SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

National Certificate: Payroll Administration Services

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
35927	National Certificate: Payroll Administration Services
ORIGINATOR
SGB Administration
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
Was SERVICES until Last Date for Achievement			OQSF - Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
National Certificate	Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies		Office Administration
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	153	Level 4	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L4	Regular-Unit Stds Based
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 0160/05	2006-11-07	2009-11-07
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-11-07		2013-11-07

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification is replaced by:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
66169	Further Education and Training Certificate: Payroll Administration Services	Level 4	NQF Level 04	161	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

This Qualification is for any individual who is, or wishes to be, involved in the Payroll Administration function in any organisation or business in any sector, or field as well as in non-commercial organisations such as clubs and charitable organisations. The Qualification will provide the broad knowledge, skills and values needed in the Payroll Administration field in all sectors.

The Core Component contains competencies in Payroll Administration, General Administration, Human Resources and Project Management. The Elective Component allows the learner to gain specialist knowledge, skills and insight in the areas of Payroll, Administration, Project Management, Human Resources and aspects of Financial Services.

Learners working towards this Qualification will find that the acquisition of competence in the Unit Standards, which make up the Qualification, will add value to their work performance. This Qualification is intended to enhance the provision of entry-level service within the field of Payroll Administration within all sectors.

It will facilitate access to and mobility and progression within education and training for learners who:

Were previously disadvantaged or who were unable to complete their schooling and were therefore denied access to Further Education and Training.

Have worked in this field for many years, but have no formal Qualifications and would like to achieve this through the process of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) and/or formal study

Wish to extend their range of skills and knowledge of administration within their respective industries so that they can extend their competency levels.

The Qualification has building blocks that can be developed further in Qualifications at a higher level. It contains all
the competencies, skills and values required by a learner who wishes to access the National Diploma in Payroll Administration Services at NQF: Level 5. It also focuses on the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes required to progress further.

The intention is to:

Promote the development of knowledge, skills and values that are required for service excellence within the field of Payroll administration.

Release the potential of people.

Provide opportunities for people to move up the value chain.

Rationale for the qualification

The National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services: NQF Level 4 is designed to meet the needs of those learners who are already involved, or wish to become involved, in the field of Payroll Administration. It is applicable to employed and unemployed learners. It is particularly suited to those learners who are performing Payroll tasks, in commercial and non-commercial organisations across the entire spectrum, but have not had the opportunity to obtain a formal school Qualification beyond NQF level 3.

Payroll Administration is an essential field of learning as the competences required by people doing Payroll Administrative tasks are generic in nature and apply to all businesses in all sectors and to many non-business organisations such as sports and cultural clubs and the like. Payroll Administration is done at various levels depending upon the nature and size of the organisation and its management structure. People involved in Payroll Administration are known by such terms as Payroll Administrators, Payroll Clerks and Wage and Salary Clerks depending on the organisation in which they are employed.
There is therefore an on-going need for highly skilled Payroll Administration personnel and a need for a well-developed learning pathway to cater for Payroll Administrative personnel at the various levels at which they operate, especially since it is becoming a specialised profession in its own right in South Africa.

The National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services at NQF: Level 4 is the first Qualification in a learning pathway that starts at NQF Level 4 and ends with the National Diploma in Payroll Administration: Level 5. Learners who have completed the National Certificate in Business Administration: Level 3 will be able to move into the more specialized administrative field of Payroll Administration by accessing the National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services Level 4 or continue in the more general Business Administration field by accessing the National Certificate in Business Administration: Level 4.

It is planned to develop Diplomas and Degrees in Payroll Administration at Levels 6, 7 and 8 as the final steps in the learning pathway and investigations are being made into overseas degrees of this kind so that benchmarking from an international perspective is undertaken.
The National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services at NQF: Level 4 supports the objectives of the NQF in that it gives the learner access to a registered Qualification. It will ensure that the quality of education and training in the sub-field is enhanced and of a world-class standard. The Qualification will allow learners not only to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of Payroll Administration, but will also enable them to benchmark their competence against international standards.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Learners accessing this Qualification are assumed to be competent in:

Computer Literacy at NQF level 3

Mathematical Literacy at NQF level 3

Communication at NQF level 3.

