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COIDA and Domestic Workers: What Every Household Employer Must Do

If someone works in your home — a housekeeper, nanny, gardener or carer — you are legally required to register with the Compensation Fund so they are covered if they are injured on the job. This has been the law since the Constitutional Court's Mahlangu judgment in November 2020, yet many households still have no idea the duty exists. This guide walks you through registration, the annual return, and what to do if your worker is hurt at work.

Last reviewed June 2026 · wage figures from 1 March 2026

The Mahlangu ruling: why domestic workers are now covered

For decades, the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) excluded domestic workers in private households from its definition of 'employee'. That changed with Mahlangu and Another v Minister of Labour and Others [2020] ZACC 24, decided by the Constitutional Court on 19 November 2020. The case was brought after Maria Mahlangu, a domestic worker of 22 years, drowned at her employer's home in 2012 — and her family discovered they could claim nothing from the Compensation Fund.

The Court struck down the exclusion in section 1(xix)(v) of COIDA as unconstitutional, and made the order retrospective to 27 April 1994. In practical terms: domestic workers injured at work — even before 2020 — may claim from the Fund, and every household employer now carries the same registration duties as any other employer.

Your duty: register with the Compensation Fund

COIDA registration is separate from UIF, and it applies regardless of how few hours your worker works — unlike UIF, there is no 24-hour-a-month threshold. If you employ anyone in your home, you should register as a domestic employer with the Compensation Fund.

In exchange, the Fund — not you personally — pays for medical treatment, temporary or permanent disablement, and death benefits if your worker is injured or contracts a disease in the course of their work. Without registration, those costs can land on you directly. Workers can read what this cover means for them on our domestic worker rights page.

How to register, step by step

The Compensation Fund created a dedicated registration route for private households, published in Government Gazette No. 44250 (Notice 106 of 2021). You will need to complete the CF-1E form (Application for Registration of Domestic Worker Employers) and submit it with supporting documents.

• Download the CF-1E form from the Department of Employment and Labour website (labour.gov.za).
• Attach a copy of your ID, passport or work permit, and proof of your residential address.
• Attach a copy of your worker's ID or passport and a copy of the employment contract.
• Email the pack to RegistrationCF@labour.gov.za (or CFCallcentre@labour.gov.za), or hand it in at your nearest Labour Centre. Online submission is also available through the Department's online services portal (cfonline.labour.gov.za/OnlineSubmissions).
• Keep proof of submission and the registration number you are issued — you will need it for returns and claims. The Fund's call centre is 0860 105 350 if you get stuck.

The annual Return of Earnings (ROE)

Registration is not a once-off. Every registered employer must file a Return of Earnings (the W.As.8 / ROE) each year, declaring what you paid your worker so the Fund can calculate your assessment (the annual premium). For 2026, the submission window opened on 1 April and closes on 30 June 2026, with filing done online at roe.labour.gov.za.

Miss the deadline and a 10% penalty is added to your assessment automatically, with interest accruing on amounts unpaid 30 days after your assessment notice. Domestic employers pay a modest minimum assessment — budget for a small annual amount rather than a per-claim cost. Diarise April each year: file the return, pay the assessment, and your cover continues.

When your worker is injured at work: the claim process

Act quickly — the timeline matters. You must report the accident to the Compensation Commissioner within 7 days of learning about it, even if you doubt the version of events. Reporting is done on form W.CL.2 (Notice of Accident and Claim for Compensation): you complete Part A with the employer and accident details, and give Part B to your worker to hand to the treating doctor or hospital.

First, get the worker medical attention and tell the doctor it is a workplace injury so the practice bills the Compensation Fund rather than the worker. After the claim is registered, the Fund issues a claim number (historically posted on a W.CL.55 card) that must be quoted on all medical reports and correspondence. Claims and documents can be processed through the Fund's CompEasy online system (compeasy.labour.gov.za). The Fund then pays medical costs and compensation for time off work directly — you should not deduct anything from the worker's pay because they claimed.

What happens if you never registered

Non-registration does not protect your worker from injury — it just shifts the financial risk to you. If an unregistered employer's worker is injured, the Director-General can impose a fine of up to the full amount of compensation payable for that accident, on top of recovering outstanding assessments. A serious injury or death claim can run to amounts no household wants to self-fund.

Enforcement is also tightening: the COIDA Amendment Act provisions brought into force from early 2026 introduce an administrative penalty regime in place of slow criminal prosecutions, making it easier for the Fund to penalise non-compliant employers. The safer, cheaper route is simply to register, file your ROE every April-to-June window, and keep your records. Registration also pairs naturally with your UIF duties — both are covered in our overview of domestic worker protections.