What Must a Domestic Worker Payslip Include in South Africa? The BCEA Compliance Guide

A domestic worker payslip in South Africa must include nine items, drawn from section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act: the employer's name and address, the worker's name and occupation, the period of payment, the wage rate, the ordinary hours worked, any overtime hours worked, gross pay, the value of any deductions including UIF, and net pay.

The Act requires the payslip to be in writing, given to her on her usual payday, and produced regardless of whether she is paid in cash or by EFT. All of these items sit in section 33(1) of the Act. Six of them appear on every payslip without exception; the wage rate and the hours fields appear under section 33(1)(g), which the Act requires whenever they are relevant to the calculation of her pay. For a domestic worker, whose pay is worked out from her hours, they nearly always are. Section 33(2) is a separate provision: it governs where and when the payslip must be handed over, not what goes on it.

This is the calm version of a question that comes up a lot in South African households. There is a separate, longer post on the emotional weight of the payslip that has been unfinished on a kitchen counter for months, and that post sits next to this one for a reason. This one is the technical companion. If you want the system without the reframe, you are in the right place.

The Nine Items the BCEA Requires

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act, in section 33, sets out exactly what has to appear on every payslip. There is no flexibility on the list. Each item does specific work, and missing any one of them puts the payslip outside what the Act recognises as compliant.

The whole list lives in subsection 33(1). Six of its items are required on every payslip without exception. The wage rate and the hours fields come a little further down the same subsection, at section 33(1)(g), where the Act requires them if they are relevant to the calculation of the worker's remuneration.

For a domestic worker, whose pay is worked out from her rate and her hours, that test is met in almost every case, which is how section 33(1) produces the nine items below.

1. The employer's name and address come first. This is you, and this is the address from which the work is performed. For most households, this is the residential address. For households with multiple properties, it is the address she actually works at.

2. The worker's name and occupation come next. Her full name as it appears on her ID, and her job title. "Domestic worker" is the standard occupation. If she does specialised work — a cook, a child-minder, a gardener — that title is what should appear.

3. The period of payment is the dates the payslip covers. For a monthly-paid worker, this is the calendar month. For a weekly-paid worker, the calendar week. The dates should be specific.

4. The wage rate is the hourly rate at which she is paid. From 1 March 2026, this rate must be at or above R30.23 per ordinary hour, the National Minimum Wage. Some households pay above the floor, in which case the higher rate is what appears.

5. The ordinary hours worked is the number of standard hours she put in during the period. Under the BCEA, the maximum ordinary working week is forty-five hours for a full-time worker. Most full-time domestic worker arrangements sit between forty and forty-five ordinary hours a week.

6. Any overtime hours worked is a separate line. Overtime is paid at one and a half times the ordinary rate on a normal day, two times on a Sunday or a public holiday she works. If there is no overtime in a given pay period, the line still appears, with a zero. The presence of the field is part of what makes the payslip recognisable as a BCEA-compliant document.

7. Her gross pay is the total of ordinary hours times the ordinary rate, plus overtime hours times the overtime rate, plus any allowances or bonuses paid in the period. This is her pay before deductions.

8. The value of any deductions is the next line. The most common deduction is UIF — one percent of her gross pay, deducted from her wage. Other deductions are only allowed in narrow circumstances: a court order, a written agreement she has signed for a specific purpose, or a deduction required by another piece of legislation. Random deductions for breakages or shortfalls are not lawful.

9. Her net pay is the final figure: gross pay minus deductions. This is the amount that lands in her bank account or the cash she receives.

Why Each of These Items Earns Its Place

 It is tempting to think of the payslip as a list, and to treat the items as if they were interchangeable. They are not. Each one closes a specific compliance loop, and that is why the law is precise.

The employer's name and address establishes who is responsible. If the Department of Employment and Labour ever needs to follow up — on an unpaid UIF claim, on a leave dispute, on a workplace injury — the payslip is the document that names you as the employer of record.

The worker's name and occupation establishes who the work belongs to. South African domestic working arrangements are sometimes informal in their day-to-day texture. The payslip is what makes them formal where it counts.

The period of payment establishes time. Leave entitlements accrue against time worked. UIF contributions are calculated against time worked. A dispute about whether she was at work in a given week is settled by what the payslip records. Without the period, the rest of the figures float.

The wage rate is the line the National Minimum Wage Act lives on. R30.23 per ordinary hour from 1 March 2026 is what stops the payslip being a document of underpayment. If the rate on the payslip is below the floor, the payslip is evidence of a breach. If it is at or above the floor, the payslip is evidence of compliance.

The ordinary hours and overtime hours together establish the working week. The BCEA caps ordinary hours at forty-five per week and limits overtime to ten hours per week, with rare exceptions. The payslip is the document that demonstrates the cap has been respected. 

The gross pay, deductions and net pay close the financial loop. Gross is what was earned. Deductions are what was lawfully taken off. Net is what was paid. Anyone reading the payslip — her, you, an inspector, an arbitrator — should be able to follow the maths from gross to net without external information. 

What the Payslip Does Not Have to Include 

The list above is the BCEA minimum. Many households add useful information that is not strictly required. Year-to-date totals are useful for her own records. A leave balance summary is useful for both of you. Bank account references are useful for EFT confirmation. None of these are required, but none of them are prohibited either. Adding them does not make the payslip non-compliant; it makes it more useful.

