Payroll software for Nigerian companies

Sawa runs payroll for Nigerian companies. It works out each person's pay from their agreement, takes PAYE, pension, NHF and withholding tax by the Nigerian rules, pays staff and contractors when you approve, and shows what you owe each tax office and when. It runs on the web, and staff use it on their phones.

What Sawa does

• Payroll from each agreement. Pay is worked out from what each person agreed: salary, days worked, leave, overtime and one-off pay. Each payslip shows every line that made the number.
• PAYE by the 2026 rules. The Nigeria Tax Act 2025 bands, pension, NHF and accepted reliefs such as rent relief, with PAYE sent to the state where each employee lives. See how PAYE works.
• Pension and NHF. Employee 8% and employer 10% of basic, housing and transport, scheduled for each employee's PFA. NHF at 2.5% of basic for staff who opt in.
• Contractors and withholding tax. Contractors are paid from their invoices, with WHT worked out line by line. See how WHT works.
• Staff and contractors paid. Money moves only when you approve it, and you see each transfer land.
• Attendance and leave. Clocking in and out where your company uses attendance, leave, and public holidays as paid days off.
• Staff requests. Expenses, salary advances and staff loans, where your company offers them, asked for and decided in one place.
• Staff self-service. Staff see their payslips and an annual summary for their tax return on their phone.
• What you owe and when. PAYE for each state, pension for each PFA, NHF and WHT, each with its due date, tracked until paid.

A month on Sawa

1. During the month, staff clock in and out where your company uses attendance, ask for leave, and send expenses or advance requests. Each one lands with the person who decides it.
2. Before pay day, Sawa prepares payroll from each agreement and the month's days, leave and overtime. Contractor invoices come in with WHT worked out.
3. You look it over and approve. Staff and contractors are paid, and each person gets a payslip on their phone.
4. Sawa then lists what the company owes and when: pension to each PFA by the 7th of the next month, PAYE to each state and NHF by the 10th, and WHT by the 21st (Nigeria Revenue Service) or the last day of the next month (a state).
5. You pay each one and file your returns. Sawa keeps track until each is paid.

Who it's for

Nigerian companies with staff, contractors or both. Any team size. It suits the owner or manager who runs payroll today in a spreadsheet, and finds the monthly sums and the different tax offices hard to keep straight. Sawa is in beta in Nigeria.

How Sawa is different

• Compliance first. The Nigerian rules are written into Sawa's engine. Each rule we apply, with its rate, due date and the law behind it, is public on the compliance rules page.
• Tax goes where it belongs. PAYE and WHT follow where each person lives, so a company with staff in three states sees three state revenue services, not one lump sum.
• You decide. Sawa prepares; nothing is paid without your approval.
• One engine. The free calculators run on the same engine as payroll, so you can check any figure yourself.
• Open numbers. What Sawa has processed across every company is on the live numbers page.

What Sawa does not do

Sawa does not file tax returns for you. The company pays its PAYE, pension, NHF and WHT and files its own returns. Sawa works out every amount, shows who it goes to and by when, and keeps track until it is paid.

Pricing

₦1,500 per person, per month. Founding rate until 31 December 2026. Billed on the 1st.

One flat rate per person. See the founding circle for what is included.

Getting started

The first companies on Sawa are set up by hand. We move your records in, in one call, with nothing typed twice. Then we run your first payroll with you: you approve, and we watch it land.

Ask for a spot in the founding circle or book a demo.

Free tools

• PAYE calculator: PAYE, pension, NHF and take-home pay for any salary.
• WHT calculator: the tax to hold back on a contractor payment, and where it goes.
• Cost of a hire: salary plus employer pension, each month and year.
• What your team costs: payroll for the whole team.
• Plan a hire: what hiring for a role will take, from contract to first pay.

Questions people ask

Does Sawa work out PAYE for staff in different states?

Yes. PAYE follows where each employee lives, so Sawa works out what goes to each state's revenue service and when it is due.

Can I pay contractors with Sawa?

Yes. Contractors are paid from their invoices, with withholding tax worked out line by line and grouped by the tax office it goes to.

Does Sawa file my tax returns?

No. The company pays its PAYE, pension, NHF and WHT and files its own returns. Sawa works out each amount, shows who it goes to and by when, and keeps track until it is paid.

Do my staff need to install an app?

No. Sawa is used on the web. Staff open it on their phone to clock in, ask for leave and see their payslips.

Is there a minimum team size?

No. Sawa works for any team size in Nigeria. Pension becomes compulsory at 3 employees, and Sawa can run it below that if you choose.