Free certificate of service template
When someone leaves, South African law requires you to give them a certificate of service. Fill in this template online with every detail section 42 of the BCEA requires, then print it or save it as a PDF.
Fill in the fields below, then print. To save a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" as the printer. Nothing you type is sent to us.
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
Issued in terms of section 42 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 75 of 1997
What a certificate of service must include
Section 42 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act lists what the certificate must state. This template covers each item:
- The employee's full name
- The employer's name and address
- Any bargaining council or sectoral determination covering the employer's business
- The date employment started and the date it ended
- The employee's job title or a brief description of the work
- The employee's remuneration on the date employment ended
- The reason for termination — only if the employee asks for it
When to give it
Give the certificate when employment ends, together with the employee's final payslip and the UI-19. Employees often need all three to claim UIF. If the UIF asks for a pay history as well, see the UIF salary schedule form.
What not to put on it
- Comments on performance, conduct or disciplinary history
- The reason for leaving, unless the employee asked for it
- Anything that is not a fact from the employment records