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KenyaTax

Payroll

Benefits and allowances register

Record every allowance and benefit you give staff, mark which are taxable and see the yearly value and taxable total.

Benefits and allowances register template

Benefits are part of pay, and some are taxable. This register lists each benefit given to each employee, such as housing, transport, a car, meals or airtime, with its monthly value and whether it is taxable, and works out the yearly value, the taxable amount and totals by type, so payroll and the year-end return are right.

Employers and payroll staff who give allowances and benefits, and accountants who must report them correctly on the P9 and the employer return.

What is included

  • Benefit type from a list
  • Monthly, yearly and taxable values
  • Totals for the business and by type
  • Chart of yearly value by benefit
  • Space for 300 benefits

Screenshots

  • Benefits and allowances of Benefits and allowances register
  • Yearly value by benefit of Benefits and allowances register

How to use it

  1. Enter each benefit against the employee, choosing the type.
  2. Type the monthly value and say whether it is taxable.
  3. Read the yearly value and the taxable yearly value.
  4. Use the summary by type and the totals for payroll and reporting.

Templates are tools to help with your own records. They are not tax or legal advice. Check the figures against official sources before filing or paying.

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What the benefits and allowances register does

Benefits are part of pay, and some are taxable. This register lists each benefit given to each employee, such as housing, transport, a car, meals or airtime, with its monthly value and whether it is taxable, and works out the yearly value, the taxable amount and totals by type, so payroll and the year-end return are right.

Who it is for

Employers and payroll staff who give allowances and benefits, and accountants who must report them correctly on the P9 and the employer return.

How to use the workbook

  1. Enter each benefit against the employee, choosing the type.
  2. Type the monthly value and say whether it is taxable.
  3. Read the yearly value and the taxable yearly value.
  4. Use the summary by type and the totals for payroll and reporting.
  5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

  • Benefit type from a list
  • Monthly, yearly and taxable values
  • Totals for the business and by type
  • Chart of yearly value by benefit
  • Space for 300 benefits

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Register, Summary. The main table has the columns Employee; Benefit; Description; Monthly value; Taxable?; Yearly value; Taxable yearly value. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

  • Check how each benefit is valued for tax before you mark it taxable.
  • Use the taxable benefits calculator for cars and housing.
  • Keep the policy or letter that grants each benefit.
  • Review the register each time pay is reviewed.

Why keep this record

Staff records go wrong in small, repeated ways: a figure typed twice, a deadline forgotten, a promise that nobody wrote down. A tidy workbook that everyone uses the same way removes most of those problems. It also gives you something to show an employee, an auditor or a labour officer when a question comes up months later, and it makes the next payroll quicker because the facts are already in one place.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Payroll records are personal data and tax records at once, so keep the file somewhere only the people who need it can open, and keep each month's copy for at least five years. Statutory rates such as NSSF limits and the Housing Levy change, so check the Rates sheet against the official source before you rely on a figure.

Read how to run payroll for a small business for the wider picture. Free calculators that go with it: Taxable benefits calculator, Paye calculator. See more payroll templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Need something different? Request a custom template, browse all guides or see every Excel template.

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