Recognition of prior learning

The structure of this Unit Standard based Qualification makes the Recognition of Prior Learning possible. Learners who are able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this Qualification and/or any of its constituent Unit Standards must receive the appropriate credits. Assessment of Prior Learning must be done by means of Integrated Assessment as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Recognition of Prior Learning may allow for:

accelerated access to further learning at this or higher levels on the NQF

gaining of credits towards a Unit Standard

the obtaining in whole or in part of this Qualification.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

QUALIFICATION RULES

N/A

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

On achieving this Qualification, the learner will be able to:

Demonstrate and apply an understanding of statutory legislation and requirements relating to Payroll Administration to ensure compliance with statutory requirements by the organisation

Plan, organise, implement and monitor work within the Payroll environment to

Ensure efficient finalisation of the work at week, month and year end

Process data using information technology to aid the efficiency of Payroll administration

Generate information and reports for internal and external use

Record and validate input variations on employee records to ensure accuracy of Payroll procedures

Handle a range of customer complaints to enhance and maintain the reputation of the organisation

Ascertain gross pay for employees so that the correct deductions can be made and the employee receive the correct salary/wages at month or week end

Manage the capture, storage, retrieval and provision of information related to HR to improve the efficiency of the organisation

Administer data systems, payments and provide advice related to compensation so as to ensure that the organization complies with relevant legislation and that the employee receives the correct compensation as soon as possible.

Demonstrate an understanding of employment relations in an organisation

Demonstrate an understanding of contracts and their sources

Schedule project activities to facilitate effective project execution

Work as a member of a project team

Determine individual and aggregate payments so that employees receive the correct salaries/wages and correct budgeting can be done by the organisation

Know which statutory, legislative and organizational regulations and procedures apply to Payroll Administration and be able to assist with compliance by applying statutory legislation and requirements to specific Payroll functions

Plan and schedule work within the Payroll cycle to ensure that accurate pay slips are produced on time

Identify technical problems relating to the Payroll system preventing the Payroll operation and procedures from being carried out correctly and on time

Utilise technology to capture information, process data and produce pay slips and Payroll reports

Produce reports relating to Payroll queries and reconciliations for internal and external use

Produce pay slips that reflect accurate employee records and concur with employee contracts

In particular, assessors should check that the learner can demonstrate an ability to consider a
range of options, make decisions and apply skills in an integrated way when demonstrating the above- mentioned outcomes.

Exit points for learners who do not complete the Qualification:

Learners exiting this Qualification before completion, retain the credits for Unit Standards successfully completed and may carry them over to other Qualifications to which they are applicable. Learners may also retain the credits until a later stage should studies be recommenced, provided the Unit Standards are still relevant to the Qualification.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Integrated Assessment

Because assessment practices must be open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable and ensure that no learner is disadvantaged in any way whatsoever, an integrated assessment approach is required for this Qualification.

Learning, teaching and assessment are inextricably linked. Whenever possible, the assessment of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values shown in the Unit Standards should be integrated.

Assessment of the communication, language, literacy and numeracy should be conducted in conjunction with other aspects and should use authentic Payroll Administration contexts wherever possible. A variety of methods must be used in assessment and tools and activities must be appropriate to the context in which the learner is working. Where it is not possible to assess the learner in the workplace or on-the-job, simulations, case studies, role-plays and other similar techniques should be used to provide a context appropriate to the assessment.

The term `Integrated Assessment` implies that theoretical and practical components should be assessed together. During integrated assessments, the assessor should make use of a range of formative and summative assessment tools methods and assess combinations of practical, applied, foundational and reflective competencies.

Assessors must assess and give credit for the evidence of learning that has already been acquired through formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience.

Assessment should ensure that all Specific Outcomes, Embedded Knowledge and Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are evaluated. The assessment of the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes should be integrated with the assessment of Specific Outcomes and Embedded Knowledge.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

Benchmarking was done by comparing the Unit Standards and the Exit Level Outcomes of this Qualification with Qualifications and Unit Standards for Payroll Administration in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The United Kingdom Payroll Association was consulted to determine their approach to Payroll Qualifications.

An indication was given that the approach generally in the UK is to use skills programmes based specifically on Payroll Standards to equip employees in that field with the competencies and knowledge required. There are two Qualifications registered in the United Kingdom al levels 4 and 5, based on the UK standards, and Payroll employees in the Commonwealth countries who require a complete Qualification in Payroll Administration use them.

A direct comparison of the Unit Standards in the National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services: Level 4 with regard to Title, Specific Outcomes, Assessment Criteria and Embedded Knowledge was undertaken with the UK Standards and they compare favourably in terms of content, outcomes and level of complexity of learning.

