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Occupational Qualification · P17

Discretionary Grant · Upcoming

Payroll Manager

QCTO Aligned Audit-ReadySERVICES SETA
NQF Level
NQF Level 6
Credits
240
Duration
—
SAQA ID
121787
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Official QCTO Registry Profile

Source: SAQA / QCTO registry
SAQA ID
121787
Min Credits
240
Registered
2024-01-30
Re-registration
2029-01-30
Field
Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies
Sub-field
Finance, Economics and Accounting

Sample Asset Preview

Curriculum Alignment MatrixCRN ZA-SDP-2026-089
Curriculum Alignment Matrix — page 1
Curriculum Alignment Matrix — page 2
Curriculum Alignment Matrix — page 3
Curriculum Alignment Matrix — page 4
Curriculum Alignment Matrix — page 5
Page 1 of 5

Overview & Scope

Programme Profile

Target Designation
Certified Payroll Manager Practitioner
Competency Focus
Master specialised practical applications, safety criteria, and regulatory mandates required of a qualified Payroll Manager.
Academic Weight
Full national recognition at NQF Level 6 yielding 240 credits upon successful PoE verification.
Work Opportunities
Deployment across As a qualified payroll manager, you can find employment opportunities in Business Services, Cleaning, Security, Real Estate. Your skills will be in demand across both public and private sectors, and you may also choose to work as an independent contractor or start your own business in this field. operations under SERVICES SETA scope.
Audit Objective
Bridges operational skills deficits under the governing SERVICES SETA quality matrix.
Value Proposition
Measurable, legally compliant skills that optimise productivity, satisfy Workplace Skills Plans (WSP), and unlock B-BBEE scorecard weight.
Introduction▾

The Payroll Manager is a Advance Occupational Certificate set at NQF Level 6, comprising 240 credits. This qualification has been carefully developed to provide you with the essential knowledge, practical skills, and workplace experience needed to excel in your chosen field. Whether you are starting your career or looking to formalise your existing expertise, this programme offers a structured pathway to competence and recognition.

Purpose▾

The purpose of this qualification is to provide qualifying learners with the knowledge, understanding, competence and experience required to operate as a Payroll Manager. A Payroll Manager manages the organisation's employment costs and directs the activities of payroll staff and monitors the payroll processing objectives including audits and relevant legislative compliance (affecting employer/employee relationship). The learner attributes (including problem solving, interpreting information and communication) will be integrated in the learning process. Learners will have to prove competence of the above knowledge, skills, attitudes, responsibilities, and tasks imbedded in the exit level outcomes. A qualified learner will be able to: • Manage accurate payment of employees within a company. • Oversee and manage overall company payroll objectives. • Manage compliance to policies, procedures, and legislation to mitigate governance risks.

Entry Requirements▾

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): RPL for Access to the qualification. Learners will gain access to the qualification through RPL for Access as provided for in the QCTO RPL Policy. RPL for access is conducted by accredited education institution, skills development provider or workplace accredited to offer that specific qualification/part qualification. RPL for Credits Learners who have acquired competencies of the modules of a qualification or part-qualification will be credited for modules through RPL. RPL for access to the external integrated summative assessment Accredited providers and approved workplaces must apply the internal assessment criteria specified in the related curriculum document to establish and confirm prior learning. Accredited providers and workplaces must confirm prior learning by issuing a statement of result. Entry Requirements: An NQF Level 5 qualification (Human Resource Management or Accounting or Finance).