The payslip is also not a contract. The contract is a separate document that sets out the terms of her employment — the days she works, the hours, the rate, the leave terms, the notice periods. The payslip records what was paid in a given period. The two documents work together but they answer different questions. If you do not have a contract in place, the payslip cannot stand in for one.

When the Payslip Has to Be Issued

The Act requires the payslip on payday. For a monthly-paid worker, this is the day she is paid each month. For a weekly-paid worker, the day she is paid each week. The payslip cannot run a month behind. It cannot be issued only when she asks for it. It is part of the payday itself.

The format is flexible. Written can mean printed and handed over. It can mean PDF emailed or sent on WhatsApp. It can mean the payslip the payroll app generates and saves to her file. What matters is that she has a copy, in writing, on payday, that she can keep.

Cash, EFT or Both

A payslip is required regardless of how she is paid. Some households still pay in cash. Some pay by EFT. Some do a mix. The form of payment does not change the payslip requirement. If she is paid in cash, the payslip is her record that the amount was paid; the cash itself does not generate a record. If she is paid by EFT, the payslip is her record of what the EFT was for, since the bank statement only shows the amount, not the breakdown.

What If There Is No Payslip Today

Most South African households who employ a domestic worker have, at some point, paid her without issuing a payslip. The honest answer to "what should I do now" is: start issuing one this month, going forward, and where it is straightforward, reconstruct the most recent few months as backdated payslips so the records are coherent.

You do not need to backdate years. The Act's record-keeping requirement is three years, and the practical question is whether the records of the recent past are coherent enough to answer questions if they come up. A leave dispute in March about leave taken in February will be settled by February's payslip and leave record. The 2019 records, if she is still with you, are less load-bearing.

The first month is the hardest. The next eleven are easier, because the structure is the same. By month thirteen, the payslip is the thing that happens on payday without you thinking about it. Most households who get the first three months done find the rest of it stops feeling like effort.

Note: This post is for general guidance only and is not legal advice. For specific situations, particularly disputes or complex employment arrangements, consult a labour-law professional or the Department of Employment and Labour directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What must be on a domestic worker's payslip in South Africa? The Basic Conditions of Employment Act requires nine items: the employer's name and address, the worker's name and occupation, the period of payment, the wage rate, ordinary hours worked, any overtime hours worked, gross pay, deductions including UIF, and net pay. All nine are required regardless of whether she is paid in cash or by EFT.

2. Is a payslip legally required for a domestic worker in South Africa? Yes. Section 33 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act requires every employer to give every worker a written payslip on her usual payday. Domestic workers are not excluded. The payslip is required regardless of payment frequency, payment method, or whether she works full-time or part-time.

3. What is the wage rate that should appear on a domestic worker payslip in 2026? From 1 March 2026, the wage rate must be at or above R30.23 per ordinary hour, which is the National Minimum Wage. Some households pay above this floor; the rate that appears is the rate she is actually paid at, and it must not be below the floor.

4. What deductions are allowed on a domestic worker's payslip? UIF is the standard deduction, at one percent of her remuneration. Remuneration for UIF includes her wage, leave pay, overtime pay, and bonuses (including a thirteenth cheque), capped at a monthly remuneration ceiling. Other deductions are only lawful in narrow circumstances: a court order, a written agreement she has signed for a specific purpose, or a deduction required by another statute. Deductions for breakages, losses, or shortfalls are generally not lawful.

5. Can I email a domestic worker's payslip or send it on WhatsApp? Yes. The Act requires the payslip in writing, but it does not specify the format. A printed payslip handed over, a PDF sent by email, or a payslip sent on WhatsApp all satisfy the writing requirement, provided she has a copy she can keep.

6. What if I have been paying my domestic worker without a payslip for years? Start issuing payslips this month, going forward. Where it is straightforward, reconstruct recent months — the last three to six — so the records are coherent. The Act requires record-keeping for three years; the more recent records are the load-bearing ones if a question ever comes up.

7. What is the difference between a payslip and a contract? The contract sets out the terms of employment: days, hours, rate, leave, notice. The payslip records what was paid in a specific period. Both are required. The payslip cannot stand in for a contract; the contract cannot stand in for the payslip.

8. How long do I have to keep a domestic worker's payslips? Under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, employer records must be kept for at least three years. This includes payslips, leave records, and contracts.

Sources 

1. Basic Conditions of Employment Act, section 33 (information about remuneration) — Department of Employment and Labour: https://www.labour.gov.za/DocumentCenter/Acts/Basic%20Conditions%20of%20Employment/Act%20-%20Basic%20Conditions%20of%20Employment.pdf

2. Department of Employment and Labour, Basic Guide to Payslips: https://www.labour.gov.za/DocumentCenter/Publications/Basic%20Conditions%20of%20Employment/Basic%20Guide%20-%20Payslips.pdf

 3. National Minimum Wage from 1 March 2026, R30.23 per ordinary hour — South African Government: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-nomakhosazana-meth-increases-statutory-national-minimum-wage-r3023

4. Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act No. 4 of 2002, UIF deduction — National Treasury: https://www.treasury.gov.za/legislation/acts/2002/act04.pdf

The point of the payslip is not the document. The point of the payslip is that there is a record. If you would like a calmer way to keep the record — payslips generated automatically, UIF and leave already calculated in, the whole thing on payday without you having to assemble it — The House Keeper was built for exactly this. Sign up for a free account today.