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
Nine 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.
Salary comparison
A R5,000 raise isn't R5,000 in your pocket. Compare two salaries and see what actually changes after tax.
Bonus tax calculator
There's no special bonus tax — but December's payslip stings anyway. See what your 13th cheque keeps after PAYE.
Two-pot calculator
Thinking of tapping your savings pot? See the tax at your marginal rate and what actually lands in your account.
Policy decoder
Group life, disability, gap cover — your benefits booklet translated, with what each policy actually pays.
Filing checklist
It's filing season. Every document you need for eFiling — IRP5, medical cert, RA cert — with what each one is for.
Money lessons
Five short lessons from buffer to credit score, each with a quiz. Build a streak, actually learn this stuff.
What does a salary take home?
Pick a gross salary and see PAYE, UIF and take-home instantly — with the effective and marginal rates explained.
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
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