Introducing Role‑Based Pay Rates

4 Jan 2026
A Smarter, Cleaner Way to Manage Payroll

Today we’re excited to release a feature that brings even more clarity, consistency, and dignity to your payroll workflow: Role‑Based Pay Rates.

This update allows you to define pay rates directly on a job role, rather than managing them one employee at a time. It’s a small change with a big impact - reducing manual work and eliminating inconsistencies.

Why Role‑Based Pay Rates Matter

1. One Source of Truth

Instead of updating pay rates for each employee individually, you can now set the rates once at the job level. Every employee linked to that job role will automatically inherit those rates.

2. Instant Updates Across Your Team

When you update the pay rates for a job role, all employees currently assigned to that role will have their pay rates updated automatically. No spreadsheets. No batch edits. No missed employees.

3. Seamless Onboarding

When you create a new employee and assign them to a job role that has pay rates configured, openHR will automatically create those pay rates for them. This ensures new hires start with the correct structure from day one.

4. Clear Boundaries for Job Changes

If an existing employee’s job title is updated, their pay rates will not automatically change. This is intentional - job changes often require review, approvals, or transitional adjustments. If you have many variable rates per job role, you can still manage pay rates on a per employee basis. You stay in control.

How to Add Pay Rates to a Job Role

Adding pay rates to a job role is simple:

  1. Go to Settings → Jobs
  2. Select the job you want to edit
  3. Scroll just below the Description field
  4. Add the pay rates you want linked to that role

Once saved, openHR will take care of the rest - updating all employees currently assigned to that job and applying the rates to any new employees linked to that role in the future.

A More Predictable, Auditable Payroll

This update strengthens the core philosophy behind openHR: systems should do the heavy lifting.

By shifting pay logic to the job level, you get:

  • Cleaner data
  • Fewer mistakes
  • Faster onboarding
  • A richer, more transparent audit trail

And most importantly - a payroll process that feels consistent, predictable, and dignified.

More Posts
openHR free payroll and HR
It’s Time to Retire SARS Tax Deduction Tables

For decades, SARS has published tax deduction tables as a quick reference for employers. They were designed for a time when payroll was manual, calculators were scarce, and employers needed a simple way to estimate deductions. In 2026, however, these tables have become more of a liability than a lifeline. read more

February 13, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
Why openHR Can Afford to Be Free

And why the payroll industry’s pricing looks a lot like the Eskom mop scandal South Africans still joke about the infamous R238,000 Eskom mop - a symbol of outrageous markups and broken procurement systems. The public was rightly furious. How could something that costs under R150 be sold for hundreds of thousands of rand? But here’s the uncomfortable part: If you think that markup is bad, wait until you see the payroll industry. Let’s talk about direct costs - not marketing, not salaries, not office plants. Just the raw computational cost of generating a payslip. read more

December 31, 2025