A team of five can be paid from a spreadsheet. A team of fifty cannot, at least not safely. As headcount grows, the number of records, deadlines and rules grows with it. This checklist is a starting point, not legal advice. Rules and limits change, so confirm your exact requirements with a qualified professional.
Set up once
- Employment records for every worker: identity, address, bank details, joining date
- A clear salary structure, written down and shared with the employee
- Registrations that apply to your business and workforce size, such as provident fund and employee insurance
- A way to record attendance that you trust, daily if you can
Repeat every month
- Close attendance and leave for the month
- Calculate salary and statutory deductions
- Pay salaries on a fixed, predictable date
- Pay statutory contributions before their due dates
- Issue payslips and file the month's records
Keep on file
Keep attendance, salary registers, challans and returns in an order you can find quickly. If an officer or a client auditor asks, you want to answer in minutes, not days.
Know your calendar
Write down the due dates that apply to you, such as monthly contributions, professional tax and tax deducted at source on salary. Put them in a shared calendar with one named owner for each.
When to hand it over
If payroll is taking more of your week than hiring or operations, it is time to hand it to a specialist. SIARA handles attendance, salary processing and statutory filing, with the documents kept ready for you.