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Part-Time Domestic Worker Contract (South Africa)
If someone cleans, cooks, gardens or looks after children in your home — even one morning a week — South African labour law treats you as an employer. Sectoral Determination 7 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act apply to part-time domestic workers just as they do to full-time staff, only with pro-rated numbers. This page gives you a print-ready part-time contract template plus the wage, leave and UIF rules that change when the week is shorter.
Last reviewed June 2026 · wage figures from 1 March 2026
PART-TIME DOMESTIC WORKER EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT
(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 14.
2.2 The place of work is the Employer's home at [WORK ADDRESS].
3. JOB DESCRIPTION
3.1 The Employee is employed part-time as a [HOUSEKEEPER / NANNY / GARDENER / OTHER].
3.2 Duties include: [LIST MAIN DUTIES, e.g. cleaning, laundry, ironing, childcare, garden maintenance] and reasonable tasks related to them.
4. DAYS AND HOURS OF WORK
4.1 The Employee works [NUMBER] day(s) per week, namely [DAYS OF THE WEEK], from [START TIME] to [END TIME].
4.2 The Employee receives an unpaid meal break of [30 MINUTES / 1 HOUR] after five continuous hours of work.
4.3 Ordinary hours will not exceed 45 per week or the daily limits in Sectoral Determination 7.
4.4 A working day may be moved to another day only by agreement between the parties.
5. WAGE
5.1 The Employer pays the Employee R[AMOUNT] per [HOUR / DAY / WEEK / MONTH], which is not less than the national minimum wage (R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026). The wage will be adjusted whenever the national minimum wage increases so that it never falls below the legal minimum.
5.2 If the Employee works on any day, she/he is paid for at least four hours, even if fewer hours are actually worked.
5.3 Payment is made [WEEKLY ON (DAY) / MONTHLY ON THE (DATE)] by [CASH / EFT INTO ACCOUNT NO. [ACCOUNT DETAILS]], together with a payslip showing the period, hours, rate, deductions and net pay.
5.4 The wage will be reviewed once a year on [REVIEW DATE].
6. OVERTIME
6.1 Overtime is voluntary and only by prior agreement.
6.2 Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the ordinary hourly rate, or paid time off may be agreed instead.
6.3 The Employee will not work more than 15 hours of overtime per week or more than 12 hours (including overtime) on any day.
7. SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
7.1 Work on a Sunday is by agreement and is paid at double the ordinary rate, or at 1.5 times the rate if the Employee ordinarily works on Sundays.
7.2 Work on a public holiday is by agreement and is paid at double the ordinary daily rate.
8. ANNUAL LEAVE
8.1 The Employee accrues one day of paid annual leave for every 17 days worked (approximately [NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK x 3] days per year on the agreed pattern).
8.2 Leave dates are agreed in advance and leave is paid at the Employee's ordinary daily wage.
9. SICK LEAVE
9.1 Over each 36-month cycle the Employee is entitled to paid sick leave equal to the number of days she/he would normally work in six weeks (approximately [NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK x 6] days).
9.2 During the first six months of employment, sick leave accrues at one day for every 26 days worked.
9.3 A medical certificate may be required for absence of more than two consecutive working days, or for a second absence within eight weeks.
10. FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY LEAVE
10.1 Paid family responsibility leave applies by law only to employees who have worked for at least four months and who work at least four days per week. [DELETE IF NOT APPLICABLE: The Employee qualifies and is entitled to the leave prescribed by Sectoral Determination 7.]
11. MATERNITY LEAVE
11.1 The Employee is entitled to up to four consecutive months of maternity leave. The leave is unpaid unless otherwise agreed, and the Employee may claim UIF maternity benefits if registered.
12. UIF
12.1 If the Employee works 24 hours or more per month, the Employer will register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, deduct 1% of the wage from the Employee, add the Employer's own 1%, and pay both over to the Fund monthly.
12.2 UIF reference number (once registered): [UIF NUMBER].
13. COMPENSATION FOR INJURIES (COIDA)
13.1 The Employer will register with the Compensation Fund and submit the annual Return of Earnings, so that the Employee is covered for injuries or diseases arising from the work.
13.2 The Employee must report any injury at work to the Employer immediately.
14. TERMINATION
14.1 Either party may terminate this contract in writing with: (a) one week's notice during the first six months of employment; or (b) four weeks' notice after six months of employment.
14.2 The Employer may pay the Employee for the notice period instead of requiring her/him to work it.
14.3 Dismissal will only take place for a fair reason and after a fair procedure. Nothing in this clause permits dismissal without compliance with labour law.
14.4 On termination the Employer will pay all outstanding wages and accrued leave, and provide a certificate of service.
15. DEDUCTIONS
15.1 No deductions will be made from the wage except the Employee's 1% UIF contribution, deductions required by law, or deductions the Employee has agreed to in writing.
16. ACCOMMODATION (IF APPLICABLE)
16.1 [DELETE IF NOT APPLICABLE] The Employer provides accommodation that is weatherproof, with at least one window, a lockable door and access to a toilet and bath or shower. Any deduction for this accommodation will not exceed 10% of the wage.
17. GENERAL
17.1 Where this contract is silent, or where the law is more favourable to the Employee, Sectoral Determination 7 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act apply.
17.2 This is the whole agreement. Changes are valid only if recorded in writing and signed by both parties.
17.3 Each party confirms receiving a signed copy.
SIGNED at [PLACE] on [DATE].
_________________________ EMPLOYER: [FULL NAME]
_________________________ EMPLOYEE: [FULL NAME]
_________________________ WITNESS: [FULL NAME]
Why a part-time worker still needs a written contract
Sectoral Determination 7 (SD7), which governs the domestic worker sector, requires employers to give workers written particulars of employment, a payslip with every payment, and to keep records — payment records must be kept for three years. There is no exemption for part-timers, and a handshake arrangement leaves both sides exposed: you have nothing to point to if a dispute lands at the CCMA, and your worker has no proof of her agreed days, hours and pay.
