final integrated assessment. Successful learners will receive a SLP certificate of competence issued by The Tax Faculty.
In addition, this just-in-time learning programme also qualifies for verifiable Tax CPD.
Student support and online campus
The academic and practical skills component of the qualification is delivered on The Tax Faculty's online Tax Campus.
This will be your virtual campus for the duration of the programme. The course is presented as micro-learning videos, study guides, practice quizzes, discussion forums, practical case studies, assignment briefs and guided presentations on how to master case studies and assignments. Academic lecturers are available on the Q&A portal as they would be in a classroom.
At the beginning of each semester, you'll be presented with the course content plan, a study plan and important assignment dates which are set out at manageable deadlines. This will help you study at your own pace.
In addition, you will be allocated a course consultant who will help you navigate the online campus, support you with your weekly participation and deadlines, and will be able to answer any administrative queries you may have.
Course Fees
Payment option 1: Student Loan *
Monthly instalment from R314 per month.
* No application fee applies. Financial Services Provider T&Cs apply.
Payment option 1: Once-off payment
Total: R15 697.50.
Payment option 2: Debit order
Application fee (non-refundable): R950.00.
Six instalments: R2 550.00 per month.
Total: R16 250.00.
* First debit order will be collected on course start date. Remaining debit orders will be collected on the first working day of each month.
The following costs are excluded:
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Repeat fees.
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Supplementary exams.
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Textbooks.
Payments and Cancellations
- All required minimum payments must be made by direct EFT or by credit card before the commencement of the course. The once-off payment is required to be paid before the course start date, as well as the application fee of learners on a debit order plan (the first debit order is also required on the start date of the course).
- Kindly note that should debit order payment terms not be adhered to; legal action will be taken and access to the online learning platform suspended.
- Proof of payment may also be requested before access to the online platform will be communicated, should your payment not reflect on The Tax Faculty’s bank account.
- Only written notice of cancellation will be accepted.
- To view our full terms & conditions click here.
Conditions
For all short learning programmes (SLPs) with a seven-month or less rollout period, the following will apply:
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If the cancellation is requested more than 10 working days prior to the course start date, no cancellation fee will be applicable.
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If the cancellation occurs less than 10 working days prior to the course start date, a 100% cancellation fee will be applicable.
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Students who register for a course and fail to attend will be held liable for the full course fee.
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The course application fee is non-refundable.
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The Tax Faculty’s liability in the case of a course being cancelled will be limited to a refund of the course fee.
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Students who have failed to successfully complete the course, and wishing to repeat will be charged the full course fee to repeat.
Why wait?
Get your application in to avoid disappointment. Click below to start your application.
