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Compliance Deadlines & System Updates

With openHR at your side, compliance season becomes simpler: our platform keeps you on track with upcoming statutory returns so you can focus on your business, not the paperwork. read more


openHR free payroll and HR
Strengthening openHR for a Faster, Safer Experience

This Easter weekend brought a wave of improvements to openHR, all focused on reliability, speed, and user trust. read more

April 6, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
Easter Weekend & Compliance Season

Key April Submissions for South African Businesses As Easter ushers in a season of renewal, it also marks the start of an important compliance cycle for South African businesses. From 1 April 2026, several statutory submissions open, and staying ahead ensures smooth operations and avoids penalties. read more

April 1, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
When is the PAYE Reconciliation Due in 2026?

Every year, South African employers must complete their PAYE Employer Reconciliation (EMP501) to ensure that employee tax certificates and SARS records align. Missing the deadline can mean penalties, interest, and unnecessary stress. read more

March 9, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
NBCPSS 2026/2027 Rates

🛡️Summary for the Security Industry The National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS) operates on a multi‑year agreement, meaning wage structures and benefits are set well in advance. As we enter the 2026/2027 year, the agreed rates and allowances for security officers and related positions continue to apply across South Africa. read more

March 1, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
South Africa Tax Pocket Guide 2026/2027

Every February, South Africa’s Budget Speech reshapes the financial landscape for businesses and employees alike. This year’s announcements brought some of the most significant changes in over a decade - from turnover tax brackets to VAT thresholds - and we know how overwhelming it can be to keep track of them all. read more

February 25, 2026

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Micro Businesses: Turnover Tax Brackets 2026

Today’s 2026 National Budget Speech delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana includes excellent news for South Africa’s micro businesses. The Turnover Tax regime has received its biggest overhaul in years – with a huge jump in the brackets and a massive increase in the qualifying turnover limit. read more

February 25, 2026

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VAT Threshold 2026 for South Africa

Today’s 2026 National Budget Speech delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana brings excellent news for South Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The compulsory VAT registration threshold has been raised from R1 million to R2.3 million. This is the first adjustment to the threshold since 2009. For 17 years, inflation pushed many growing businesses over the old limit without a corresponding increase in real profitability. The new R2.3 million threshold finally catches up with the cost of doing business and delivers meaningful relief. read more

February 25, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
Introducing the New Statutory Calculation Engine

As openHR continues to grow, we’re committed to keeping payroll fast, accurate, and resilient. With the start of the new tax year, we’ve upgraded all users to our new Statutory Calculation Engine. read more

February 19, 2026

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

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Most Affordable Payroll Software in South Africa

Why Affordability Matters Payroll is one of the most critical functions for any business in South Africa. With SARS compliance, UIF contributions, and leave management requirements, the wrong choice can lead to penalties or frustrated employees. Did you know that South Africa has one of the world's highest SMME failure rates, with 70-80% failing within five years, often due to challenges like regulatory compliance and administrative costs? For small businesses, affordability isn’t just about saving money - it’s about sustainability and growth. That's where true affordability comes in, especially with free payroll software options tailored for South African SMEs. read more

February 5, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
Minimum Wage 2026

In a move aimed at supporting low-income workers amid ongoing economic pressures, Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth has announced the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) for 2026. Effective from March 1, 2026, the NMW will increase from R28.79 to R30.23 per ordinary hour worked - a rise of R1.44, or 5%. This adjustment aligns with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 3.5% plus an additional 1.5 percentage points, as recommended by the National Minimum Wage Commission. read more

February 4, 2026

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When is the Budget Speech for 2026?

Every February, South Africans tune in to hear the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech - a moment that sets the tone for the country’s economic year and adjustments to tax rates which directly affect employees. For 2026, mark your calendars: Wednesday, 25 February 2026 is the date when Minister Enoch Godongwana will present the nation’s financial roadmap. read more

January 30, 2026

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🎲 HR Calendar Bingo 2026: What’s Coming This Year?

HR doesn’t need fortune tellers - we’ve got annual rituals that repeat with uncanny precision. Here’s your bingo card for 2026, with the details that matter. read more

January 25, 2026

openHR free payroll and HR
A Clearer, Easier Way to Handle Terminations

Terminations aren’t something HR teams deal with every day. When they do happen, they tend to arrive with a mix of deadlines, emotions, and small but important details that are easy to miss. It’s one of the few moments in payroll where uncertainty can creep in - and where a forgotten step can cost the business real money. read more

January 10, 2026

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Introducing Role‑Based Pay Rates

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. read more

January 4, 2026

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Introducing Third Parties in openHR

A New Era of Compliance Freedom For years, payroll systems have treated third‑party submissions as an afterthought - a tangle of hard‑coded councils, rigid report formats, and expensive “customisations” that somehow never survive the next update. With openHR’s new Third Party Module, that era is over. We’ve built a flexible, transparent, and fully auditable way for South African businesses to manage any third‑party organisation they work with - from bargaining councils to unions, medical aid schemes, IT88s, garnishee orders, and more. This isn’t just a feature. It’s a shift in power. read more

January 1, 2026

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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

openHR free payroll and HR
Introducing Two‑Factor Authentication (2FA) in openHR

A new layer of dignity, security, and stewardship for your payroll and HR data At openHR, we design every feature with one goal: to protect the dignity of your business and your employees. Today, we’re proud to introduce Two‑Factor Authentication (2FA) - a simple, powerful way to secure your account using something you know (your password) and something you have (a one‑time code generated on your phone). And as always - this feature is included as standard in our Free tier along with many more unlimited features. read more

December 30, 2025

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27% of Our Turnover, Given Back

Every year, we ask ourselves a simple question: If openHR exists to dignify work, how do we dignify the world around that work? This year, the answer was clear. We donated 27% of our turnover to evidence‑based, high‑impact charities - organisations that don’t just do good, but prove it. read more

December 27, 2025

openHR free payroll and HR
My chat with Google Gemini

We've gone full "Undercover Boss" mode to find out what one of the best bot brains think about openHR and the "Secret Shopper" results are in! Here is the full chat. read more

December 26, 2025