A good part-time contract pins down exactly which days she works, what happens if a working day falls on a public holiday, how leave accrues on a short week, and how either side ends the arrangement. The template below covers all of this with numbered clauses you simply fill in and sign.
How a part-time contract differs from full-time
Three rules do most of the work in a part-time arrangement. First, the four-hour minimum: under section 9A of the BCEA, a domestic worker who works on any day must be paid for at least four hours, even if the actual work took less. At the national minimum wage that means a daily floor of R120.92 — you cannot book a 'quick two-hour clean' and pay for two hours.
Second, leave pro-rates automatically. Instead of the full-timer's three weeks, a part-timer accrues one day of paid annual leave for every 17 days actually worked (or one hour per 17 hours worked), and paid sick leave equal to the number of days she would normally work in a six-week period, spread over a 36-month cycle. So a two-day-a-week worker gets roughly 6 days' annual leave and 12 days' sick leave per cycle — see the two-days-a-week page for a worked example.
Third, some entitlements fall away below four days a week. Paid family responsibility leave only applies to workers employed for at least four months who work at least four days a week, so a one-, two- or three-day worker does not qualify. Notice periods, however, do not shrink: one week's notice if she has worked for you for six months or less, and four weeks' notice after six months — the same as for a full-timer.
Part-time wages at the 2026 minimum: 1 to 5 days a week
From 1 March 2026 the national minimum wage is R30.23 per hour, up from R28.79, and it applies in full to domestic workers. The table below shows the legal minimum for an 8-hour working day, converting weekly pay to monthly using the standard 4.33 weeks-per-month factor from SD7. These are floors — many households pay above them, and allowances for transport, food or accommodation cannot be counted toward the minimum.
| Days per week | Per day | Per week | Per month (x4.33) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | R241.84 | R241.84 | R1,047.17 |
| 2 days | R241.84 | R483.68 | R2,094.33 |
| 3 days | R241.84 | R725.52 | R3,141.50 |
| 4 days | R241.84 | R967.36 | R4,188.67 |
| 5 days | R241.84 | R1,209.20 | R5,235.84 |
UIF and COIDA: part-time does not mean exempt
UIF registration is required for any domestic worker who works 24 hours or more per month for you. Almost every two-plus-days-a-week arrangement crosses that line, and even a single full day a week does (about 34.6 hours a month). You and the worker each contribute 1% of her wage, and you pay the combined 2% to the Fund by the 7th of the following month; late payment attracts a 10% penalty plus interest. Registration is via uFiling or forms UI-8 and UI-19 at a Department of Employment and Labour office. The only common exception is a short once-a-week arrangement — the one-day-a-week page shows how to do the 24-hour sum.
COIDA (compensation for injuries on duty) has no hours threshold at all. Since the Constitutional Court's Mahlangu ruling in November 2020, all employers of domestic workers — including part-time and once-a-week workers — must register with the Compensation Fund via cfportal.labour.gov.za and file an annual Return of Earnings (the filing window runs 1 April to 31 May). Domestic work is the lowest-risk category at roughly R0.39 per R100 of annual earnings, with a minimum assessment of about R130 a year — cheap insurance against being personally liable for an injury at your home.
How to use the template
The contract below is written for any part-time pattern. Work through it like this:
- Fill in every [PLACEHOLDER] — names, ID numbers, address, start date, days, hours and the wage (check it is at least R30.23/hour).
- Delete the options that don't apply in clauses 4, 5 and 12 (e.g. cash vs EFT, hourly vs daily rate).
- Read it aloud with your worker in a language she is comfortable with, and let her take a copy home before signing if she wants to.
- Sign two copies — one each — and keep yours with her payslip records for at least three years.
- Diarise 1 March each year to check the new minimum wage and adjust clause 5.
Need a contract for a specific number of days?
If your arrangement is a fixed number of days, use the tailored versions instead — each has the leave and UIF numbers already worked out: 1 day per week, 2 days per week or 3 days per week.
Frequently asked questions
Is a part-time domestic worker a 'casual' with no rights?
No. South African law has no rights-free 'casual' category for domestic work. Sectoral Determination 7 and the BCEA apply from the first day, whatever the number of days per week — the minimum wage, the four-hour pay rule, payslips and notice periods all still bind you.
Must I pay her for at least 4 hours even if she finishes early?
Yes. Under section 9A of the BCEA, a domestic worker who works on any day must be paid for a minimum of four hours. At R30.23/hour that is a floor of R120.92 for any working day, however short.
Does UIF apply to a part-time domestic worker?
If she works 24 hours or more per month for you, yes — you must register, deduct 1% from her wage, add your own 1% and pay it over monthly by the 7th. Most arrangements of two or more days a week, and even one full day a week, cross the threshold.
How much annual leave does a part-timer get?
One paid day for every 17 days worked, which works out to about three days' leave per year for each day worked per week — so a 2-day-a-week worker accrues roughly 6 days a year, paid at her normal daily wage.
Can I pay a part-time worker a fixed monthly amount?
Yes, as long as the monthly amount divided by her actual ordinary hours never drops below R30.23 per hour. Use the 4.33 weeks-per-month factor to convert: for example, two 8-hour days a week must come to at least R2,094.33 a month.
Do I really need COIDA for someone who comes once or twice a week?
Yes. Since the Mahlangu Constitutional Court ruling, all employers of domestic workers — including part-time — must register with the Compensation Fund. For domestic work the assessment is low (about R0.39 per R100 of annual earnings, minimum around R130 a year).