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Showing 1 to 20 of 251 reviews
Lisa Daniels
Practice Owner · Atlas Pharmacy Solutions
6 May 2025
We trust the numbers completely, the workflow less so. It handled the ETI rules correctly when even our accountant was unsure.
Pros
Bulk increases are quick
Cons
Year end update process is a ritual
Charmaine Cassim
Payroll Manager
7 June 2025
A good product that Sage clearly wants you to outgrow. Moving between the licence tiers is a bigger price jump than headcount justifies. It caters up to 500 employees on one licence so we have headroom for years.
Cons
No employee self service
Wayne Ismail
Financial Manager · Bloemfontein Medical Services
30 October 2024
The engine is right, the experience around it is dated. Custom reports beyond the standard set need more patience than they should.
Pros
One licence covers up to 500 employees; eMP201 figures straight off a report
Cons
Needs SMTP setup for emailing payslips
Luyanda Smith
Southern Cross Accountants and Sons
24 February 2025
It calculates everything correctly, it just is not always pleasant getting there. The update instructions read like they were written for the IT department we do not have. Loan balances and savings deductions carry forward correctly month after month.
Pros
Leave, loans and garnishees all handled
Karabo Oosthuizen
Financial Manager
12 November 2024
Our practice runs payroll for 50 clients on it and the routine never breaks.
Cons
Needs SMTP setup for emailing payslips
David Daniels
Bookkeeper
21 September 2024
A good product that Sage clearly wants you to outgrow. The year end update is an annual ritual of downloads, codes and crossed fingers.
Pros
Strong consultant network countrywide
Cons
Year end update process is a ritual
Johan Fourie
HR Manager · Golden City Farming
31 July 2024
Our labour consultant audited us and the payroll records came out spotless. The mid year and final recons export to e@syFile without a single validation error. The 20 percent discount for having Pastel accounting made the renewal easier to swallow.
Cons
Support waits get long in tax season
Susan Nxumalo
Admin Manager · Table Bay Catering Services
19 February 2025
Solid product carrying the weight of its desktop roots. Moving between the licence tiers is a bigger price jump than headcount justifies. New payroll staff need proper training, it does not hold your hand.
Pros
Strong consultant network countrywide
Cons
Licence tier jumps are steep
Zinhle Johnson
Wage Clerk · Cape Town Manufacturing
23 March 2026
Our labour consultant audited us and the payroll records came out spotless. EMP201 figures come straight off a report, I capture them on eFiling and I am done. Staff get paid, SARS gets its numbers, I get my evenings. Recommended.
Yusuf Shabalala
10 October 2025
We trust the numbers completely, the workflow less so. Custom reports beyond the standard set need more patience than they should. Loan balances and savings deductions carry forward correctly month after month.
Pros
UIF declarations generated automatically
Cons
Licence tier jumps are steep
Bongani Cassim
Owner · Pretoria Trading Solutions
25 October 2025
The ETI calculations picked up claims our previous bookkeeper missed entirely. UIF declarations generate monthly and the Department has never queried one. Backups are quick and restoring a period to check history actually works.
Pros
Payslips email directly to staff
Khanyisile Nxumalo
Practice Owner
1 April 2026
A good product that Sage clearly wants you to outgrow. Moving between the licence tiers is a bigger price jump than headcount justifies. Bulk increases across the wage staff took minutes instead of a day.
Pros
Discount when bundled with Pastel accounting
Cons
Licence tier jumps are steep
Fatima Gumede
Office Manager · Gumede Steel SA
13 July 2025
Our accountant checks the EMP201 figures monthly and they have never been out. The 20 percent discount for having Pastel accounting made the renewal easier to swallow. Termination payouts with leave encashment calculate correctly first time.
Pros
IRP5 and IT3a certificates in a few clicks
Cons
Dated desktop interface
Bheki Swanepoel
HR Administrator · Cape Town Farming Solutions
20 September 2025
As the only admin person in a Bloemfontein firm, I need payroll that does not fight me. Bulk increases across the wage staff took minutes instead of a day.
Pros
Payslips email directly to staff
Gavin Mabaso
HR Manager · Mabaso Couriers SA
6 August 2025
The annual update process finally broke me this year. Licence reactivation after a hardware change took days of back and forth.
Cons
Support cannot resolve its own error messages
Keabetswe Shabalala
Office Manager
18 February 2026
Payday here is sacred and this system has never once made us late. Loan balances and savings deductions carry forward correctly month after month. The 20 percent discount for having Pastel accounting made the renewal easier to swallow.
Pros
Strong consultant network countrywide
Cons
No employee self service
Njabulo Khumalo
Office Manager
27 October 2025
Good dependable payroll that shows its age at every login. Support in tax season means long waits, plan your questions early. The 20 percent discount for having Pastel accounting made the renewal easier to swallow.
Pros
SARS statutory tables always current; uIF declarations generated automatically
Cons
Annual licence model, no monthly option
Elmarie Mnguni
HR Administrator · Kudu Catering SA
2 September 2025
We are a seasonal employer, staff numbers double at harvest, and it just handles it. The 20 percent discount for having Pastel accounting made the renewal easier to swallow.
Cons
No employee self service
Pieter Kruger
Payroll Manager · Legacy Pharmacy SA
5 April 2026
As the only admin person in a Pietermaritzburg firm, I need payroll that does not fight me. Boring in the best possible way.
Pros
SARS statutory tables always current
Cons
Training needed for new payroll staff
Willem Hadebe
HR and Payroll Officer · Protea Pharmacy
16 September 2024
The statutory tables arrive, you install, and PAYE is simply correct again. The GL integration posts salary journals into Pastel accounting automatically. Leave balances finally match reality because everything is captured in one place.
Pros
Discount when bundled with Pastel accounting
Cons
Tied to one machine without hosting
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