Employers can now refer to a set of guidelines on how to issue itemised payslips to employees and what information to include in them.

The tripartite guidelines - developed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation - provide templates of payslips that companies may use and customise based on their own needs. According to the guidelines, the payslip should include items such as basic salary, total allowances and total deductions for each salary period.

In a press release on Monday, MOM said that the tripartite partners "agree that the provision of itemised payslips to employees is a good employment practice" as it raises employee's awareness of their salary components and helps in resolving salary disputes.

MOM intends to mandate the issuance of itemised payslips within the next two year. The guidelines were developed after consultation with various stakeholders, the ministry added.

"We received feedback that many smaller SMEs (small and medium enterprises), especially enterprises such as 'mom and pop' shops and hawkers, find issuing itemised payslips challenging," the ministry said in the release.

"The guidelines therefore aim to prepare these businesses to change their practices in a sustainable way, so that they are able to comply when we make it a legal requirement."

The ministry is also working with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and SPRING Singapore to, by April 2014, provide tools such as simple payslip booklets, downloadable templates, and funding support for companies to develop customised solutions regarding the issuance of payslips.

The move was welcomed by the labour movement. It issued a statement in which it said:

The Labour Movement welcomes these guidelines as it would translate to

greater transparency for workers. Providing workers with itemised payslips will

go some way to help them better understand their salary components as well as

provide a means of proper documentation.

" On the part of workers, we encourage them to keep their payslips properly

and clarify with their employers or HR personnel if they do not understand any of

the components listed in their payslips," it added.