SAQA Rationale▾

Currently, no formal training qualifications exist targeting this specific occupational group and instead some unit standards from other related qualifications are used to enhance employee skills. This qualification is important to address the skills of the current and future employees serving all sectors of the economy. Many commercial entities draw Payroll Managers from payroll clerks and several other internal employees trained either by software providers, bookkeeper, and other occupations. The need for formalisation of the qualification was emphasised by many role-players that included the following tprofessional body, i.e. The South African Payroll Association. This specific qualification is aligned with one of the three designations registered with the SAQA. The specific function of Payroll Manager is critical for all public and private sector organisations for the specific purpose of complying with statutory requirements related to pension administration, tax compliance and various labour legislation. The performance of the function is important for adherence to good corporate governance and corporate risk management. Adherence to the rule of law is important for economic performance and promotion of credible environment for investment. Whereas the immediate challenge is formalisation of existing employees' experience into this qualification, the actual training will increase the intake of young people into the occupation. Opportunities for growth are abundant for many qualified people. Not only will they have a qualification that can very easily enable them to move horizontally in human resource management amongst others but vertically into Payroll Executive and Financial Management. This qualification will contribute to the full development of the learner within the commercial industry by providing recognition, further mobility, and transportability within various sectors. This qualification forms part of a suite of related qualifications as registered by the professional body with SAQA. Learners wishing to become a Payroll Manager can enrol for the Occupational Qualification: Payroll Practitioner, NQF Level 5. Should such a learner wish to, at a later stage, enrol for the Occupational Certificate: Payroll Manager he/she will be granted recognition for modules already completed (CAT). In a similar manner, learners will be able to move from any of the designations registered with SAQA by the professional body.

Learning Assumed to be in Place & RPL▾

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): RPL for Access to the qualification. Learners will gain access to the qualification through RPL for Access as provided for in the QCTO RPL Policy. RPL for access is conducted by accredited education institution, skills development provider or workplace accredited to offer that specific qualification/part qualification. RPL for Credits Learners who have acquired competencies of the modules of a qualification or part-qualification will be credited for modules through RPL. RPL for access to the external integrated summative assessment Accredited providers and approved workplaces must apply the internal assessment criteria specified in the related curriculum document to establish and confirm prior learning. Accredited providers and workplaces must confirm prior learning by issuing a statement of result. Entry Requirements: An NQF Level 5 qualification (Human Resource Management or Accounting or Finance).

Exit Level Outcomes▾
  • Manage payroll environment to ensure accurate payment of employees.
  • Manage compliance to policies, procedures and legislation to mitigate governance risks.

Learning Material Included

  • Learner Guide (Theory and Knowledge Modules)
  • Facilitator Guide
  • Workplace Logbook
  • Formative and Summative Assessment
  • Assessor Guide & Marking Memorandum
  • SETA / QCTO Alignment Matrix
  • Administrative & Onboarding Pack
  • Implementation Plan

Moderator-Ready Curriculum Breakdown

16 modules · 240 credits

Theory, regulatory and safety knowledge. Each row carries the registered module code, NQF level and credit weight used for formative assessment rubric mapping.

  • 121102-000-00-KM-0116 cr

    Business Management Concepts and Applications

    NQF Level 5

  • 121102-000-00-KM-0226 cr

    Payroll Theory and Application

    NQF Level 6

  • 121102-000-00-KM-0321 cr

    Introduction to Management

    NQF Level 6

  • 121102-000-00-KM-0426 cr

    Introduction to Human Resource Management

    NQF Level 6

  • 121102-000-00-KM-0531 cr

    Payroll Accounting

    NQF Level 6

Sub-total credits120
QCTO & SERVICES SETA AlignedSAQA 121787

Qualification 121787 · Curriculum Architecture

Advance Occupational Certificate: Payroll Manager · NQF Level 6 (240 Credits)

Filter View
§ 01

Three Curriculum Pillars

120
Credits

Knowledge Modules

Classroom & E-Learning

KM-01 to KM-05 · 5 modules
  • Facilitated lectures & self-study
  • Written question banks
  • Formative comprehension checks
60
Credits

Practical Skill Modules

Simulated Line Tasks

PM-01 to PM-06 · 6 modules
  • Simulated line tasks
  • Observation rubrics
  • Structured task sheets
60
Credits

Work Experience Modules

On-the-Job Production

WM-01 to WM-05 · 5 modules
  • On-the-job rotation
  • Mentor logbooks
  • Workplace sign-offs
§ 02

Evidence & Audit Pipeline

Learner Portfolio of Evidence (PoE)
Owner · Candidate
▾
1
Admin & Registration

ID, learner contract, induction pack, POPIA consent.

