Choosing help to catch up on months of missed submissions

Months of piled-up UIF and PAYE submissions are a specific crisis. You're not comparing generic bookkeepers—you're hunting someone who can untangle arrears without triggering SARS attention and won't disappear mid-recovery. The right fit is defined by three hard skills and one temperament trait, and how you weight them depends on how deep the hole is.

Can they actually resolve the backlog, not just file it forward?

Many providers will file missing returns. Few will properly reconcile what was deducted from employees versus what was actually submitted to SARS and the UIF. That gap is where penalties live. Before you hire, ask a candidate directly: "If we've missed six months, how would you establish what we owe and what we've already paid?" Their answer should reference the EMP201 (the employer reconciliation statement) and a clear process for comparing payroll records against SARS and UIF receipts. If they say they'll "just get current and move forward," they're not solving the backlog—they're kicking it down the road. You need someone who treats the reconciliation as step one, not an afterthought.

Do they have hands-on SARS and UIF experience, not just software knowledge?

Knowing how to use payroll software is not the same as knowing how SARS and the UIF actually respond to late submissions, amended returns, or discrepancies. Ask whether they've dealt with arrears recovery before, and how. Specifically: have they liaised with SARS compliance teams or the UIF directly when there's a mismatch? Have they corrected employee tax records after a filing error? Someone who has done this twice before will spot problems you haven't yet and handle agency responses faster. Software knowledge alone won't do that. Check whether they're registered with SARS as a tax practitioner if they're acting on your behalf—and ask to see proof.

How responsive are they under pressure?

Backlog situations expose providers quickly. You'll need updates, decisions and answers in days, not weeks. During your initial conversations, pay attention to how fast they reply and how clearly they explain what's holding things up. Ask them directly how they handle queries during a rush—do they respond via WhatsApp, email, or only at set times? Will one person own your file or will you be passed between team members? A provider who's vague about availability during a crisis, or who takes three days to answer a simple question, will leave you stranded when SARS or the UIF makes a query. Speed and clarity under pressure are not personality traits you can ignore here.

What guarantees or backstop do they offer if they get it wrong?

This is harder to nail down than it sounds. You can't ask a provider to "guarantee no penalties"—that's not in their hands if SARS decides to investigate. What you *can* ask is: if they file an amendment and it's later rejected, do they refile it for free? If they calculate the arrears owed and it turns out they miscalculated, do they cover the cost of correction? Some providers carry professional indemnity insurance; asking whether they do is a proxy for taking liability seriously. Others will agree to a payment structure where you pay a deposit and the balance only on sign-off from SARS. You're looking for someone who is willing to stake something on the quality of their work, even if it's just their reputation.

Once you've narrowed the field on these four factors, get a fixed quote in writing and a timeline. Clarify who will communicate with SARS and the UIF if there's a query—it should be clear whether the provider is acting as your agent or whether you'll handle that part. Check that they're willing to work with your existing accountant or bookkeeper, not insist on replacing them. Months of arrears is fixable, but only with someone who combines technical rigour with genuine accountability. On Strove, you can filter payroll providers by whether they specialize in submissions and reconciliation, and their reviews often flag whether they've handled crisis situations well.