Leanne Govender

Experienced and detail-oriented Payroll Specialist with over 15 years of progressive expertise in payroll administration and management across diverse industries. Proven success in overseeing end-to-end payroll processes for large employee bases (1500+), ensuring full compliance with statutory regulations and tax legislation. Adept in payroll system optimization, financial reporting, and process improvement, with hands-on experience in systems such as PaySpace, Sage 300 People, VIP Premier, NetSuite Oracle, and ACCPAC.

Recognized for reducing payroll errors by 30% through meticulous audits and strategic enhancements. Demonstrated leadership in mentoring payroll teams, managing international forex payments, and collaborating cross-functionally with HR and Finance to streamline operations. Committed to accuracy, confidentiality, and excellence in payroll delivery, with a strong foundation in budgeting, audit preparation, and legislative compliance.

PAYROLL CONTROLLER - HEROTEL (PTY) LTD

(2022-08)

• Managed payroll for 1500+ employees, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Oversaw full payroll cycle, including onboarding, terminations, bonuses, and salary adjustments.
• Administered international forex salary payments and ensured tax compliance.
• Led payroll budgeting, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Collaborated with HR and Finance to streamline payroll processes and improve efficiency.
• Managed payroll system configurations, user access, and security roles.
• Calculation and payment of increases and bonus for operations and head office staff in alignment with the company policy
• Payment of International Forex employees’ salaries on FNB and ensuring correct tax legislation is applied to the forex employees.
• Payment and recon of Garnishees, medical aid and retirement funds to third party providers.
• EMP201 submission and payment monthly.
• EMP501 Mid-Year and Annual Submission.
• Return of Earnings Annual Submission.
• Maintaining compliance with regulations and managing payroll-related records.
• Collaborate with HR and finance teams, oversee payroll systems, and address any payroll-related issues
• Overseeing the payroll system, ensuring it accurately reflects employee data, benefits, and tax information
• Generating and analysing payroll reports to provide insights into payroll costs, trends, and variances for the Finance Executive as and when required.
• Addressing employee queries related to payroll and benefits.
• Working closely with HR and finance teams on payroll-related matters
• Identifying and implementing process improvements to enhance payroll efficiency and accuracy

PAYROLL SUPERVISOR - SUNCOAST CASINO (TSOGO SUN GAMING)

(2019-06 - 2022-07)

• Supervised payroll team and ensured timely, accurate payroll processing.
• Conducted audits, reconciliations, and compliance checks.
• Assisted with financial reporting, budgeting, and audit operations.
• Mentored and developed payroll staff, conducted performance appraisals, and managed disciplinary processes.
• Ensure the payroll is processed timely and accurately with precision.
• Answering queries from business heads (Financial Manager and GM)
• Ensuring that the payroll administrators’ workload is stabilized and that the team members are functioning with accuracy.
• Monitoring of payroll representatives to ensure that all processes are implemented suitably and promptly with togetherness and efficiency.
• Standing in for the Payroll Manager as required and ensuring the payroll department runs smoothly daily.
• Aid the Payroll Manager daily.
• Direct involvement in payroll accounting and reporting at month end.
• Review of all payroll input daily to ensure the payroll is accurate and deliverance at optimal level.
• Analysing of payroll problems and solutions and recommending improvements to existing payroll processes.
• Assisting with Audit operations and audit recommendations.
• Payroll checks monthly i.e. GL group, Risk and Admin calculations, Rate of Pay, ETI calculations, leave rate/accruals, UIF Status and tax status, ESS active/non active employee checks to name a few.
• Monitor PRP reports to ensure all employees’ rostered shifts are worked and that there are no short shifts worked.
• Assist Payroll administrators with all Payroll functions
• Check all their work daily and do spot checks.
• Check that Payroll Packs are correct.
• Follow up on all discrepancies.
• Assist Import Payroll Packs.
• After packs are in, print payroll and check everything is correct.
• Draft monthly payroll commentaries.
• Print Journals and ACCPAC
• Complete leave audit reports. (Finance Manager and Financial controller)
• Prepare Leave, STI bonus, Xmas Bonus, Public Holiday, Averaging of Hours, SDL Mandatory Levy provision on Excel, then provisions on the General Ledger (ACCPAC)
• Head Office Financial Report; Payroll VS Budget. (HR Group Manager)
• Assist Accounts department with Payroll information for the Financial Pack.
• Reconciling Prior year Actuals to Current year Actuals (PF and Budget Reconciliation)
• Mid-year and Yearend Tax submission.
• Annual Increases
• REASON FOR LEAVING: Better Job Opportunity at Herotel

PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR - SUNCOAST CASINO (TSOGO SUN GAMING)

(2017-04 - 2019-05)

• Processed payroll inputs including earnings, deductions, and benefits.
• Managed employee onboarding, terminations, and leave audits.
• Reconciled payroll with financial systems and third-party providers.
• Promoted to Payroll Supervisor due to performance and leadership.
• Capturing all deductions- staff debtors, sundry deductions, advances.
• Capturing done via batches and checked against schedules received if all is correct and thereafter updated on RL.
• Capturing of annual increments.
• Preparing of medical aid applications for Bonita’s and Discovery and constant liaison on progress of applications submitted.
• Confirmation of employment for employees daily.
• Preparation of advance requisitions for employees.
• Completing pension, medical aid and SARS recons after payroll monthly and ensuring recons are balanced.
• Extraction and payment of salaries on Nedbank and Third-Party Payments.
• Ensuring Garnishees are linked to the correct Garnishers.
• REASON FOR LEAVING: Promoted to Payroll Supervisor

PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR - SOUTHERN SUN GAUTENG REGIONAL SERVICE CENTRE (TSOGO SUN HOTELS)

(2012-04 - 2016-02)

• Handled payroll for 500+ employees across multiple hotels.
• Ensured accurate data capture, reconciliations, and statutory submissions.
• Generated financial reports and liaised with finance teams.
• Termination of employees and ensuring all pay outs are correct and the right payroll system procedure is followed.
• Transferring in and out employees who move to new regions and units.
• Ensuring all hotels salary templates are in on time and imported into DRL, thereafter checking and making sure we balance our Nett and Gross to the hotel’s salary template.
• Capturing of all types of leave for employees in the system and following a leave management process to ensure accurate leave balances.
• Updating of details in the system such as change in bank details, Garnishee statements and other updates.
• Attending to Garnishee queries and constant liaison with attorneys for new balances and implementing these garnishee orders in the system.
• Confirmation of employment daily, attending to employee queries and adjustments to payroll daily.
• Generating monthly reports such as the costing summary, General Ledger Summary and ensuring all balances with the figures on the payroll.
• Issuing of Staff advances, medical aid refunds and ensuring the employee receive their monies.
• REASON FOR LEAVING: Relocated to Durban.

SENIOR PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR - PRIMESERV OUTSOURCING DURBAN

(2007-11 - 2012-03)

• Managed weekly, monthly, and fortnightly payrolls for 500–1000 employees.
• Handled garnishees, tax, and statutory reconciliations.
• Supported financial department with payroll-related reporting.
• Preparing and sending out cheque run.
• Responsible for invoice generations after payroll completion and ensuring invoices are measured against timesheets for distribution to clients.
• Filing invoices daily in an orderly fashion.
• Also involved in client liaison as it plays a vital role in ensuring timesheets are sent to payroll on time for payment.
• Requesting for advances on a weekly basis to ensure client satisfaction.
• Recording and transferring of employee Garnishee and Maintenance to third party companies.
• Recording of payroll, tax information and employee deductions.
• Organizing of figures (funds forecast) for transfer between divisions.
• Correcting all pay discrepancies and using Microsoft Office on a frequent basis.
• Keeping documentation of retirement payments, non-taxable earnings, maternity vacation and sick/leave.
• Resolving employee/employer disputes daily.
• Also assisting with the financial department especially the end of quarters or periods when account reconciliations occur such as PAYE and UIF recons, Road freight Shifts and Manpower reports on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Costing Schedules done as per client requests.
• Responsible for year-end leave and bonus payouts and preparing these schedules for transfers.
• Performing other duties as required by the manager and assisting when the payroll manager is away.
• REASON FOR LEAVING: Better job opportunity with more benefits at Southern Sun.

New Management Programme - WORLDS VIEW ACADEMY (2019)

Payroll Course - UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN (2017)

BA Honours - Culture, Communication & Media Studies - UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL (2004)

National Senior Certificate - APOLLO SECONDARY SCHOOL (2001)