The National Certificate in Payroll Administration Services Level 4 compares with the UK Qualification entitled, "Foundation Certificate in Payroll Administration" NVQ Level 4.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This Qualification articulates horizontally with The National Certificate in Business Administration: Level 4 and vertically with the National Diploma in Payroll Administration Services: Level 5

It should also articulate with any other Qualification at level 4 in the following fields:

Human resources

Project Management

Switchboard Operations

Financial Administration

Generic Management

Generic Business Administration

Data Capturing and Processing

MODERATION OPTIONS

Anyone assessing a learner or moderating the assessment of a learner against this Qualification must be registered as an assessor with a relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.

Any institution offering learning that will enable the achievement of this Qualification must be accredited as a provider with the relevant ETQA or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.

Moderation of assessment will be overseen by the relevant ETQA or by an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA, according to the ETQA`s policies and guidelines for assessment and moderation.

Moderation must include both internal and external moderation of assessments at exit points of the Qualification, unless ETQA policies specify otherwise.

Moderation should also encompass achievement of the competence described both in individual Unit Standards as well as in the exit level outcomes described in the Qualification.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

For an applicant to register as an assessor for this Qualification, the applicant should:

hold at least the National Diploma in Payroll Administration Services: Level 5, or an equivalent

be declared competent in all the outcomes of the National Assessor Unit Standards as stipulated by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

be acknowledged as an expert in the field of Payroll Administration.

NOTES

This qualification has been replaced by qualification 66169, which is "Further Education and Training Certificate: Payroll Administration Services", Level 4, 160 credits.

UNIT STANDARDS:

	ID	UNIT STANDARD TITLE	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	CREDITS
Core	109996	Demonstrate and apply an understanding of statutory legislation and requirements relating to Payroll Administration	Level 4	NQF Level 04	20
Core	110000	Generate information and reports for internal and external use	Level 4	NQF Level 04	10
Core	10025	Handle a range of customer complaints	Level 4	NQF Level 04	4
Core	110024	Plan, Organise, Implement and Monitor Work within the Payroll environment	Level 4	NQF Level 04	10
Core	110025	Process data using information technology	Level 4	NQF Level 04	5
Core	110094	Record and validate input variations on employee records	Level 4	NQF Level 04	20
Core	109994	Ascertain Gross Pay	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	15
Core	8648	Demonstrate an understanding of professional values and ethics	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	4
Fundamental	8968	Accommodate audience and context needs in oral communication	Level 3	NQF Level 03	5
Fundamental	8969	Interpret and use information from texts	Level 3	NQF Level 03	5
Fundamental	8973	Use language and communication in occupational learning programmes	Level 3	NQF Level 03	5
Fundamental	8970	Write texts for a range of communicative contexts	Level 3	NQF Level 03	5
Fundamental	9015	Apply knowledge of statistics and probability to critically interrogate and effectively communicate findings on life related problems	Level 4	NQF Level 04	6
Fundamental	8974	Engage in sustained oral communication and evaluate spoken texts	Level 4	NQF Level 04	5
Fundamental	12417	Measure, estimate & calculate physical quantities & explore, critique & prove geometrical relationships in 2 and 3 dimensional space in the life and workplace of adult with increasing responsibilities	Level 4	NQF Level 04	4
Fundamental	8975	Read analyse and respond to a variety of texts	Level 4	NQF Level 04	5
Fundamental	7468	Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business, national and international issues	Level 4	NQF Level 04	6
Fundamental	12153	Use the writing process to compose texts required in the business environment	Level 4	NQF Level 04	5
Fundamental	8976	Write for a wide range of contexts	Level 4	NQF Level 04	5
Elective	10170	Demonstrate understanding of employment relations in an organisation	Level 3	NQF Level 03	3
Elective	117426	Prepare salaries	Level 3	NQF Level 03	9
Elective	10169	Administer data, systems, payments and provide advice related to compensation	Level 4	NQF Level 04	4
Elective	10133	Schedule project activities to facilitate effective project execution	Level 4	NQF Level 04	8
Elective	10135	Work as a project team member	Level 4	NQF Level 04	8
Elective	110008	Determine individual and aggregate payments	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	45
Elective	10171	Manage the capture, storage and retrieval of human resources information using an information system	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	3
Elective	11909	Monitor and advise on substantive conditions of employment and related rights and obligations in an organisation	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	5

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

When qualifications are replaced, some of their learning programmes are moved to being recorded against the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replacement.

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PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

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