Each household she works for is a separate employer with its own duties. Every one of them registers with the Compensation Fund for COIDA, whatever her hours. For UIF, each household counts only the hours she works for it: a household that gives her 24 hours or more a month registers her and pays 1% plus 1% on what it pays her, and a household below 24 hours does not. You do not need the other households to agree or to register at the same time, and you never pay UIF on what someone else pays her.
How it works, household by household
| Her week | Hours a month with you | UIF for your household? | COIDA for your household? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday at your house, 8 hours | about 34.7 | Yes, on what you pay her | Yes |
| Wednesday at your house, 5 hours | about 21.7 | No | Yes |
| Two 8-hour days at your house | about 69.3 | Yes, on what you pay her | Yes |
Weekly hours times 4⅓ gives the hours in a month. The 24-hour line is about her hours with your household only.
What each household is responsible for
- The minimum wage for the hours she works for you: at least R30.23 an hour, with any day paid as at least 4 hours.
- COIDA: register your household with the Compensation Fund and file a yearly Return of Earnings on what you paid her. Most part-time employers pay the R560 minimum assessment.
- From 24 hours a month with you: UIF registration and contributions, a written contract, a payslip with every payment, and the leave and notice rules of Sectoral Determination 7.
Her UIF when she works for several households
Each household that registers her declares her under its own UIF reference number, on what it pays her. Each employer completes its own UI-19 when its job with her ends.
Where tax comes in
Most domestic workers earn below the income tax threshold (R99,000 a year, about R8,250 a month, for someone under 65 in 2026/27), so usually no PAYE comes off her pay. One exception matters here: a part-time worker who also works for other households may need tax taken off at a flat rate, unless she gives you a written declaration that you are her only employer. See PAYE for domestic workers, or ask us and we will check.
How AskMandla helps
We run the payroll for your household's share of her week: her contract for your days, her pay, her payslips, UIF on your share if you are over the 24-hour line, and COIDA registration and the yearly Return of Earnings for your household, handled by our team behind the scenes. The other households can join separately, each with its own account. R450 once-off and R49 a month per worker, per household.
Questions people ask
Does each employer need to register a domestic worker for COIDA?
Yes. Each household that employs her is an employer under COIDA and registers with the Compensation Fund, whatever her hours with that household.
She works for five households one day a week each. Who pays her UIF?
Each household that gives her 24 hours or more a month registers her and pays 1% plus 1% on what it pays her. One full 8-hour day a week is about 34.7 hours a month, so in that example each household registers her.
Do I need the other employers' details to register her?
No. You register your own household and declare her under your own UIF number, with her ID number, start date and what you pay her.
Sources
- Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001, section 3 (fewer than 24 hours a month "with a particular employer" is excluded)
- Compensation Fund notice to employers of domestic employees, Government Notice 106 of 2021
- Sectoral Determination 7, clause 1(3)