The twelve items
- Full name of employer.
- Full name of employee.
- Date of payment — or the dates covered, if several payments are consolidated into one slip.
- Basic salary. For hourly, daily or piece-rated workers, also the basic rate and the total hours, days or pieces.
- Start and end date of the salary period.
- Allowances paid for the salary period — fixed and ad-hoc.
- Any other additional payment for the period — bonuses, rest day pay, public holiday pay. Commission belongs here.
- Deductions made for the period — fixed and ad-hoc.
- Overtime hours worked.
- Overtime pay.
- Start and end date of the overtime payment period, if different from item 5.
- Net salary paid in total.
Items 9 to 11 can be left out if they do not apply. The rest cannot.
When, and in what form
- Hand it over with the salary payment. If that is not possible, within three working days.
- On termination or dismissal, with the final outstanding salary.
- Soft copy, hard copy or handwritten — all acceptable.
- Keep the most recent two years for current employees; for former employees keep the last two years and hold them for a year after they leave.
A payslip that shows one lump figure hides the commission inside it. Commission is an additional payment for the salary period and has to be itemised on its own line.
A salon payslip that says “Salary: $3,480” and nothing else is not compliant, because the commission inside that figure is an additional payment that has to be itemised. The reason it happens is almost always that commission is worked out by hand at month end — somebody adds up a book, arrives at one number, and types that number in.
If commission is calculated from the transactions themselves, per staff member, the payslip line writes itself. FingerBooth's Staff Commission & Payroll module takes the commission from what was actually rung up at the till, so the figure on the payslip is the figure in the system and both can be checked against the same day's sales.
A short checklist
- Does every slip carry all twelve applicable items?
- Is commission shown as its own line, not absorbed into basic?
- Is the salary period stated with a start and an end date?
- Are slips going out with payment, or at least within three working days?
- Can you produce the last two years for anyone who asks?
Rules change. Check the primary source before you act on anything here — this is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
Questions we get asked
What must be on an itemised payslip?
Twelve items: employer's full name; employee's full name; date of payment, or the dates covered if several payments are consolidated; basic salary, with the rate and the total hours, days or pieces for hourly, daily or piece-rated staff; start and end date of the salary period; allowances paid for the salary period, fixed and ad-hoc; any other additional payment for the period, such as bonuses, rest day pay and public holiday pay; deductions made for the period, fixed and ad-hoc; overtime hours worked; overtime pay; start and end date of the overtime payment period if it differs from the salary period; and net salary paid in total. The three overtime items can be left out if they do not apply.
When does it have to be given?
With the salary payment. If that is not possible, within three working days of payment. On termination or dismissal it goes out with the final outstanding salary.
Can it be a soft copy?
Yes — soft copy, hard copy and handwritten all count.
How long do I keep copies?
Keep the most recent two years for current employees. For former employees, keep the last two years of records and hold them for one year after they leave.
Where does commission go on the payslip?
Commission is an additional payment for the salary period — item 7 in the list. It has to be shown, not folded into a single figure, which is why it needs to come out of the till rather than off a sticky note.