Guides and answers
Everything about employing someone in your home, in plain language with the law cited and every figure dated. Search for your question, or browse by topic.
Getting started
Employing a domestic worker in South Africa: the complete guide
The contract, UIF, COIDA, pay, leave, payslips and endings, in one read.
How does AskMandla work?
AskMandla is a WhatsApp service that helps you employ a domestic worker legally, from the contract and UIF admin to monthly payslips and salary payments.
What do I need to sign up for AskMandla?
To sign up you need a smartphone with WhatsApp plus a few basic details about you and your worker, such as ID numbers, a start date, working hours, and salary.
Customer case studies
The household that told us our contract did not fit
A household with three workers stopped a contract mid-signature because the standard terms did not fit a flexible arrangement. A customer case study of what happened when a customer pushed back.
Drawing wages she had already earned, before payday
A domestic worker drew part of her earned wages five times over three months. A customer case study of what she asked for, what she was quoted, and the two times we said no.
When a new hire did not work out in the first month
A Gauteng household hired their first part-time worker after their live-in of 18 years retired. It ended within the month. A customer case study of a short employment that still ended lawfully.
Her worker had no smartphone, and it still got done
A Gauteng household signed up a worker of about 15 years who had no smartphone, no street address and limited English. A customer case study of the hardest kind of onboarding, delays and all.
One household, from first contract to a lawful goodbye
Michelle came to us to get her domestic worker onto fair wages. Three months later the same WhatsApp thread had produced a signed contract, a corrected underpayment, and a retrenchment done properly.
She knew the rules and still could not comply
Lee-Ann was not confused about the law and not unwilling to follow it. She had two workers on formal contracts inside two weeks, and her own words explain why she could not do it alone.
For employers
For workers
Pay & wages
The domestic worker minimum wage in 2026
R30.23 an hour, the 4-hour rule, and what fair pay looks like.
2026 national minimum wage update
From 1 March 2026 the national minimum wage rises to R30.23 an hour, and domestic workers get the same rate, taking a full-time monthly minimum to R5,894.85.
How billing works: salary, subscription, and fees
Each month you get one invoice covering your worker's salary, any UIF and deductions, and the AskMandla subscription fee, paid by EFT with no extra fees.
Minimum wage update: the March 2026 increase
The national minimum wage rose from R28.79 to R30.23 an hour on 1 March 2026, a 5% increase that applies to domestic workers in full.
The 2026 squeeze: rising living costs for employers and domestic workers
When household costs rise you can change a domestic worker's hours only by written agreement, because cutting them on your own to offset the minimum wage is an unfair labour practice.
Should you add a transport allowance when fuel prices rise?
When fuel and taxi fares go up, split the pay into a basic wage plus a separate transport allowance, because transport money does not count towards the minimum wage.
UIF & COIDA
How to register your domestic worker for UIF
Who must register, the 24-hour rule, and the two ways to do it.
COIDA, explained for households
Injury-on-duty cover, the 2021 ruling, and the annual return.
The new 10% penalty for late COIDA submissions
Late COIDA Return of Earnings submissions now carry an automatic 10% penalty; here is what household employers must submit and how to get it done early.
How UIF registration and payments work
UIF is a legal requirement for domestic workers who work more than 24 hours a month, it costs 2% of salary split between you and your worker, and AskMandla handles the registration and monthly UIF admin for you.
Contracts & endings
How to issue a warning legally and respectfully
A warning is an official record of a problem with behaviour or performance; here is when to use each type, how long each stays valid, and how AskMandla helps you issue and track it.
Can I use my own contract with AskMandla?
Yes, you can upload and store your own signed contract, but the AskMandla contract is built to keep you legally compliant, so here is what each option means.
What happens when employment ends
How to end employment legally and fairly, covering notice periods, final pay, unused leave, desertion, UIF paperwork, and how AskMandla handles it all on WhatsApp.
Leave
How annual leave works and how it's tracked
Your domestic worker earns paid annual leave each year, and AskMandla builds it up automatically, tracks it on WhatsApp, and shows the balance on the payslip.
How sick leave works, and when it's paid
Your worker gets paid sick leave based on how many days a week they work, counted over a 3-year cycle, and AskMandla tracks it on WhatsApp and shows it on the payslip.
Payslips
Understanding your payslip line by line
A plain-language guide to every part of a domestic worker's payslip, from basic salary and UIF deductions to leave tracking and net take-home pay.
Payslips are the key to financial access for domestic workers
A payslip turns your domestic worker's income into proof she can use to open a bank account, rent a home or get affordable credit, and it costs you nothing extra to issue.
Using WhatsApp
How documents are signed and shared on WhatsApp
Sign contracts, warnings and other employment documents on WhatsApp, with no app, no printer and secure storage you can open any time.
How to use WhatsApp with AskMandla
AskMandla runs entirely on WhatsApp, with no app to download or website to log into; you chat to handle contracts, payslips, leave, documents, and support.
Money & banking
Sector & news
What AskMandla learned in its first year
A look back at AskMandla's first year, with over R5 million in salaries processed, nearly 1,000 payslips issued and the launch of Earned Wage Access.
From informal to empowered: how household work is changing in South Africa
Household work in South Africa is shifting from informal, undocumented jobs to formal, documented employment, and both workers and employers gain from it.
The state of the domestic sector 2026
From 1 March 2026 the minimum wage for domestic workers is R30.23 an hour, but the legal floor has risen faster than many households can afford, splitting the sector into a formal tier and a large informal one where pay often falls below the minimum.
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