What the Trade Services Plan Covers
This plan is set up for micro businesses that quote on jobs, buy materials weekly and need steady control of income, expenses and payroll. It suits one person operators just as well as small crews with a few employees or casual workers.
Affo manages the day to day finance admin so you can focus on site work, call outs and customer service. The service is practical and personal, with clear records for tax season, worker payments and month end checks. For many trade businesses in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha, that means less time chasing slips and more time on the tools.
- Monthly bookkeeping for micro trade businesses
- Weekly or monthly payroll runs
- Employee payslips and deductions support
- Leave tracking and new starter setup
- Termination pay and payroll cleanup
Plan Sizes and Working Options
The Trade Services Plan is not a one size setup. It can be matched to the size of your team, how often you pay staff and how much payroll admin you need each month. That keeps the cost sensible for smaller operations and avoids paying for extras you will not use.
For a solo contractor, the focus is usually bookkeeping and owner drawings. For a growing crew, the plan can include weekly wages, leave records, timesheets and holiday payroll cover when someone in the office is away. If your team works across Randburg, Midrand or Sandton and the jobs move quickly from one site to the next, the payroll side can be kept simple and steady.
- Solo trade operator: monthly books, expense capture and basic reporting
- Small crew: payroll for a few staff, payslips and deductions
- Busy field team: weekly wages, timesheets and leave control
- Seasonal demand: holiday payroll cover and cleanup after busy periods
Where It Suits Best
This plan suits plumbers, electricians, painters, tilers, installers and other hands on businesses that spend more time on the road than behind a computer. It is also a good fit for micro firms working from home, a lock up storage space or a small workshop where admin is handled after hours.
South African trade businesses often deal with irregular job timing, supplier accounts, fuel costs and cash deposits. That can make records messy very quickly. Affo helps keep those numbers in order so you can see what has come in, what has gone out and what still needs attention. In coastal centres such as Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha, cleaner records also help when managing seasonal work and staff turnover.
If your business has just a few employees, or you are paying a small team of artisans and helpers, this plan is a better fit than a large accounting package built for bigger firms.
Setup, Access and Information Needed
Getting started is straightforward. You submit your details through the enquiry form on the contact page, then Affo collects the core information needed to set up bookkeeping and payroll properly. The aim is to get the records clean from the start, not to patch up a year of missing paperwork later.
You do not need special equipment, gas or site installation for this service. What you do need is regular access to your bank records, supplier invoices, employee details and any timesheet or wage information you already keep. If your power supply is unstable during load shedding, cloud based record sharing and simple document uploads make it easier to keep things moving from Bryanston, Pretoria or anywhere else in the country.
- Business registration and tax details
- Bank statements and supplier invoices
- Staff names, ID numbers and pay details
- Leave balances, wage rates and deduction instructions
- Any past payroll or bookkeeping records that need cleanup
Monthly Bookkeeping and Payroll Care
The service is built around regular monthly rhythm, because trade work rarely waits for month end. Affo keeps your records updated so wages, supplier payments and job income are reflected properly. That makes it easier to see whether the business is profitable and whether money is being set aside for tax, UIF and payroll obligations.
Payroll is handled with the same attention to detail. Weekly wages, monthly salaries, payslip processing and holiday cover can all be managed in line with your business needs. If an employee leaves or a new person starts, the payroll records are adjusted without creating confusion for the next pay run. The result is cleaner admin and fewer last minute corrections.
For many micro businesses, this support makes the difference between guessing and knowing. You can check labour costs against actual income, spot slow paying customers and deal with municipal or supplier paperwork before it becomes a problem.
What to Check Before You Order
Before you choose the Trade Services Plan, it helps to be clear about how your team works and what level of support you need. A small business with one or two staff members will need a different setup from a trade crew that pays weekly wages and uses casual labour during busy seasons.
Check the details below so the plan matches your operation from the start:
- How many people are on payroll each month
- Whether you pay weekly, monthly or both
- Whether timesheets are used on site
- Whether leave records must be tracked
- Whether you need termination pay and cleanup support
- Whether old records need fixing before the new cycle starts
If you operate across Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha or nearby areas like Bryanston and Midrand, it also helps to confirm how often documents will be shared and who in your team is responsible for sending them through. That keeps the process moving without delays.
Why Micro Trades Choose Affo
Affo is based in Bryanston, Johannesburg and works with micro businesses that need honest, careful financial support. The service is shaped around small business realities: tight margins, uneven cash flow, staff changes and the need to keep records accurate without hiring a full internal admin team.
Thabiso Mokoena leads the business with a team that includes bookkeeping, payroll, compliance and systems support. That means the people handling your records understand both the paperwork and the practical side of running a small trade business. You get personal attention, clear communication and a service that suits the way South African micro businesses actually work, not just the way a textbook says they should. It saves time, and it reduces the stress that comes with missing slips or late wage runs.
Key facts
| Service type | Outsourced bookkeeping and payroll for micro trade businesses |
|---|---|
| Best for | Plumbers, electricians and similar small trade teams |
| Coverage | Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha |
| Payroll options | Monthly payroll, weekly wage payroll, holiday payroll cover |
| Team size | Solo operators to small crews with a few employees |
| Base | Bryanston, Johannesburg |
