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  1. Home
  2. Software
  3. Sage Pastel Payroll
  4. Reviews

342 verified reviews

Sage Pastel Payroll reviews

Every published review of Sage Pastel Payroll, unedited beyond length and clarity. Vendor responses are shown alongside the review they answer.

Write a review

342 reviews match · page 11 of 35

AS

Andre SmithVerified

Employment Equity Officer

EducationSouth AfricaPietermaritzburg51 to 200 employees
4.0
23 Mar 2026

Our IRP5 files validated in e@syFile first time

I have run payroll on four different systems and this is the one I would choose again. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. It is not perfect, and it is the right choice for us.

What works

Strong multi company handling for practices. ETI is calculated on the sliding scale and shows its working. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection.

What does not

Reporting outside the statutory pack is thin.

Used for 2 to 5 years
LP

Lungile Pillay

Bookkeeper

Financial servicesSouth AfricaRandburg500 plus employees
5.0
17 Mar 2026

ETI calculated correctly, with the working shown

We run about ninety staff on this and it has not missed a submission. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. Nothing has come up in the last year that I would call a real problem. I would recommend it to a business of our size without hesitation.

What works

Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question.

What does not

The interface takes a while for a new administrator.

Used for 6 to 12 months
DS

David SolomonsVerified

Senior Bookkeeper

EngineeringSouth AfricaPretoria51 to 200 employees
4.0
11 Mar 2026

ETI calculated correctly, with the working shown

We switched after our previous provider got an ETI calculation wrong. Strong multi company handling for practices. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. It is not perfect, and it is the right choice for us.

What works

The largest pool of trained operators in the country. BCEA leave accruals are right without configuration. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question.

What does not

The interface takes a while for a new administrator.

Used for 2 to 5 years
KH

Katlego Hendricks

Financial Controller

ConstructionSouth AfricaPolokwane11 to 50 employees
3.0
10 Mar 2026

Fine for salaried staff, weak on wages

We use maybe sixty percent of what we pay for. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. Beyond that it is more ordinary than the marketing suggests. It sits squarely in the middle for us, useful but not something I would champion. Fine for our needs. Test it properly against your own requirements.

What works

Strong multi company handling for practices. Setup was straightforward.

What does not

Support queues get long towards month end. The reporting cannot break cost down by department.

Used for more than 5 years
CV

Craig van der MerweVerified

HR and Payroll Manager

Marketing and advertisingSouth AfricaVereeniging500 plus employees
2.0
04 Mar 2026

The March tax year end cost us a weekend

The compliance errors were the problem, and they took too long to acknowledge. Where it earns its keep is that the parts we were sold on never worked the way they were demonstrated. The gaps are the kind that create work rather than save it. Test it hard during the trial with real volume before committing.

What works

It is cheaper than the alternatives.

What does not

ETI required manual correction for months. Leave accruals did not follow BCEA rules. Support could not explain their own statutory outputs.

Used for less than 6 months
DI

Deon IsaacsVerified

Chief Executive Officer

InsuranceSouth AfricaEast London500 plus employees
4.0
01 Mar 2026

Leave finally follows the BCEA without a spreadsheet

The tax year end is what convinced me. Nothing broke. Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. I would recommend it to a business of our size without hesitation.

What works

Strong multi company handling for practices. ETI is calculated on the sliding scale and shows its working. IRP5 files validated in e@syFile without a single rejection.

What does not

The interface takes a while for a new administrator.

Used for 6 to 12 months
AD

Annelize DavidsVerified

HR and Payroll Manager

Marketing and advertisingSouth AfricaVereeniging11 to 50 employees
4.0
26 Feb 2026

Support actually understands South African payroll

We run about ninety staff on this and it has not missed a submission. Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. Two years in and nobody has suggested we look at alternatives.

What works

Strong multi company handling for practices. BCEA leave accruals are right without configuration. The ACB file imports into our bank without a support call.

What does not

There is no real HR functionality, so we run a second system.

Used for more than 5 years
GJ

Grant JoubertVerified

Chief Operating Officer

InsuranceSouth AfricaPietermaritzburg2 to 10 employees
2.0
25 Feb 2026

Wage payroll is clearly an afterthought

It was sold as suitable for wage staff. It is not. The thing worth knowing is that the parts we were sold on never worked the way they were demonstrated. The gaps are the kind that create work rather than save it. Test it hard during the trial with real volume before committing.

What works

It is cheaper than the alternatives.

What does not

The March year end process was poorly documented. Leave accruals did not follow BCEA rules. Support could not explain their own statutory outputs.

Response from the vendor08 Mar 2026

We value the honest assessment. The bank feed reliability issue you mention has been addressed in a recent release, and we would encourage you to reconnect the affected accounts.

Used for less than 6 months
TV

Tracy VenterVerified

Payroll Manager

TelecommunicationsSouth AfricaPaarl11 to 50 employees
5.0
23 Feb 2026

Payroll stopped being the worst week of the month

I have run payroll on four different systems and this is the one I would choose again. Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. Nothing has come up in the last year that I would call a real problem. If you are weighing it up, do the trial with your own data and you will see it.

What works

Complete SARS statutory coverage, maintained for decades. ETI is calculated on the sliding scale and shows its working. Support answers in South African hours and understands the question.

What does not

There is no real HR functionality, so we run a second system.

Used for 2 to 5 years
RH

Ryan HendricksVerified

HR and Payroll Manager

InsuranceSouth AfricaJohannesburg2 to 10 employees
4.0
21 Feb 2026

Three tax year ends without a single correction

We run about ninety staff on this and it has not missed a submission. Runs locally, so month end is not a connectivity risk. That is the part that genuinely changed how we work. There are irritations, and none of them are the kind that make you look elsewhere. Two years in and nobody has suggested we look at alternatives.

What works

The largest pool of trained operators in the country. Employee self service cut payslip queries almost to zero. The ACB file imports into our bank without a support call.

What does not

Reporting outside the statutory pack is thin.

Used for 2 to 5 years
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3.9

Overall

from 342 reviews

72% positive19% neutral9% critical

Rating distribution

5
113 of 342
4
133 of 342
3
65 of 342
2
26 of 342
1
5 of 342

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