Small Business Payroll

Introduction

Small Business Payroll is a dedicated WordPress plugin developed by African Nomad Software (Pty) Ltd to facilitate efficient payroll management for small businesses. This free edition delivers essential payroll features within the WordPress environment, enabling business owners to manage employee payments, compliance, and reporting with ease.

Who the product is for

This plugin is ideal for WordPress website owners and small businesses that require a straightforward, reliable payroll solution. It suits organizations starting with core payroll functionality who want to manage employee salaries, deductions, and payslips without complex setups or additional software.

Product overview

Small Business Payroll provides a comprehensive payroll management system embedded in WordPress. It supports salaried and hourly employees, multiple pay frequencies, and offers tools for pay item management, pay runs, and payroll reporting. The plugin includes a payroll dashboard for at-a-glance insights and compliance packs to help meet regulatory requirements.

Key benefits

• Streamlines payroll processing with a dedicated dashboard and management areas.
• Supports flexible employee pay structures including salaried and hourly wages.
• Generates secure, printable payslips in HTML and PDF formats with bulk email delivery.
• Includes compliance management to assist with regulatory adherence.
• Offers CSV import/export for employee data and payments to facilitate data handling.
• Integrates with Stripe for payment processing support.

Feature list

• Nomad Core Identity management area
• Import and demo data management
• Payroll management including employee records and pay items
• Payroll dashboard for overview and monitoring
• Pay runs creation, review, and finalization
• Payroll reports including summary and employee payment reports
• Compliance packs management
• Secure public payslip links and bulk payslip email delivery
• Printable HTML and dependency-free PDF payslips
• Employee CSV import and payment CSV export
• Balanced accounting journal previews
• Setup health indicators and standalone mode support
• Stripe payment integration

Detailed feature descriptions

Employee and Payroll Management

Manage employee records with support for both salaried and hourly employees. Define recurring earnings, deductions, reimbursements, and employer costs to automate pay calculations.

Pay Runs and Payslips

Create pay runs based on weekly, fortnightly, or monthly frequencies. Review draft calculations with adjustments for overtime, bonuses, and other deductions before finalizing. Generate secure payslips available as HTML or PDF, with options for bulk email distribution.

Compliance and Reporting

Utilize compliance packs to maintain regulatory adherence. Access payroll summary and employee payment reports for accurate record-keeping and auditing.

Integration and API

Includes REST API endpoints for modules and party data, enabling integration with other systems. Stripe integration supports payment processing workflows.

Integrations

Small Business Payroll integrates with Stripe for payment processing. It also offers REST API routes under nomad/v1 for module and party data, facilitating custom integrations and extensions within WordPress.

Documentation and support

Support is provided through community or standard free support channels. Documentation includes setup instructions for uploading and activating the plugin, configuring payroll settings, adding employees and pay items, creating pay runs, and managing payslips.

Works Great With

This plugin works well with WordPress environments where small businesses manage their websites and operations. It complements other Small Business Management plugins and can be upgraded to Small Business Management – Payroll Pro for advanced workflows such as approvals, leave management, timesheets, expense claims, employee portals, audit trails, period locking, and accounting journal posting.

Call to action

Start simplifying your payroll management today by installing the free Small Business Payroll plugin on your WordPress site. Benefit from streamlined employee payment processes, compliance tools, and essential reporting without additional cost. When your business grows, consider upgrading to Small Business Management – Payroll Pro for enhanced features and workflows.

 

Compare Small Business Management – Payroll editions

Small Business Management – Payroll by African Nomad Software (Pty) Ltd offers robust payroll solutions tailored for WordPress website owners and small to growing businesses. Designed to streamline payroll processing with professional workflows, the product family includes a Free edition and a Pro edition, each catering to different business needs and stages of growth.

Which edition is right for you?

If you are a WordPress user or a small business just starting with payroll management, the Free edition provides the essential core payroll functions to get you up and running efficiently. For growing businesses requiring advanced workflows, integrations, and enhanced commercial capabilities, the Pro edition delivers a comprehensive set of professional features to support complex payroll processes.

