Home › Contract Templates › Domestic Worker Contract: 3 Days Per Week
Domestic Worker Contract: 3 Days Per Week
Three days a week is a substantial employment relationship — often the same worker for years, paid monthly, central to how the household runs. At this level UIF is unequivocally compulsory, leave is significant enough to budget for, and a proper written contract is the difference between a smooth relationship and an expensive CCMA lesson. Below: a tailored three-day contract, the 2026 monthly wage table, and the registration steps most employers still skip.
Last reviewed June 2026 · wage figures from 1 March 2026
EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT: DOMESTIC WORKER — THREE DAYS PER WEEK
(Complies with Sectoral Determination 7: Domestic Worker Sector and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997)
1. PARTIES
1.1 Employer: [FULL NAME OF EMPLOYER], ID number [EMPLOYER ID NUMBER], of [EMPLOYER ADDRESS] ("the Employer").
1.2 Employee: [FULL NAME OF EMPLOYEE], ID/passport number [EMPLOYEE ID NUMBER], of [EMPLOYEE ADDRESS] ("the Employee").
2. COMMENCEMENT AND PLACE OF WORK
2.1 Employment begins on [START DATE] and continues until terminated in terms of clause 13.
2.2 The place of work is the Employer's home at [WORK ADDRESS].
3. JOB DESCRIPTION
3.1 The Employee is employed as a [DOMESTIC WORKER / HOUSEKEEPER / NANNY / GARDENER] for three days per week.
3.2 Duties: [LIST MAIN DUTIES] and reasonable related tasks.
4. WORKING DAYS AND HOURS
4.1 The Employee works three days per week, on [DAY 1], [DAY 2] and [DAY 3], from [START TIME] to [END TIME] each day ([NUMBER] hours per day; approximately [NUMBER x 3] hours per week).
4.2 A working day may be swapped for another day in the same week by mutual agreement; swaps are once-off unless recorded in writing as permanent.
4.3 If the Employer cancels a working day without agreeing a swap, the Employee is still paid for that day.
4.4 If the Employee works on any day she/he is paid for at least four hours, even if fewer hours are worked.
4.5 The Employee receives an unpaid meal break of [30 MINUTES / 1 HOUR] after five continuous hours of work.
5. WAGE
5.1 The wage is R[AMOUNT] per month (or R[AMOUNT] per [DAY / WEEK]), equal to R[HOURLY AMOUNT] per hour, which is not less than the national minimum wage (R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026) and will be adjusted whenever the national minimum wage increases.
5.2 Payment is made monthly on the [DATE] of each month (or [WEEKLY ON (DAY)]) by [CASH / EFT], with a payslip showing the period, days and hours worked, rate, deductions and net pay.
5.3 The wage will be reviewed once a year on [REVIEW DATE].
6. EXTRA DAYS, OVERTIME, SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
6.1 Extra days are voluntary, by prior agreement, and paid at not less than the ordinary daily rate.
6.2 Hours beyond the ordinary daily hours are overtime, paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate, limited to the maximums in the BCEA.
6.3 Work on a Sunday that is not an ordinary working day is paid at double the rate (1.5 times if Sunday is an ordinary working day).
6.4 If a public holiday falls on a working day, work on it is by agreement and paid at double the ordinary daily rate.
7. ANNUAL LEAVE
7.1 The Employee accrues one day of paid annual leave for every 17 days worked — approximately nine paid working days per year on this pattern.
7.2 Leave dates are agreed in advance and leave days are paid at the ordinary daily wage.
7.3 If the household closes for a period (e.g. December), accrued annual leave is used first; any arrangement for additional days is recorded in writing at the time.
8. SICK LEAVE
8.1 Over each 36-month cycle the Employee is entitled to eighteen paid sick days (the days normally worked in a six-week period on this pattern).
8.2 During the first six months of employment, sick leave accrues at one day for every 26 days worked.
8.3 A medical certificate may be required for absence of more than two consecutive working days or a second absence within eight weeks.
9. FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY AND MATERNITY LEAVE
9.1 Paid family responsibility leave applies by law only to employees working at least four days per week and therefore does not apply to this contract; unpaid compassionate time off may be agreed when needed.
9.2 The Employee is entitled to up to four consecutive months of maternity leave, unpaid unless otherwise agreed; UIF maternity benefits may be claimed.
10. UIF
10.1 The Employee's hours exceed 24 per month and UIF is compulsory. The Employer is registered (or will register) with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, deducts 1% of the wage from the Employee, adds the Employer's own 1%, and pays both over to the Fund monthly by the 7th of the following month, declaring the actual wage paid.
10.2 UIF reference number: [UIF NUMBER].
11. COMPENSATION FOR INJURIES (COIDA)
11.1 The Employer is registered (or will register) with the Compensation Fund via cfportal.labour.gov.za and will submit the annual Return of Earnings so that the Employee is covered for injuries or diseases arising from the work.
11.2 The Employee must report any injury at work to the Employer immediately.
12. DEDUCTIONS
12.1 No deductions are made from the wage except the Employee's 1% UIF contribution, deductions required by law, or deductions agreed in writing. Breakages may not be deducted without the Employee's written agreement.
13. TERMINATION
13.1 Either party may terminate this contract in writing with one week's notice during the first six months of employment, or four weeks' notice after six months.
13.2 The Employer may pay the wage for the notice period instead of requiring it to be worked.
13.3 Dismissal requires a fair reason and a fair procedure. Termination for the Employer's operational requirements may create an additional severance pay obligation under labour law.
13.4 On termination the Employer pays outstanding wages and accrued leave and provides a certificate of service.
14. GENERAL
14.1 Where this contract is silent, or the law is more favourable to the Employee, Sectoral Determination 7 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act apply.
