What is the minimum wage for a domestic worker in South Africa?

Domestic workers earn the full national minimum wage, gazetted per ordinary hour each March. There has been no separate lower domestic rate since 2022.

Must I register my domestic worker for UIF?

Yes, if they work more than 24 hours a month. Register the household as an employer on uFiling and pay 2% of remuneration monthly — 1% deducted from the worker and 1% from you.

Do domestic workers get a payslip?

Yes. The BCEA requires a written payslip every pay period showing hours worked, the rate, gross pay, every deduction and net pay.

Do I have to register a domestic worker for COIDA?

Yes. Domestic workers have been covered by COIDA since 2020, so household employers must register with the Compensation Fund and file an annual return of earnings.

Does Payroll Africa handle this automatically?

Yes. Payroll Africa applies BCEA and SARS rules on every pay run — public holiday premiums, UIF and SDL contributions, EMP201 totals and payslips are calculated for you and filed-ready.

How much does Payroll Africa cost?

From R90 per month for 2 employees, R401 for 10, R1,712 for 50 and R4,182 for 200 — VAT included, with payslips, leave, self-service and SARS submissions in the price.

Domestic workers

Employing a domestic worker — pay, UIF and payslips

Domestic workers — cleaners, gardeners, nannies, drivers and carers employed in a private household — are covered by the national minimum wage, the BCEA through Sectoral Determination 7, the UIF and, since 2020, COIDA. Households that employ someone for more than 24 hours a month are employers in law and carry the same registration duties as a business.

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Payroll Africa Editorial · SARS Payroll Compliance Team

The Payroll Africa editorial team is composed of registered tax practitioners, payroll administrators and BCEA specialists who maintain the SARS PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI engines that power the platform. Every article is reviewed against the current SARS BRS and Basic Conditions of Employment Act before publication.

SARS registered tax practitioners
SAPA-affiliated payroll administrators
BCEA and LRA compliance reviewers

Last updated 26 Aug 2026

What is the minimum wage for a domestic worker?

Since 2022 domestic workers earn the full national minimum wage, with no lower domestic-worker rate. The NMW is gazetted each March and applies per ordinary hour worked, not per month — so a part-time worker's monthly pay depends on their actual hours.

Multiply the hourly NMW by hours per day and days per month to get the monthly floor. Anything paid above the floor is fine; anything below is recoverable by the worker with interest.

The NMW is an hourly floor, reviewed and gazetted every March
No separate, lower rate for domestic work since 2022
Payment in kind (food, accommodation) may not replace cash wages
Transport money and bonuses do not count toward the NMW
Keep a signed record of hours and pay for three years

Registering a domestic worker for UIF

Any domestic worker employed for more than 24 hours a month must be registered for UIF. The household registers as an employer with the Department of Employment and Labour, then declares the worker and pays contributions monthly.

The contribution is 1% deducted from the worker's wage plus 1% paid by the employer — 2% of remuneration in total, capped at the UIF earnings ceiling. Registration is done on uFiling, which also handles the monthly declaration and debit order.

Register on uFiling (or form UI-8/UI-19 at a Labour Centre)
Employee 1% + employer 1% = 2% of remuneration
Declare monthly, even in months with no change
UI-19 declarations are what make maternity and unemployment claims payable
Issue a UI-2.7 when employment ends

Do domestic workers get payslips and leave?

Yes. Every domestic worker must receive a written payslip showing hours, rate, gross pay, each deduction and net pay. Leave entitlements follow the BCEA: 21 consecutive days of annual leave a year (or one day per 17 worked), 30 days of sick leave per 36-month cycle, three days of family responsibility leave and four months of maternity leave.

A written particulars-of-employment document is compulsory from day one, setting out hours, duties, wage, pay day and notice period.

COIDA and PAYE for household employers

Since a 2020 Constitutional Court ruling, domestic workers are covered by COIDA. The household must register with the Compensation Fund and submit an annual return of earnings so the worker is covered for injury on duty.

PAYE only arises if the worker's earnings exceed the annual tax threshold, which most domestic wages do not. Where they do, the household must register as an employer with SARS and submit EMP201 returns.

COIDA registration is compulsory for household employers
PAYE only where annual earnings exceed the SARS tax threshold
SDL does not apply to households below the R500,000 payroll threshold
Keep employment records for three years after termination

Running it without the paperwork headache

Payroll Africa's smallest plan starts at R90 per month and covers a single domestic employee: NMW-checked wage, automatic UIF calculation, a compliant payslip emailed or WhatsApped each month, leave tracking and the UI-19 data uFiling needs.