Your first payslip shouldn't be a mystery.
Free tools for young professionals in South Africa. Decode your payslip, max your tax-free savings, and understand your RA — without the jargon or the sales pitch.
Free. No sign-up needed. Educational only — not financial advice.
Example: R25,000 gross, no medical aid
Three tools. Zero jargon.
Payslip decoder
PAYE, UIF, medical credits — see exactly where your salary goes, line by line, in plain language.
TFSA tracker
Track contributions across providers against the R36,000 annual and R500,000 lifetime limits — and dodge the 40% penalty.
RA calculator
See how much tax SARS gives back when you contribute to a retirement annuity — and what it really costs you.
Only 24% of South Africans say they're financially healthy.
Nobody teaches you this stuff at varsity. TFSAs, RAs, medical tax credits, group life — you're expected to figure it out from your first payslip. FirstCheque exists so you don't have to guess.
Learn the basics
All articles6 min read
TFSA vs RA: which should you start first?
Both save you tax, but in opposite ways. Here's how to choose between a tax-free savings account and a retirement annuity when you're starting out.
7 min read
Your first payslip, explained line by line
Gross vs net, PAYE, UIF, and why your take-home is smaller than your offer letter said. A jargon-free tour of a South African payslip.
5 min read
Medical aid tax credits: the refund hiding in your payslip
SARS pays you back a fixed amount every month for being on a medical scheme. Here's how the medical scheme fees tax credit works and how to check you're getting it.