Latest News: iCARE new Maximum ceiling updated on Harvester to 3723.6 and NHIS (NHIMA) Upload Made Easier
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🏥 New: NHIS (NHIMA) Upload Made Easier — Prefix Option + Direct CSV Export
Date: January 2026
NHIS recently changed requirements for some employer health numbers (not employee numbers): a few companies must upload the employer number without the leading letters NHIS. Harvester now gives you a simple option to handle both formats automatically.
- ✅ Employer number prefix option: Go to Settings → Company Settings and use the checkbox
“Does NHIS precede Health No?”.
- Checked (default): Harvester exports employer number as NHIS12345…
- Unchecked: Harvester exports employer number as 12345… (no “NHIS” prefix)
- 📄 Direct CSV export: Harvester now downloads the NHIS upload file as a CSV (not Excel).
- 🔒 Leading zeros protected: Upload the CSV as-is. Avoid opening and re-saving in Excel, because Excel may drop leading zeros in member numbers (e.g. 001234 becomes 1234).
If your NHIS upload is rejected due to the employer number format, just update that checkbox and export again. Need help? Visit our Help page.
📧 New: PDF Payslips & Modern e-Payslips in Harvester Payroll
Date: December 2025
Harvester Payroll Online Zambia now supports both PDF payslips and e-payslips, giving employers a modern, flexible way to deliver secure salary information to employees.
- 📄 PDF payslips: Generate branded payslips for a batch of employees and download them as ready-to-print PDF files.
- 📱 e-payslips: Provide electronic payslips that employees can receive or access digitally instead of handling paper slips.
- 🔐 Secure & compliant: Harvester automatically applies PAYE, NAPSA, NHIMA and other statutory rules to every payslip.
- 💼 For Zambian businesses: Ideal for companies moving away from manual, printed stationery to a modern e-payslip workflow.
Existing Harvester customers can start using PDF payslips and e-payslips immediately. If you need help enabling this for your company, please visit our Help page or create an account.
📑 PAYE 2026: No Changes to Tax Bands or Rates Announced
Date: October 2025
The 2026 National Budget did not announce changes to PAYE tax bands or rates. Employers can therefore continue using the current PAYE structure for payroll calculations, pending enactment of the Finance Act and any ZRA implementation notices.
- ✅ Status: No changes to PAYE bands/rates signalled in the 2026 Budget materials.
- 🔎 Next step: We’ll monitor the Finance Act and ZRA circulars for any implementation updates.
- 🧾 Reminder: Harvester Payroll applies PAYE, NAPSA, NHIMA and other statutory rules automatically.
Reference: Ministry of Finance — 2026 National Budget
🩺 NHIMA Contributions: 1% + 1% on Basic Pay — Not on Extras
Date: October 2025
Many employers and payroll teams have recently asked whether NHIMA (National Health Insurance) contributions in Zambia should include allowances or extras. According to the National Health Insurance Act No. 2 of 2018 and Statutory Instrument No. 63 of 2019, NHIMA remains based on basic salary only — 1% employee and 1% employer, payable monthly by the 10th of the following month.
- ✅ Rate: 1% employee + 1% employer (total 2%)
- 💼 Base: Basic salary only
- 📅 Due date: By the 10th of each following month
- 📄 Reference: NHIMA Act No. 2 of 2018 and SI No. 63 of 2019
Harvester Payroll Online Zambia automatically applies correct NHIMA, PAYE, and NAPSA deductions — keeping your payroll fully compliant.
🎟️ New: Employee ID Card Info
Date: July 2025
We have added an Employee ID Record of all relevant ID numbers including NAPSA, NHIMA, TPIN, Mobile No, BirthDate, Bank etc.
This update helps have all relevant data in one place. It can be exported to Excel. Quickly find missing employee data.
On our reports page, look for the Employee ID Cards.
💸 New: Cash Denomination Support
Date: April 2025
We have added support for Zambia’s latest cash denominations! Your payroll exports will now automatically break down wages into 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5 kwacha denominations.
This update helps cash-paying employers save time when preparing wage packets: especially when working with larger staff groups or field operations.
