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A payslip shows an employee what they earned, what was deducted and what they received. It is their record and their evidence, and issuing them is not optional.

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When they are generated

Payslips are created automatically when a pay run is processed. You do not generate them separately. They should only be distributed once the run is approved — sending a payslip from a draft run that later changes causes confusion you will spend a week undoing.

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What is on a payslip

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Distributing them

1

Open the pay run

Payroll → Pay runs → the period.
2

Confirm the run is approved

Do not send from a draft.
3

Choose how to send

4

Check the email addresses

A payslip sent to the wrong address discloses one person’s salary to another. Verify before bulk sending.
Payslips contain salary information. Sending one to the wrong person is a real breach of confidentiality, not an administrative slip. Check addresses on the employee records before you send in bulk.

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Employees viewing their own

Employees with a Bumara login and the Employee role can see their own payslips and nobody else’s. This is worth enabling for staff who have email — it removes the monthly distribution task, gives employees access to their own history when they need it for a loan application or a new job, and avoids payslips sitting in inboxes. See Team and roles.

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Explaining a payslip

Employees do ask. The usual questions:
Salary is gross. From it come PAYE, NAPSA at 5.5%, NHIMA at 1%, and any advances or loan instalments. Net pay is what is left. Walk them through the deductions column.
PAYE is calculated on chargeable emoluments using progressive bands. If gross pay changed — overtime, a bonus, a new allowance — PAYE changes by more than proportionally, because the extra falls in a higher band.
NAPSA is 5.5% of gross pay. NHIMA is 1% of basic salary. Different rates and different bases, so an employee with substantial allowances sees a much larger gap.
Usually days absent, or a new deduction that started. The earnings section shows the basic pay actually paid, and the deductions section shows what came off.
Almost always an effective date. Check the dates on the employee’s allowance record. See Pay elements.
The monthly instalment on their staff loan. The loan detail page shows the repayment history and the remaining balance. See Loans.

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Payslip history

Every payslip ever generated remains available. Employees frequently need them for:
  • Loan and mortgage applications
  • Visa applications
  • A new employer
  • Verifying their own tax position
Historical payslips cannot be regenerated with different figures. A payslip reflects the run it came from, permanently.

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Corrections

If a payslip is wrong: Tell the employee before they notice. An unexplained adjustment on next month’s payslip generates more concern than a straightforward explanation now.

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Confidentiality

Related: Running payroll and Statutory returns.
Last modified on August 4, 2026