No. A 13th cheque or bonus is not required by law. It is your choice. If you do pay one, it is worth being clear about whether it is a guaranteed part of the package or a discretionary gift, because a bonus paid the same way every year can turn into something the worker reasonably expects. If you pay one, AskMandla puts it through the payslip correctly.
Not required by law
There is no legal duty to pay a 13th cheque or a year-end bonus to a domestic worker. Many households choose to, especially in December, but it is a decision, not an obligation.
Guaranteed or discretionary
If you promise a bonus in the contract, it becomes part of the pay. If you pay one every year in the same way, it can also become an established practice the worker expects, even without a promise. If you want to keep it flexible, say clearly that it is discretionary and may change from year to year.
How AskMandla helps
If you decide to pay a bonus, we add it to the payslip correctly, so the record is clean and any tax and UIF are handled properly.