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Deductions reduce gross pay before net is calculated. DishInk ships four presets tuned for Zambian restaurants and supports fully custom deductions on top.

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Presets

Zambia Standard

PAYE 25% + NAPSA 5%. The default for most staff.

Basic

Only NAPSA 5%. Suits low-income staff below the PAYE threshold.

Full Package

PAYE + NAPSA + Health Insurance + Skills Levy. For senior staff on comprehensive packages.

Hospitality

PAYE + NAPSA + Uniform Levy + Meal Deduction. Bundled for front-of-house staff.
Deductions

Deductions tab with preset chips and per-staff assignment.

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Assigning a preset

1

Open the Deductions tab

Staff → Payroll → Deductions.
2

Choose scope

Assign a preset to a single staff member, a role, or the whole team as a default.
3

Pick a preset

Click the preset chip.
4

Adjust rates if needed

You can override any individual line (for example, drop PAYE to 20% for a specific staff member).
5

Save

Future payroll records use the new preset.

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Creating a custom deduction

1

Click Add Custom Deduction

Opens the deduction editor.
2

Name and describe

Example: “Locker fee”, “Late fine”, “Loan repayment”.
3

Choose type

Percentage of gross, fixed amount per period, or one-off.
4

Assign

Select staff members. One-off deductions apply once and expire.
5

Save

Appears on the next generated pay slip.

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How deductions interact with net pay

  1. Gross pay is calculated (hours or salary + commission).
  2. Tips are added.
  3. Percentage deductions are calculated on gross pay (not gross + tips) unless the deduction is configured otherwise.
  4. Fixed and one-off deductions are subtracted.
  5. Approved salary advances scheduled for this period are subtracted.
  6. Net pay = the remainder.
If Allow negative net pay is off (see Payroll Settings), deductions cap at gross so net is never below zero. Residual deductions defer to the next period.

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Statutory reference (Zambia)

PAYE bands change with Zambian budget cycles. Review presets after every budget announcement or consult your accountant. The Zambia Standard preset uses a simplified single-rate model — confirm with your tax advisor before using in production.

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Tips and best practices

  • Start with Zambia Standard and only diverge when finance requests it.
  • Add loan repayments and locker fees as custom deductions, never as ad-hoc pay slip edits.
  • Use one-off deductions for fines and short-term recovery items.
  • Communicate any new deduction to affected staff before the pay run, not after.

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Common mistakes

  • Applying PAYE to below-threshold staff. Use the Basic preset instead.
  • Double-counting NAPSA. Only the employee portion appears on the pay slip; the employer side is a business expense, not a staff deduction.
  • Custom deduction with no end date. For loan repayments, always set the total amount or duration to avoid over-recovery.
Last modified on July 19, 2026