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PayFast

PayFast is one of South Africa's most established payment gateways, and TimeWorks integrates with PayFast to unify in-store and online payment processing under a single reporting framework. Whether a customer pays via the PayFast checkout on your website or through a PayFast payment request generated at the till, both transactions flow into the same TimeWorks daily report with VAT correctly allocated. The integration is particularly useful for businesses running both physical stores and WooCommerce or Shopify websites using PayFast as their online checkout.

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WHAT SYNCS

Data That Flows Automatically

  • check_circle PayFast payment requests generated from the POS for in-store use
  • check_circle Payment confirmation received from PayFast API in real time
  • check_circle Online PayFast payments from WooCommerce or Shopify pulled into the POS report
  • check_circle Daily PayFast settlement amounts reconciled with the POS payment totals
  • check_circle Refunds initiated from TimeWorks and processed back through PayFast
  • check_circle Transaction reference numbers matched across PayFast and TimeWorks records
PROBLEM SOLVED

Manual Work Eliminated

auto_fix_high What this integration removes

Removes the manual task of logging into the PayFast merchant console each day to extract settlement data and reconcile it manually against in-store POS totals.

HOW TO GET STARTED
  1. 1 Log into your PayFast merchant account and generate integration merchant ID and key
  2. 2 Enter the PayFast credentials in the TimeWorks payment gateway settings
  3. 3 Configure your WooCommerce or Shopify PayFast plugin to share webhook events with TimeWorks
  4. 4 Test with a complete transaction flow and verify that the PayFast dashboard and TimeWorks report match
WHY INTEGRATE

Key Advantages

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Online and In-Store in One Report

All PayFast transactions, whether from your physical till or your ecommerce website, appear in the same TimeWorks daily summary, eliminating the need to manually combine reports from separate systems.

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Trusted South African Gateway

PayFast has been processing payments in South Africa since 2007 and is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified, which means your customers' payment data meets the highest international security standards.

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Recurring Billing Support

For businesses with subscription or recurring payment models, PayFast's tokenised billing can be linked to customer accounts in TimeWorks, automating monthly charges with a full audit trail in both systems.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common Questions

Does PayFast support all payment methods including credit cards, EFT, and SnapScan? add
PayFast supports multiple payment methods in South Africa including Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, instant EFT via major banks, SnapScan, Zapper, Masterpass, and Mobicred. When a customer pays via the PayFast checkout on your website, they can choose their preferred method. For in-store PayFast payments via a payment request link, the same method selection is available. TimeWorks records the overall PayFast transaction and the specific sub-method is detailed in the PayFast merchant dashboard, giving you visibility into which payment methods your customers prefer.
How quickly does PayFast settle funds to my South African bank account? add
PayFast typically settles funds to your South African bank account within one to three business days, depending on your account type and settlement schedule. Instant EFT payments often settle faster than card payments due to the direct bank transfer nature of the transaction. PayFast provides a daily settlement report that you can reconcile against your bank statement, and the TimeWorks integration pulls the same settlement data into your daily POS reconciliation automatically. Weekend transactions are typically settled on the following Monday or Tuesday due to South African banking processing windows.
Is the PayFast integration suitable for businesses with both a physical store and an online store? add
Yes, this is one of the primary use cases for the TimeWorks-PayFast integration. Businesses running a WooCommerce or Shopify store alongside a physical location benefit significantly from unified reporting. Instead of logging into three separate dashboards, the daily summary in TimeWorks shows in-store sales, online sales, and PayFast settlements all in one place. VAT is correctly allocated on both channels, and your bookkeeper receives a single reconciled report that covers all trading activity for the SARS VAT period.
GET CONNECTED

Ready to Integrate PayFast?

Book a free demo and our team will walk you through the PayFast integration live, answer your technical questions, and provide a no-obligation quote tailored to your business size and location.

Book a Free Demo Call 0861 736 767