Payroll month-end checklist (printable)

What the payroll month-end checklist (printable) gives you

A payroll goes wrong in small ways when it is done from memory. This checklist takes you through the month: gathering inputs, running and checking the payroll, approval, payment, statutory returns and records, with space for the date and your initials against each step.

Who it is for

Payroll officers, HR assistants and business owners who run payroll themselves.

How to use it

1. Print one copy for each month.
2. Tick each step as you complete it and add the date.
3. Have a second person review the checklist.
4. File it with the month's payroll.
5. Keep a signed or dated copy with your records, so you can show what was agreed or done.

What is inside

• Six stages from inputs to records
• Tick boxes for every step
• Space for date and initials
• Review and sign-off lines
• A section for what to carry forward

The document is a ready-to-print PDF with these parts: Details, 1. Collect the inputs, 2. Run and check the payroll, 3. Approve and pay, 4. Statutory returns, 5. Records and follow-up. It is laid out for A4, with the headings, tables and tick boxes already in place, so you can print it and fill it in by hand, or type into it with a PDF editor.

Tips for getting it right

• Start the checklist on the first working day of the month.
• Never skip the second-person review.
• Write down anything unusual in the notes.
• Keep the signed checklists together for five years.

Why it helps

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

Can I edit it? It is a PDF, so it is meant to be printed and completed, or filled with a PDF editor. If you want to change the wording, copy the text into Word or Google Docs and adapt it to your business.

Is it legal advice? No. It is a practical starting point written for Kenya. Rules change, so check the current position and ask a professional where the stakes are high.

Will it work on my phone? Yes for reading. For filling in and printing, a computer or a PDF app works best.

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: Paye calculator. See more payroll templates or ask us for a custom one.

This document is general information, 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.

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