South Africa · Guides
South African Salary Tax Guides
Plain-English explanations of how your pay is taxed for the 2026/27 tax year — written for a worried human, not a tax textbook.
How PAYE Works in South Africa
A plain-English explanation of how PAYE income tax is calculated on your salary in South Africa, with the 2026/27 brackets and a worked example.
Read guide →UIF Explained: What That Deduction Actually Is
What UIF is, how the 1% deduction works, the monthly earnings ceiling, and what you actually get for it.
Read guide →Medical Aid Tax Credits: The Discount You Might Be Missing
How the medical scheme fees tax credit reduces your PAYE, the 2026/27 monthly amounts, and how dependants change the figure.
Read guide →Retirement Contributions and the R430 000 Cap
How retirement annuity, pension and provident fund contributions reduce your tax, the 27.5% rule, and the new R430 000 annual cap.
Read guide →Contractor vs Employee: Why Your Tax Is So Different
How tax differs between permanent employees and independent contractors in South Africa, and what to set aside if you contract.
Read guide →How Your Bonus Is Taxed (and Why It Feels Like So Much)
Why your bonus seems to be taxed more heavily, how PAYE on a bonus really works, and what to actually expect in your account.
Read guide →SDL: The Payroll Levy Employers Pay (and Employees Don't)
What the Skills Development Levy is, who pays it, the 1% rate, and the small-payroll exemption.
Read guide →Understanding Your IRP5
What an IRP5 is, what the main codes and figures mean, and how to use it when you file your tax return.
Read guide →How to Read Your South African Payslip
A line-by-line plain-English guide to your South African payslip — gross, PAYE, UIF, deductions, and how to check your take-home pay is right.
Read guide →Provisional Tax: Who Pays It and How
What provisional tax is, who has to pay it, the two payment dates, and how it differs from PAYE.
Read guide →What Changed in the 2026 Budget
The salary-relevant changes from South Africa's 2026 Budget — bracket adjustments, the retirement cap, and what it means for your take-home pay.
Read guide →Allowances and Fringe Benefits: How They're Taxed
Travel allowances, company cars, and other fringe benefits — how they affect your taxable income and your PAYE in South Africa.
Read guide →Tax-Free Savings and Your Salary
How a tax-free savings account works alongside your salary, the annual and lifetime limits, and how it differs from retirement contributions.
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