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SimpleERP for South Africa

Simple ERP for small businesses in South Africa

Invoices with VAT worked out, stock, books, payroll and your team in one login, set up for South Africa from the first screen.

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In short

SimpleERP is simple ERP software for small businesses in South Africa. Choose South Africa at sign-up and it sets up VAT, your VAT number, ZAR, a March financial year and local payroll components.

Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-27-0213 to Northside Retail with VAT 15% and the amount in words.

What you get on day one

Pick South Africa when you create the business. Everything below is seeded for you and editable in Settings.

  • VAT rates seeded. VAT 15%, VAT 0% (zero-rated) and Exempt, with VAT 15% as the default.
  • Tax Invoice with your VAT number. The VAT number is checked for format when you enter it and printed on every invoice.
  • ZAR amounts, DD/MM/YYYY dates. A total prints as R 1,250,000.00, in words as rand and cents.
  • A March to February financial year. Numbering runs per year: the first invoice is INV-2026-27-0001.
  • Payroll components ready. Salary, Bonus, PAYE, UIF (employee), UIF (employer) and SDL (payroll above R500,000).
  • Phones with +27. Customer, supplier and employee numbers take the +27 format; you and your team sign in with your email.

VAT

VAT on every line, worked out as you type

Each product carries its VAT rate. Pick the customer, type the item, press Enter: VAT, totals and the amount in words fill in as you go.

  • Output and input VAT posted to their own accounts
  • A tax summary by rate for whoever files your returns
  • Credit notes reverse the tax with the sale

Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.

VAT in South Africa

VAT in South Africa: what you need to know

The rules the product is set up around, in plain words. Your accountant confirms what applies to you. Sources: SARS: value-added tax, SARS: tax invoices, SARS: tax periods for VAT vendors.

  • Registration. From 1 April 2026 you must register for VAT once taxable supplies pass R2.3 million in any 12 months (it was R1 million). You can register voluntarily from R120,000 (was R50,000).
  • Rate. 15%. The increase to 15.5% announced in 2025 was reversed. Exports and some basic foods are zero-rated; financial services and residential rent are exempt.
  • Tax invoices. Above R5,000 you issue a full tax invoice, with the customer's name, address and VAT number; at R5,000 or less an abridged one is enough; at R50 or less a till slip will do. It must say "Tax Invoice", "VAT Invoice" or "Invoice".
  • Returns. Most vendors file a VAT201 every two months (Category A or B); above R30 million of taxable supplies a year it is monthly.
  • No e-invoicing system. SARS has no mandatory e-invoicing yet: printed or PDF tax invoices are valid.

Price

Priced in ZAR

Every module is free for 7 days with no card. Premium is then R 900 per user per month, the fixed equivalent of USD 50, counted on the people who sign in.

Books

Books that keep themselves

Every invoice, bill and payment posts its own journal in ZAR. Profit and loss, the balance sheet and the VAT summary are ready any day of the March to February year.

Payroll

Payroll set up for South Africa

Salary components for South Africa are seeded when you create the business. Runs build each payslip from the structure and post salary expense and payables when you approve.

  • Salary, Bonus, PAYE and UIF (employee) ready to use
  • UIF seeded at 1% from the employee and 1% from the employer, on pay up to the monthly ceiling
  • Skills development levy at 1% for employers whose payroll is above R500,000 a year: remove it if yours is below
  • Leave from the Basic Conditions of Employment Act: 15 working days' annual leave, 30 days' sick leave in each three-year cycle and 3 days' family responsibility leave
  • Attendance and leave feed paid days
  • Payslips in employee self-service

Illustration of a payslip with Salary, Bonus and net pay of R 19,590.

Honest limits

Honest limits

  • Filing VAT returns or submitting e-invoices to a government system
  • Statutory payroll tax tables: you enter the deduction amounts
  • Prices that include tax: product prices are entered before tax
  • Invoices in a second currency: one currency per business
  • Payroll submissions (EMP201, EMP501) on eFiling
  • The UIF ceiling: check the deduction on high earners yourself

Getting started

Start in three steps

  1. Sign up

    Your name, your email and a password. No card.

  2. Tell us about the business

    Business name, province and your VAT number if you are registered.

  3. Send your first invoice

    Add a customer and a product, then bill. The tax invoice is ready to print or share.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I need to be registered for VAT to use SimpleERP?

No. Setup asks whether you are registered. You must register for VAT once taxable supplies pass R2.3 million in 12 months (from 1 April 2026). You can register voluntarily from R120,000. If that changes, switch it in Settings; your VAT number prints on every invoice once you add it.

What does a SimpleERP tax invoice show?

Your business name and address, your VAT number, the customer, a number from a sequence that never repeats, the date, each line with its VAT rate, the tax by rate and the amount in words. Your accountant can confirm what your business must show.

How much does SimpleERP cost in South Africa?

Every module is free for 7 days with no card. After that Premium is R 900 per user per month (R 10,800 per user per year), the fixed equivalent of USD 50, counted on the people who sign in. See pricing.

Does SimpleERP file my VAT returns?

No. It keeps the records and gives you a tax summary by rate and the sales and purchase registers, all exportable to CSV, for whoever files your returns.

Does SimpleERP print a full tax invoice?

Yes. Every invoice carries the words Tax Invoice, your name, address and VAT number, the customer's name, address and VAT number when you add them, a serial number, the date, a description of each item, the VAT and the total. That meets the full tax invoice rules SARS sets for sales above R5,000.

Can SimpleERP file my VAT201 or EMP201?

No. It gives you the VAT summary by rate, the sales and purchase registers and the payroll totals, all exportable to CSV, for whoever files on eFiling.

Where is my data stored?

In a PostgreSQL database on the hosted service, where row-level security keeps each business to its own rows. Ask us where the service is hosted and how it is backed up, and export your reports to CSV whenever you like.

Related

Run your business in South Africa from one simple place.

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