Cashed a cheque for R 18 400 to pay for wages. VAT is levied at 15%. The columns in the cashbook payments affected by this transaction are...

A cheque was cashed for R 18 400. This means the Bank account decreases by R 18 400. So, the Bank column in the cashbook payments will show R 18 400.

Wages are generally exempt from Value Added Tax (VAT). This means that no VAT is charged on wages, and therefore, there is no input or output VAT to account for in this transaction. The statement "VAT is levied at 15%" is a distractor in this context, as it does not apply to wages.

Since wages are VAT exempt, the entire amount paid, R 18 400, represents the wages expense. In a cashbook payments journal, expenses that don't have a dedicated column (like wages often don't) are recorded in the "Sundry Accounts" column, with the specific expense detailed in the "Details of Sundry Accounts" column.

• The Bank column should show R 18 400.
• No VAT column (input or output) should be affected.
• The Sundry Accounts column should show R 18 400.
• The Details of Sundry Accounts column should specify "Wages".

Let's evaluate the options:

• a. Incorrect due to "VAT output R 2 400" and "Sundry accounts R 16 000".
• b. Correct. Bank R 18 400, Sundry accounts R 18 400, Details of sundry accounts, Wages. This accurately reflects the payment of VAT-exempt wages.
• c. Incorrect due to "VAT input R 2 400" and "Sundry accounts R 16 000".
• d. Incorrect because the Bank amount is R 16 000, not R 18 400.

The correct option is b.

The final answer is $\boxed{\text{b}}$