Free Edition

The Free edition of Small Business Management – Payroll includes all core payroll functionalities necessary for basic payroll management. Users can manage employees, pay items, pay runs, and generate payroll reports with compliance packs to ensure regulatory adherence. The edition supports salaried and hourly employees, weekly to monthly pay frequencies, and offers printable HTML and dependency-free PDF payslips. Additional features include a payroll dashboard, employee records linked to neutral Nomad party identities, and CSV import/export for employees and payments. The Free edition also provides REST API access for modules and party data, Stripe integration, and community-based support. This edition is ideal for businesses starting out or with straightforward payroll needs.

Pro Edition

The Pro edition builds on the Free edition’s core by adding advanced payroll workflows and integrations designed for growing businesses. Key professional features include payroll approvals, leave management with requests and balances, timesheets feeding into draft pay runs, and expense claims that convert into payroll reimbursements. The Pro edition offers an employee self-service portal via the [nsbmpayrollemployeeportal] shortcode, enabling employees to submit payslips, leave, timesheets, and claims with approval workflows. Additional capabilities include payroll period locking, audit trails for compliance, secure public payslip links, and bulk payslip email delivery. Integration with Accounting Pro allows for ledger detection and journal posting with duplicate journal protection and accounting period lock checks. Licensing management and protected update clients are embedded, and standard product support is provided. This edition suits businesses that require sophisticated payroll controls and integration with accounting workflows.

Upgrade Guidance

Businesses starting with the Free edition can upgrade to the Pro edition when advanced features such as approvals, leave management, timesheets, expense claims, employee self-service, and accounting integration become necessary. The Pro edition requires activation of the Pro license and installation of the Payroll Pro plugin, which preserves existing license settings and update client options. Upgrading enables access to enhanced workflows and commercial capabilities essential for scaling payroll operations.

