Annual leave is paid time off that your domestic worker earns every year. The legal minimum under South African labour law is 15 working days a year for someone who works a 5-day week. AskMandla builds this leave up for you automatically at 1.25 days a month, keeps track of it when leave is taken via WhatsApp, and shows the balance on the payslip.
What is annual leave?
Annual leave is paid time off that your domestic worker earns each year. South African labour law gives every employee who works 24 hours or more a month for you the right to paid leave. For domestic workers the rules are in Sectoral Determination 7, and the number of days depends on how much they work.
How much annual leave is allowed?
The legal minimum is three weeks' paid leave a year, which is 15 working days if your employee works a 5-day week. You can also agree with your employee to count it as 1 day of paid leave for every 17 days worked, which suits part-time work.
That means:
- A 5-day-a-week worker gets 15 days per year
- A 3-day-a-week worker gets 9 days per year
- A 1-day-a-week worker gets 3 days per year
Weekends and public holidays are not counted unless they are part of the normal working schedule.
How AskMandla calculates leave
15 annual leave days per year works out to 1.25 days per month.
Each month, your employee automatically earns 1.25 leave days. These days build up in their profile and show up on their payslip.
How leave is tracked on WhatsApp
As the employer, you will be prompted, or you can tell us when your employee takes leave, via WhatsApp.
You will enter:
- The type of leave (annual, sick, and so on)
- Start and end dates
- Whether it was paid or unpaid
We will:
- Subtract the days from the employee's leave balance
- Update the payslip
- Notify both parties if the employee has run out of paid leave
If an employee takes more leave than they have earned, that time is treated as unpaid.
Do I have to give 15 days?
For a 5-day worker, yes. Three weeks (15 working days) is the legal minimum, and it cannot be agreed lower. A part-time worker also gets three weeks, counted in their own working days, so the number of days is lower (9 days for a 3-day week).
AskMandla lets you customise the leave days when you set up the contract. You can offer:
- More than the minimum (for example 20 days, or unlimited)
- Fewer days only for a part-time worker, pro-rated to their schedule
The app will always apply the correct accrual based on what you enter.
Where does this show up?
Leave information appears:
- In your WhatsApp chat when you request it
- On the employee's monthly payslip
Common questions
What happens if my employee takes leave without asking?
If the leave is not approved or not communicated, it can be marked as unauthorised absence. This will reflect on the payslip and may lead to unpaid days or disciplinary action.
Can I carry over unused leave to the next year?
Yes, for up to six months. Your employee must be able to take each year's leave within six months after that leave year ends, and you cannot pay out leave instead while they still work for you. That means a strict "use it or lose it" rule at year end is not allowed. Set out in the contract how and when leave is taken.
Does leave accrue during maternity leave?
Yes, on the standard three-weeks-a-year basis, because she is still employed. If you agreed to count leave as 1 day for every 17 days worked, unpaid maternity days do not count towards it.