2
Knowledge Evidence

Written assessments & question banks — KM-01 to KM-07.

3
Practical Evidence

Task sheets, observation rubrics, assessor photos.

4
Workplace Evidence

Logbooks, mentor sign-offs, supervisor letters.

Assessor Master File
Owner · Registered Assessor
▾
5
Assessment Reports

Judgements, learner feedback, remediation agreements, appeals log.

Internal Moderation & Quality File
Owner · Moderator / SDP
▾
6
Moderation Evidence

10% sampling matrix, HACCP/LOTO compliance sheets, SDP sign-off.

§ 03

Final Accreditation Gateway

Step 1
Statement of Results

Issued by the accredited Skills Development Provider once internal moderation is signed off.

Step 2
EISA Readiness Declaration

Provider submits declaration + PoE to the Assessment Quality Partner (AQP).

Step 3
National Qualification Certificate

QCTO awards the SAQA-registered certificate on successful EISA outcome.

Learner Certified · Uploaded to National Learner Records Database (NLRD)

Audit & Compliance

Evidence & Audit Pipeline

From portfolio assembly to external sign-off — the exact route your evidence travels.

  1. Step 1

    PoE Assembly

    Learner evidence, formative records and logbook entries filed against the alignment matrix.

  2. Step 2

    Internal Assessment

    Registered assessor judges each KM/PM/WM outcome using the supplied instruments.

  3. Step 3

    Internal Moderation

    Sampling and verification of assessor decisions, with remediation loop before submission.

  4. Step 4

    External Moderation

    SETA/QCTO desktop audit and certification upload against registered credits.

Broken Standard vs i2Graduates Standard

The measurable delta between improvised material and an audit-ready suite.

Broken Standard

i2Graduates Standard

Curriculum Mapping

Photocopied guides with mismatched outcomes

5 KM + 6 PM + 5 WM modules mapped to NQF Level 6

Assessment Bank

Missing formative and summative assessments

Pre-validated assessment bank per module

Alignment Evidence

No alignment matrix — audit fails

SERVICES SETA alignment matrix included

Facilitation

Facilitators improvise Payroll Manager delivery

Facilitator scripts + learner activities per credit

Portfolio of Evidence

PoE gaps flagged in moderation

PoE templates that survive external moderation

View on SAQA

Pricing & Delivery Tiers

Base licence from R72 000

Digital Master Suite

Editable master files, licensed to your SDP

  • Learner Guide, Facilitator Guide & Assessment Suite
  • Workplace logbook + alignment matrix (editable)
  • Instant digital delivery under institutional licence
  • Free minor corrections for 12 months
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Most selected

Turnkey Print & Bound Package

Printed, bound and couriered per learner

  • Everything in the Digital Master Suite
  • Full-colour print, wire-bound learner packs
  • Per-learner PoE folders and dividers
  • Nationwide courier with tracked delivery
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Full Enterprise Accreditation Bundle

Assets plus accreditation support end-to-end

  • Everything in the Print & Bound Package
  • Bespoke QMS build mapped to your scope
  • Moderation dry-run + written remediation report
  • Brand & metadata integration across the suite
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Complementary Services

Optional add-ons that harden your accreditation scope before an external audit.

Bespoke QMS Build

We author your Quality Management System — policies, procedures, records, matrices — mapped to your accreditation scope. From R18,500.

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Moderation Consultation

External moderation dry-run on your PoE + delivery pack. Written report with fixes before your real audit. From R4,900.

Book Moderation Session

The i2Graduates Quality Guarantee

Every page of this bundle is checked for sequence and structural accuracy — no missing pages, no shortcuts. You get pre-validated assessment instruments ready to survive rigorous compliance moderation, wrapped in a curriculum your facilitators will enjoy teaching.