Choosing Your Track

za_local supports two deployment shapes. Decide which one you are configuring before you start, because it changes what you install and which sections of this guide you follow.

Track A — ERPNext-only (VAT & documents)

Choose this if the client uses ERPNext for accounting, sales and purchasing, and needs South African VAT compliance and SARS-compliant document templates, but runs payroll elsewhere (or not at all).

You get:

• South Africa VAT Settings, VAT rates and vendor types
• Standard-rated, zero-rated, exempt and capital-goods VAT handling
• SA tax-invoice, credit-note, debit-note and order/delivery print formats
• The VAT201 Return working paper with transaction classification and review
• VAT analysis and reconciliation reports

You do not install HRMS. Follow:

1. Foundation Setup (Company, Chart of Accounts, ZA Local Setup)
2. The entire ERPNext-Only Track: VAT & Documents section.

Track B — Full suite (VAT + payroll)

Choose this if the client also runs South African payroll on Frappe HR. This includes everything in Track A plus PAYE/UIF/SDL/ETI, salary slips, EMP201, IRP5 certificates, EMP501 reconciliation, and optionally COIDA and labour reporting.

You install HRMS. Follow:

1. Foundation Setup
2. The ERPNext-Only Track VAT section (VAT applies to the full suite too)
3. Full Suite: Payroll Foundations, Employees, Running Payroll, and Statutory Submissions
4. SA Labour & COIDA as needed.

Quick comparison

COIDA and SA Labour work in both tracks. In the full suite, COIDA's annual return can aggregate earnings directly from submitted salary slips; in the ERPNext-only track you capture earnings manually.

Moving from Track A to Track B later

You can start on Track A and add payroll later. Install HRMS, run bench --site <site> migrate, and the payroll DocTypes, overrides, salary components and SA Payroll workspace activate automatically. Then work through the payroll sections of this guide.