Every statutory deadline for the year on one page, PAYE by the 9th, SHIF, NSSF, the Housing Levy, NITA and the annual return season. Download and pin it up.
A compliance calendar is the single most useful document a payroll team can maintain. It turns a scattered set of statutory obligations into a predictable rhythm, assigns ownership, and makes the evidence for each filing easy to find. Without one, deadlines arrive by surprise, and surprise filings are where mistakes happen.
Monthly deadlines
PAYE is due by the 9th of the following month. SHIF, NSSF and the Affordable Housing Levy follow similar monthly cycles, each with their own return and payment schedule. NITA contributions are also monthly for most employers. The practical approach is to treat the 9th as the anchor date and work backwards, leaving room for review before submission.
Each monthly filing should be prepared, reviewed and approved before the deadline, not on it. A calendar that schedules the internal check two days before the statutory deadline gives the team time to catch and fix errors without rushing.
Annual obligations
The annual return season brings a heavier workload. Employer annual returns, P9A forms and reconciliations all fall due at the same time, and the evidence required is more detailed than the monthly filings. Planning for this in advance, with a clear owner, a checklist and a timeline, prevents the last-minute scramble that leads to resubmissions.
Making the calendar work
A good compliance calendar is more than a list of dates. It assigns ownership for each filing, leaves room for review, and links to the evidence pack for each return. When a deadline is missed, the calendar should make it obvious who was responsible and what happened, not so blame can be assigned, but so the process can be fixed.
Set reminders for PAYE, SHIF, NSSF, the Housing Levy and other applicable returns, then schedule an internal check before each deadline rather than on the deadline itself. The goal is to make compliance boring, predictable, repeatable and uneventful.