Templates
Salary slip format: free Excel, Word and PDF download
A payslip that shows each earning and each deduction on its own line, so an employee can see how their pay was worked out and a bank or landlord can rely on it.
Free download, no sign-up
Filled with the sample shown. The Excel file has formulas for the totals.
In short
A salary slip, or payslip, shows an employee's pay for a period: earnings such as basic pay and allowances, deductions such as income tax and pension, and net pay. This format is a free download; SimpleERP generates payslips from attendance.
Harbor Supply Co.
Tax number 100 234 567
Salary slip
PAY-2026-09-0007
Employee: Sam Carter
- Basic pay$3,200.00
- Overtime, 8 hours$240.00
- Transport allowance$160.00
What this document is for
A salary slip is the employer's statement of what an employee earned, what was deducted and what was paid for one pay period. Most countries require one, and employees need it for loans, rent agreements and tax returns.
- Give one every pay period, on or before the day wages are paid
- Show every component, so the net pay can be checked line by line
- Match it to the books: gross, deductions and net should equal the salary journal
Contents
What a salary slip must contain
The exact contents depend on your country's wage rules. This is the common core; the full table with the reason for each field is further down.
- Employer name and address
- Employee name, ID and job title
- The pay period, days or hours paid and any unpaid leave
- Each earning: basic pay, overtime and allowances, with gross pay
- Each deduction: income tax, pension or social security, and advances
- Net pay, and how and when it was paid
How to fill it
How to fill the template
The download comes filled with Sam Carter's September 2026 slip from Harbor Supply Co.: gross $3,600.00, deductions $766.00 and net pay $2,834.00. The tax and pension figures are examples; yours come from your country's rules. Replace the sample; the Excel totals recalculate.
Put the employer details in the header
Business name and address, once, then save the file as your own template.
Fill in the employee and the period
Name, employee ID, job title, any tax or social security number your country prints, the period, days paid and unpaid leave.
Enter earnings and deductions
One row per component. Gross, total deductions and net pay are formulas.
Record the payment
Payment date and method, then share the slip with the employee.
| Earnings | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic pay | $3,200.00 |
| Overtime, 8 hours | $240.00 |
| Transport allowance | $160.00 |
| Deductions | Amount |
|---|---|
| Income tax withheld | $410.00 |
| Pension, employee share | $256.00 |
| Advance recovered | $100.00 |
| Totals | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross earnings | $3,600.00 |
| Total deductions | $766.00 |
| Net pay | $2,834.00 |
SimpleERP
Make it in SimpleERP instead
A spreadsheet slip has to be retyped every month for every person. In SimpleERP you set each salary structure once; each month's payslips are generated from attendance and leave, approved, paid and posted to the books.
- Salary structures with basic pay, allowances and the deductions your country uses
- Unpaid leave taken off from attendance and leave records
- Generate, approve and pay, with the salary journal posted
- Employees see their own payslips on their phone
Illustration of a payslip with Salary, Bonus and net pay of $3,833.
Fields
Every field on a salary slip, and why
Article 14 asks that workers are told the particulars of their wages for each pay period. Each country sets the exact contents of a payslip in its own law, so the fields below are the common core; check your local rules.
| Field | Required | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Employer name and address | Mandatory | Shows who pays the wages. |
| Employee name, ID and job title | Mandatory | Identifies the employee; the ID keeps two people of the same name apart. |
| Pay period and pay date | Mandatory | The period the wages are for and when they were paid. |
| Hours or days paid | If applicable | Required in many countries when pay varies with time worked, and it shows how unpaid leave was taken off. |
| Gross pay by component | Mandatory | Basic pay and each allowance or overtime payment on its own line. |
| Deductions by component | Mandatory | Income tax, social security or pension contributions and any advance recovered, each on its own line. |
| Net pay | Mandatory | Gross pay less deductions: the amount the employee receives. |
| Payment method | Good practice | Bank transfer, cheque or cash, so a dispute can be traced. |
| Employer contributions | Good practice | Pension or social security the employer pays on top, so the employee sees the full cost. |
| Year-to-date totals | Good practice | Help the employee check their annual tax. |
Source: ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95), article 14, verified 5 November 2026.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid on a salary slip
- Showing only gross and net, with no breakdown of earnings and deductions
- Leaving out the hours or days paid when pay varies with time worked
- Taking off unpaid leave without showing the days paid
- Lumping income tax and pension into one deduction, so the employee cannot check either
- Recovering an advance without a separate deduction line, so the employee cannot see what is left to repay
Honest limits
What this format does not cover
- Income tax worked out from tax tables and allowances: income tax is a figure or a percentage you set
- Filing payroll tax, pension or social security returns with the authorities
- Weekly or daily wage slips: SimpleERP payroll is monthly
Getting started
Start with your first payroll
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Add your employees
Name, joining date and job details are enough; employee codes are assigned for you.
Set each salary structure
Basic pay, allowances and deductions such as income tax and pension, once per employee.
Generate the month's payslips
Review the run, approve it and record the payment. The journal posts itself.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is a salary slip mandatory?
In most countries, yes. The ILO's Protection of Wages Convention asks that workers are told the particulars of their wages each pay period, and national laws such as the UK's itemised payslip rule set the exact contents. Check your own country's rules with your accountant.
Can I use this format in Excel with formulas?
Yes. Gross earnings, total deductions and net pay are formulas, so changing any component updates the slip. The Word and PDF versions are for printing.
What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?
Gross pay is everything earned before deductions: here $3,600.00 of basic pay, overtime and allowance. Net pay is what reaches the employee's bank after tax, pension and any advance recovered: $2,834.00.
Do I need to show the employer's pension or social security contribution?
Not as a deduction, because it is not taken from the employee's pay. Many employers list it under a separate heading so the employee sees the full cost of their job.
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