Plain Desk · Guide
Stokvel Year-End Payout Checklist (November, South Africa)
December payout fights usually start in November — when the books are still a WhatsApp scroll. This checklist is for SA savings clubs, grocery stokvels, and burial societies that keep records (not insurance, not a bank).
You do not need a ranking. You need a minute-able sheet before money moves.
Why November, not December
| If you wait until Dec | What breaks |
|---|---|
| Contributions still “open” | Last-minute cash claims with no paper trail |
| Fines/loans live in chat | One person’s memory becomes the dispute |
| No bank vs sheet check | Pool total and bank balance disagree at the table |
| No constitution walk-through | Rules argued after cash is counted |
Open the year-end sheet at least one committee meeting before payout day.
10-step checklist (print or share PDF)
- Freeze the member list — who is in for this cycle’s share-out (per constitution).
- Freeze historical contributions — stop editing old paid flags; dated notes only for corrections.
- Close the fine & loan log — informal advances that only one person remembered become fights.
- Match bank / cash pot to the sheet — difference = investigate before payout, not after.
- Agree the distribution rule — equal share, rotation already paid, grocery vouchers, etc. (as constitution says).
- Compute net ZAR per member — contributions − fines + loan repayments − advances (your rules).
- Export a PDF for minutes — totals/status only; keep full IDs off the group chat (POPIA common sense).
- Minute the meeting — who approved the sheet, payout date, dual-signatory plan.
- Pay out through the club’s bank/cash process — the sheet does not transfer money.
- Start next year’s tracker clean — new cycle file; archive the closed year.
Spreadsheet vs app (honest line)
Apps and free trackers help with “who paid this month?”. Year-end share-out is a different job: freeze books, clear arrears, minute net amounts. Many clubs use sheets (or a one-time treasurer pack) for the audit trail even if they also use an app for reminders.
See also: Download spreadsheet vs stokvel app (SA) · Year-end payout sheet guide.
Burial societies
Keep claim / good-standing urgency separate from grocery or savings share-outs. This checklist is for books — not funeral cover and not claim payouts.
Faceless & COI-safe
Plain Desk is a faceless brand: templates and guides only. Not a bank. Not insurance. Not legal or financial advice. Not a NASASA filing service. No employer niche.
FAQ
When should we start?
Late October / November for calendar-year clubs — before festive spend pressure.
Excel or Google Sheets?
Either. Export PDF for minutes.
Does the checklist pay members?
No. Your bank (or cash process) does. The checklist + sheet are the agreed record.
Get the pack
If you want constitution wording + contribution tracker + fine/loan log + year-end payout sheet in one download:
Plain Desk Stokvel OS · R199 · https://stofficial.gumroad.com/l/ydbgne