14.2 Changes are valid only in writing, signed by both parties. Each party receives a signed copy.
SIGNED at [PLACE] on [DATE].
_________________________ EMPLOYER: [FULL NAME]
_________________________ EMPLOYEE: [FULL NAME]
_________________________ WITNESS: [FULL NAME]
Three days a week: firmly inside the system
Whatever the arrangement is called at home, three days a week makes your worker an employee under Sectoral Determination 7 with the full toolkit of rights: minimum wage, a written contract, payslips, paid annual and sick leave, notice on termination and a fair-dismissal process. There is no hours-based escape hatch at this level — three days a week is roughly 13 working days a month, so even the shortest lawful days put her far over the UIF threshold of 24 hours a month.
Most three-day workers are paid a fixed monthly wage, which is fine as long as the arithmetic holds: monthly pay divided by her ordinary monthly hours (hours per day x 3 x 4.33) must be at least R30.23 from 1 March 2026.
Monthly wage table for 3 days a week (2026)
The table below shows legal minimums at R30.23 per hour using the 4.33 weeks-per-month conversion. Remember every working day must be paid as at least four hours (R120.92), and transport, food or accommodation allowances cannot be counted toward the minimum.
| Hours per day | Per day | Per week (3 days) | Per month (x4.33) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | R120.92 | R362.76 | R1,570.75 |
| 5 hours | R151.15 | R453.45 | R1,963.44 |
| 6 hours | R181.38 | R544.14 | R2,356.13 |
| 8 hours | R241.84 | R725.52 | R3,141.50 |
| 9 hours | R272.07 | R816.21 | R3,534.19 |
UIF and COIDA: the registrations you must do
UIF first. Register as a domestic employer on uFiling (or submit forms UI-8 and UI-19 to a Department of Employment and Labour office); you get one employer UIF number covering all your domestic staff. Each month, deduct 1% of her wage, add your own 1%, and pay the 2% over by the 7th of the following month — for example, March contributions by 7 April. Declare her actual wage each month so her benefit record is accurate; arrears attract a 10% penalty plus interest, and registration cannot be backdated to paper over missed years.
COIDA second, and separately. Since the Constitutional Court's Mahlangu judgment (November 2020) declared the exclusion of domestic workers unconstitutional, every household employer must register with the Compensation Fund — done online at cfportal.labour.gov.za — and file a Return of Earnings each year between 1 April and 31 May. Domestic work sits in the lowest-risk category at roughly R0.39 per R100 of annual earnings, with a minimum assessment around R130, and the cover protects you: an unregistered employer can be held personally liable for a workplace injury.
Leave at three days a week
Annual leave accrues at one paid day per 17 days worked: about 156 working days a year gives her nine paid leave days annually — three of her three-day weeks, mirroring the full-timer's three weeks. Sick leave over each 36-month cycle equals her normal six weeks of working days: eighteen paid sick days, accruing at one day per 26 days worked during the first six months, with a medical certificate claimable after more than two consecutive days off or two absences inside eight weeks.
Note the four-day line: paid family responsibility leave only applies from four working days a week, so a three-day worker just misses it. Maternity leave is up to four consecutive months, unpaid unless you agree otherwise, with UIF maternity benefits available because she is registered.
Extra days, swaps and overtime
Three-day arrangements flex more than most — a dinner party, a deep clean before guests, holiday cover. Handle the flexing by the rules: an agreed extra day is paid at her normal rate (it is not automatically overtime), hours beyond her ordinary daily hours are overtime at 1.5 times the rate, Sunday work outside her normal pattern is double, and a worked public holiday is double the daily rate. Keep extra days occasional; if 'three days' has quietly become four or five, sign a new contract reflecting reality — at four days she also gains family responsibility leave.
Ending the contract properly
Notice is one week in writing during the first six months and four weeks after that, or payment in lieu. Retrenchment-style terminations (you emigrate, downscale, move into a lock-up-and-go) are dismissals for operational requirements, which carry severance pay obligations in addition to notice — take advice before acting. On any termination, pay out accrued leave and provide a certificate of service.
Different pattern? See the one-day and two-day versions, or the general part-time contract with a wage table for one to five days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum monthly wage for three 8-hour days a week?
R3,141.50 from 1 March 2026: R30.23/hour x 8 hours x 3 days x 4.33 weeks per month. For full 9-hour days it is R3,534.19. A fixed monthly wage is fine as long as it never works out below R30.23 per ordinary hour.
Is UIF compulsory at three days a week?
Yes, without exception in practice. Three days a week is about 13 working days a month, so even four-hour days total roughly 52 hours — more than double the 24-hour threshold. Register, deduct 1%, add your 1%, and pay by the 7th of the following month.
How much leave does a 3-day-a-week worker get?
Nine paid annual leave days a year (one per 17 days worked — three of her working weeks) and eighteen paid sick days over each 36-month cycle. She does not qualify for family responsibility leave, which starts at four days a week.
If she works an extra day one week, is that overtime?
Not automatically. An agreed extra day at her normal daily rate is ordinary pay; overtime at 1.5 times only kicks in for hours beyond her ordinary daily hours. A Sunday outside her normal pattern is double, and a worked public holiday is double the daily rate.
What notice applies if I no longer need her?
One week in writing during the first six months, four weeks after that, or payment in lieu. If the reason is your circumstances (moving, downsizing, emigrating), that is an operational-requirements dismissal which can also trigger severance pay — get advice before you act.
What does COIDA cost for one three-day-a-week worker?
Very little. Domestic work is the lowest-risk category at about R0.39 per R100 of annual earnings, with a minimum assessment of roughly R130 a year. You register once at cfportal.labour.gov.za and file a Return of Earnings each year between 1 April and 31 May.