Harvester is now compliant with the new NAPSA iCARE online upload
Date: June 2025
This makes your payroll exports directly compatible with NAPSA iCARE CSV uploads.
- Employees who have a second name on their NRC. The second name now must be stored in the first-name field by ensuring there is a space between the first and the second name within the same first-name field.
- The second name is not stored in the other name field. The other name field should remain blank on the upload.
- Export from Harvester as normal: NB No re-saving or reformatting required. Simply download and upload without opening the CSV file.
- Ensure every employee has a birth date. If an NRC omits day/month, use 31 for day and 12 for month.
- Offline users: Set Windows “Short date” to
dd/MMM/yy(e.g., 05-Apr-17). - Offline users: When exporting to Excel choose Excel data-only.
- Offline users: Optional Sunfile update (v17.792).
🕒 Previous Updates
- Jan 2025: Optimized page speed and mobile responsiveness for better SEO.
- Nov 2024: Added new options for multi-company switching and reporting filters.
- Aug 2024: Improved salary scale handling for contract and seasonal workers.
Payroll FAQs (Zambia)
Why is my NHIS employer number rejected when it starts with “NHIS”?
Some employers have been issued a numeric-only NHIS employer number (no “NHIS” prefix). In Harvester, go to Settings → Company Settings and uncheck “Does NHIS precede Health No?” so the export matches the required format.
How do I upload the NHIS file without losing leading zeros in member numbers?
Harvester now exports the NHIS upload as a CSV file. Upload the CSV as-is and avoid opening/resaving in Excel, because Excel can drop leading zeros (e.g. 001234 becomes 1234).
Did Zambia change PAYE tax bands or rates for 2026?
No changes were announced in the 2026 National Budget. We’ll monitor the Finance Act and any ZRA notices for updates.
Is NHIMA calculated on basic salary or gross pay?
Under the NHIS Act and SI No. 63 of 2019, NHIMA contributions are 1% employee + 1% employer, calculated on basic salary (not allowances), payable by the 10th of the following month.
Does Harvester Payroll apply PAYE, NAPSA and NHIMA automatically?
Yes. Harvester Payroll keeps statutory deductions compliant and updates rules promptly when official changes are published.
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Join over 400 businesses in Zambia who trust Harvester Payroll Online for accurate, secure, and effortless payroll processing. See what our happy clients are saying in their verified reviews.
All standard Harvester plans include secure PDF payslips and e-payslips for your employees.
Harvester Payroll Pricing Overview
Click the blue plan name in the first column to register or sign up.
| Plan | Employees | Once-off (Year 1) | Renewal Subscription (Year 2 onwards) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All amounts charged in ZMW; kwacha (ZMW) values shown on invoices use the daily exchange rate at purchase or renewal. | |||
| Trial | Up to 99 | $0 | — (10-week trial) |
| Free | Up to 5 | $0 | $80 in ZMW / year |
| Micro | Up to 10 | $100 in ZMW | $95 in ZMW / year |
| Small | Up to 20 | $150 in ZMW | $130 in ZMW / year |
| Medium | Up to 100 | $300 in ZMW | $220 in ZMW / year |
| Large | Up to 200 | $400 in ZMW | $310 in ZMW / year |
| Super | Up to 400 | $450 in ZMW | $350 in ZMW / year |
| Enterprise | Up to 3000 | $500 in ZMW | $0.95 per employee / year |
Explore our flexible pricing plans to suit any size business in Zambia.
Once-off Purchase Price includes first year Renewal: Renewal Price applies after a full year.
Our Package Prices are the best in Zambia.
Prices are converted to ZMW on day of purchase or renewal.
Contact Harvester Payroll Online Zambia
Email: support@harvesteronline.net
WhatsApp Text Only: +260969078711
Location: Plot E, Mazabuka, Zambia
Testimonials: Read Reviews
by Sean Kelly : For the Glory of God
What Businesses Say About Harvester
Excellent support whenever we get stuck. They respond the same day!
It was easy to train our staff and we love the export to Excel and PDF.
