Auto parts and workshops
Payroll software for mechanics and workshop staff
Mechanics check in from their phones, the month's paid days come from attendance, and the advance a helper took before Christmas comes back in instalments on his payslip.
In short
SimpleERP is payroll software for motorcycle workshops and spare parts shops. Salaries for mechanics, helpers and counter staff are built from attendance and salary structures, with incentives, advance recoveries and deductions on each payslip.
Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, Allowances, Bonus and net pay of 4,440.
A payroll day at Kirinyaga Road Moto Spares
Kirinyaga Road Moto Spares employs eleven people: a senior mechanic, four mechanics, three helpers who wash bikes and fetch parts, two counter staff and one accountant. The workshop opens at 8:30 and runs till 8 in the evening, six days a week, with Tuesday off for half the team. Mechanics earn a share of the labour charges on every job card, counter staff sell brake shoes, clutch cables and engine oil by the litre against part numbers, and the fleet customers' monthly bills decide how much cash is in hand on salary day.
On the first of every month the owner used to sit with an attendance register, a list of who took how much in advance, and the count of service bills each mechanic closed. The senior mechanic's $465 salary plus incentive took ten minutes alone.
In SimpleERP each person has a salary structure, attendance comes from their phone check-ins, the incentive is a one-off earning added before approval, and the advance recovers itself. The owner checks the exceptions and approves.
What goes into a mechanic's salary?
Basic, a housing allowance and a fixed allowance cover most workshops; the monthly incentive changes with the work done, so it is added per run rather than fixed in the structure.
- One Basic line per structure; percentages are worked on pro-rated Basic.
- Bonus-type components can skip pro-rating, so a Christmas bonus pays in full.
| Component | How it is set | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Fixed monthly, pro-rated by paid days | $300 |
| Housing allowance | Percentage of Basic | $45 |
| Travel and tool allowance | Fixed monthly | $120 |
| Service incentive | One-off earning added before approval | $60 |
| Income tax | Amount you set from his tax details | −$25 |
| Social security | Percentage of gross, per your rule | −$18 |
| Advance recovery | Fixed instalment until settled | −$25 |
| Net pay | $457 |
How does attendance turn into paid days?
Each mechanic taps Check in when he reaches the shop. The workshop shift of 8:30 to 8:00 with a lunch break sets the working day, a late arrival is flagged after the grace period, and absences and unpaid leave become loss of pay in the run.
- Shifts with start, end, break, grace and working days; the weekly off can differ by shift.
- Mark all present in one screen for staff who do not use a phone, then fix the exceptions.
- Public holidays such as Madaraka Day and Jamhuri Day pasted in for the year.
Illustration of the daily attendance sheet on a phone with a Mark all present button.
Can advances to helpers be recovered from salary?
Yes. A helper who takes $150 before the holidays is given an advance with a $40 monthly recovery. The next four payslips each deduct it as its own line, and the advances page shows what is still due.
- Recovery is the set amount or the balance left, whichever is less.
- Staff see their own advance balance in self-service.
What happens when I approve the month?
Approval posts salary expense against salaries payable and the deduction payable accounts. Paying from the bank or cash account clears salaries payable, and every payslip opens on that person's phone.
- Generate, approve, pay: three deliberate steps, each leaving a trail.
- Payroll register per run with every component, exportable to CSV.
One system
Where payroll lands
Attendance feeds the run, the run posts to the books, and advances paid from the cash drawer are tracked until the last instalment.
Auto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, invoices that mix parts and labour, and garage credit with ageing.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howInventory for spares shops
Part numbers as SKUs, stock by counter, warehouse and workshop store, and a reorder level on every fast-moving spare.
See howAccounting for workshops
Books that write themselves from service bills and distributor bills, with garage and fleet credit in an ageing report.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- Income tax withholding is not computed from government tables; you set the deduction per employee
- Social security, pension and end-of-service amounts are components you set, not statutory calculations
- No biometric device integration: attendance is marked on the phone or entered by HR
- No per-job or per-bike commission worked out from service bills; add each mechanic's incentive by hand before approval
Getting started
Start with payroll
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add your people
Add your mechanics, helpers and counter staff with the workshop shift, their weekly off, and a salary structure with Basic, housing and the tool allowance.
Run the first payroll
Attendance and leave feed the run; payslips post to the books and staff see them on their phones.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I pay mechanics an incentive for the number of services they finish?
Yes, as a one-off earning on that month's payslip. Count the services from your sales report or your own sheet, enter the amount for each mechanic in the draft run, then approve. SimpleERP does not calculate it from service bills.
Some of my helpers do not have smartphones. How do they mark attendance?
The manager marks everyone present in one screen and then changes only the absent or half-day helpers. Staff with phones check in themselves. Unmarked days are counted as present and flagged, so nothing is silently cut.
Do I have to deduct social security for every mechanic?
Only where it applies to you. Each deduction is a component you include in the structures that need it, with amounts that follow your rules. A helper it does not apply to simply has a structure without that line.
Can a mechanic see his payslip without asking me?
Yes. Give him the Employee self-service role and he logs in with his email. He sees his attendance, leave balance, advance balance and every approved payslip, which he can download as a PDF.
Related
Keep reading
Auto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, invoices that mix parts and labour, and garage credit with ageing.
Read moreAccounting for workshops
Books that write themselves from service bills and distributor bills, with garage and fleet credit in an ageing report.
Read moreInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
Read more
See how payroll works in SimpleERP for auto parts and workshops
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.