Guidelines for itemised payslips released

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have collaborated to develop guidelines for employers issuing itemised payslips.

All three bodies agree providing employees with an itemised payslip at least once a month will help build better employment practices within the company while avoiding potential salary disputes.

“The guidelines set out how companies can put in place the system of administering payslips, and provide payslip templates that companies may use and customise based on their own needs,” a joint press release by the tripartite said.

The guidelines, which can be found here, state which information employers have to include in the payslips, the form of which a payslip should take, and when it should be issued.

It also lists SME business advisors companies can approach should they require further clarification, as feedback gleaned from the tripartite found “smaller SMEs, especially enterprises such as 'mom and pop' shops and hawkers, find issuing itemised payslips challenging”.

“The guidelines therefore aim to prepare these businesses to change their practices in a sustainable way, so that they are able to comply when we make it a legal requirement,” the press release said, adding MOM is aiming to mandate the issuing of payslips within the next two years.

The ministry is also working with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and SPRING to provide more tools by April this year, including payslip booklets, downloadable payslip templates, and funding support to help companies develop customised payslips.