Send Payslips via WhatsApp
Create a payslip PDF and send it to your employee on WhatsApp yourself. No payroll software, no printing, no email. Just a PDF attached to a chat.
A PDF payslip is a written payslip
The BCEA requires payslip information to be given “in writing”, but it does not require paper. A PDF payslip with the details listed in Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, sent to the employee's own WhatsApp, gives them a written record they can keep.
Why WhatsApp payslips work for SA businesses
Most small business employees in South Africa don't have corporate email addresses. They do have WhatsApp. Sending payslips on WhatsApp means:
- Almost every employee can receive it: WhatsApp is the messaging app most South Africans already use
- No printing costs: save paper and toner
- Quick delivery: no waiting for post or email
- Employees can store payslips on their phones for loan or rental applications
- Low data use: a payslip PDF is a small file for both you and the employee
How it works
- Open the free payslip generator in your browser. No account is needed
- Enter the employer details, the employee's name and occupation, and the pay period
- Add earnings and deduction lines with the amounts you have worked out (PAYE, UIF, etc.)
- Check the preview, click Download PDF and choose Save as PDF
- In WhatsApp, open the employee's chat, tap attach, choose Document and send the PDF
The generator adds up the lines and shows gross pay, total deductions and net pay. It does not calculate tax: you enter the PAYE and UIF amounts yourself, from your own calculation or your accountant's.
Make a payslip PDF free
Fill it in, download the PDF, then send it on WhatsApp. No signup.
What the payslip includes
The generator has fields for the items BCEA Section 33 asks for:
- Employer name and address
- Employee name and occupation
- Pay period dates
- Gross remuneration
- Each deduction itemised (PAYE, UIF, pension, medical aid)
- Net pay (amount actually paid)
Where it applies, Section 33 also expects the rate of pay and overtime rate, and the ordinary and overtime hours worked in the period. Add these as earnings lines, for example “Overtime: 6 hours at R45”. Whether a payslip is compliant depends on what you enter, so fill in every field that applies to your employee. See the full BCEA Section 33 payslip requirements.
How the payslip reaches your employee
You send it yourself, from your own WhatsApp. Save the PDF with a clear file name, open the employee's private chat, tap the attach icon (paperclip or plus sign), choose Document and pick the file. Sending it as a Document, not as a photo or screenshot, keeps the payslip sharp enough for a bank or landlord to read and lets the employee print it. Here is what a simple payslip looks like:
PAYSLIP | March 2026
Your Business Name
Employee: Thandi Sithole
Occupation: Admin Assistant
Period: 1 March to 31 March 2026
Basic Salary: R7,500.00
Gross Pay: R7,500.00
PAYE: R0.00
UIF (1%): −R75.00
NET PAY: R7,425.00
The amounts above are an illustration only. Work out PAYE from the current SARS tax tables for your employee's earnings, and type the result into the deduction line.
Privacy when sending payslips on WhatsApp
- Send to the employee's own number, in a one-to-one chat. Never a staff group.
- Confirm the number with the employee first, especially if they have changed phones or SIM cards.
- Name each file clearly, for example 'Payslip Thandi Sithole March 2026', so you do not attach the wrong one.
- Agree with your employees that WhatsApp is how payslips will be sent, and offer a printed copy to anyone who prefers paper.
- Keep your own copy of every payslip. The generator does not store them, and the BCEA expects employers to keep pay records.
Who uses WhatsApp payslips?
- Small businesses with 1 to 5 employees who don't justify payroll software
- Households employing domestic workers, gardeners, or drivers
- Construction companies paying workers weekly
- Restaurants and retail shops with part-time staff
- Farming operations with seasonal workers
Employees need payslips for
- Bank loan applications: banks commonly ask for recent payslips
- Rental applications: landlords need proof of income
- SARS tax returns: confirming income and deductions
- UIF claims: proving previous employment and earnings
- Credit applications: stores and credit providers need proof of income
When you send payslips on WhatsApp, your employees have these documents on their phones when they need them. No lost papers, fewer requests for copies.
Get started
Open the free payslip generator, fill in this month's figures and download the PDF. Then send it to your employee on WhatsApp. It is free, there is no signup, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
FAQ
Is it legal to send payslips via WhatsApp?
The BCEA requires the payslip information to be given to the employee in writing, but it does not prescribe paper. A PDF payslip that contains the required details and that the employee can open, keep and print is a written record. Make sure the employee actually has access to WhatsApp on their own phone, and give a printed copy to anyone who asks for one.
How do I create a payslip to send on WhatsApp?
Open the free payslip generator on this site, enter the employer and employee details, the pay period, and your earnings and deduction lines. You type the amounts yourself: the generator adds them up and shows net pay, but it does not calculate PAYE or UIF for you. Click Download PDF, choose Save as PDF, then attach the file in the employee's WhatsApp chat as a Document.
Will my employees' information be secure?
The payslip generator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or saved, and refreshing the page clears it. Once you send the PDF, WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted between you and the employee. The main risk is human error, so double-check that you are in the right chat before you send, and never post payslips in a staff group.
Can I send payslips to multiple employees at once?
Create one payslip PDF per employee and send each one in that employee's private chat. Do not use a group or a broadcast with the same file, because a payslip is personal information. Naming each file with the employee's name and the pay period makes it harder to attach the wrong one.
Free to use. No signup. Nothing leaves your browser.