Feature	Free	Pro
Admin & Workflow
Payroll Approvals Provides a dedicated Payroll Approvals management area.	—	✓
Leave Management Provides a dedicated Leave Management management area.	—	✓
Timesheets Provides a dedicated Timesheets management area.	—	✓
Expense Claims Provides a dedicated Expense Claims management area.	—	✓
Nomad Core Identity Provides a dedicated Nomad Core Identity management area.	✓	—
Import / Demo Data Provides a dedicated Import / Demo Data management area.	✓	✓
Payroll Provides a dedicated Payroll management area.	✓	—
Payroll Dashboard Provides a dedicated Payroll Dashboard management area.	✓	—
Employees Provides a dedicated Employees management area.	✓	—
Pay Items Provides a dedicated Pay Items management area.	✓	—
Pay Runs Provides a dedicated Pay Runs management area.	✓	—
Payroll Reports Provides a dedicated Payroll Reports management area.	✓	—
Payroll Settings Provides a dedicated Payroll Settings management area.	✓	—
Compliance Packs Provides a dedicated Compliance Packs management area.	✓	—
API & Automation
REST API: nomad/v1/modules Provides a WordPress REST API route under nomad/v1/modules.	✓	—
REST API: nomad/v1/party/(?P\d+) Provides a WordPress REST API route under nomad/v1/party/(?P\d+).	✓	—
Detected Modules
Licensing A related module or component was detected in the plugin package.	—	✓
Features
Employee Records And Neutral Nomad Party Links. Employee records and neutral Nomad Party links.	✓	—
Salaried And Hourly Employees. Salaried and hourly employees.	✓	—
Submit, Approve And Request Changes On Pay Runs. Submit, approve and request changes on pay runs.	—	✓
Hide Payslips Until Payroll Is Approved. Hide payslips until payroll is approved.	—	✓
Weekly, Fortnightly And Monthly Frequencies. Weekly, fortnightly and monthly frequencies.	✓	—
Leave Requests, Decisions And Leave Balances. Leave requests, decisions and leave balances.	—	✓
Reusable Earnings, Deductions, Reimbursements And Employer Costs. Reusable earnings, deductions, reimbursements and employer costs.	✓	—
Recurring Employee Pay Items. Recurring employee pay items.	✓	—
Timesheets That Feed Matching Draft Pay Runs. Timesheets that feed matching draft pay runs.	—	✓
Draft Calculations And Employee Adjustments. Draft calculations and employee adjustments.	✓	—
Expense Claims That Become Payroll Reimbursements. Expense claims that become payroll reimbursements.	—	✓
Employee Self Service Shortcode: [nsbmpayrollemployeeportal]. Employee self-service shortcode: [nsbm_payroll_employee_portal].	—	✓
Overtime, Bonuses And Other Deductions. Overtime, bonuses and other deductions.	✓	—
Employee Payslip, Leave, Timesheet And Claim Workflows. Employee payslip, leave, timesheet and claim workflows.	—	✓
Finalised Pay Runs. Finalised pay runs.	✓	—
Payroll Audit Trail. Payroll audit trail.	—	✓
Secure Public Payslip Links. Secure public payslip links.	✓	—
Payroll Period Locking. Payroll period locking.	—	✓
Printable HTML Payslips And Dependency Free PDF Payslips. Printable HTML payslips and dependency-free PDF payslips.	✓	—
Accounting Pro Ledger Detection And Journal Posting. Accounting Pro ledger detection and journal posting.	—	✓
Bulk Payslip Email Delivery. Bulk payslip email delivery.	✓	—
Duplicate Journal Protection And Accounting Period Lock Checks. Duplicate-journal protection and Accounting period lock checks.	—	✓
Employee And Payment CSV Export. Employee and payment CSV export.	✓	—
Embedded Nomad Licensing And Protected Update Client. Embedded Nomad licensing and protected update client.	—	✓
Employee CSV Import. Employee CSV import.	✓	—
Install And Activate Small Business Management – Payroll. Install and activate Small Business Management – Payroll.	—	✓
Payroll Summary And Employee Payment Reports. Payroll summary and employee payment reports.	✓	—
Balanced Accounting Journal Previews. Balanced Accounting journal previews.	✓	—
Install And Activate Payroll Pro. Install and activate Payroll Pro.	—	✓
Activate The Pro Licence Under Payroll Pro License. Activate the Pro licence under Payroll > Pro License.	—	✓
Setup Health Indicators And Standalone Mode Support. Setup health indicators and standalone-mode support.	✓	—
Link Employee Records To WordPress Users For Self Service. Link employee records to WordPress users for self-service.	—	✓
Upload And Activate The Plugin. Upload and activate the plugin.	✓	—
Open Payroll Settings And Enter Company Details. Open Payroll > Settings and enter company details.	✓	—
Place [nsbmpayrollemployeeportal] On A Protected Front End Page. Place [nsbm_payroll_employee_portal] on a protected front-end page.	—	✓
Add Employees And Recurring Pay Items. Add employees and recurring pay items.	✓	—
Preserved The Existing Payroll Pro Licence Settings And Update Client Option Keys. Preserved the existing Payroll Pro licence settings and update-client option keys.	—	✓
Create A Pay Run For The Required Frequency. Create a pay run for the required frequency.	✓	—
Initial Payroll Pro Release. Initial Payroll Pro release.	—	✓
Review And Finalise The Run. Review and finalise the run.	✓	—
Email Or Download Payslips. Email or download payslips.	✓	—
Initial Payroll Free Release. Initial Payroll Free release.	✓	—
Front-end Experience
Nsbmpayrollemployeeportal shortcode Provides the [nsbm_payroll_employee_portal] shortcode.	—	✓
Integrations
Stripe integration Contains detected integration support for Stripe.	✓	✓
Product Overview
Core plugin functionality Standalone small-business payroll for WordPress with employees, earnings, deductions, pay runs, payslips, reports, CSV tools and Accounting journal previews.	✓	✓