Your domestic worker gets paid sick leave under South African labour law. How much they get depends on how many days a week they work, and it is counted over a 3-year cycle rather than per year. A worker who works 5 days a week gets 30 days of paid sick leave over 3 years. In their first 6 months there is a different rule: 1 paid sick day for every 26 days worked. You report any absence to us on WhatsApp, we work out whether the day is paid or unpaid, deduct it from the balance, and show it on the payslip.
What sick leave is
Sick leave is paid time off that your domestic worker can take when they are ill or injured. South African labour law gives employees a fixed amount of paid sick leave over a 3-year cycle, not per year.
How much sick leave your worker gets
The amount depends on how often your employee works. Over each 3-year cycle:
- 6 days a week: 36 days
- 5 days a week: 30 days
- 4 days a week: 24 days
- 3 days a week: 18 days
- 2 days a week: 12 days
- 1 day a week: 6 days
This is equal to the number of days they work in 6 weeks, over a 3-year period.
New employees in their first 6 months
During the first 6 months of employment, sick leave is limited to 1 day of paid sick leave for every 26 days worked. After the 6-month mark, the full 3-year cycle applies.
How AskMandla tracks sick leave
When your employee is absent, you send us a message and we ask:
- Was the absence authorised?
- Was a sick note provided?
- Did you check in with the employee?
Based on your answers, we:
- Deduct from the available sick leave balance, if the day is paid
- Mark the day as paid or unpaid
- Show it clearly on the employee's payslip
All of this is managed through WhatsApp.
When you can ask for a medical certificate
You may ask for a medical certificate before you pay sick leave if:
- The employee is off for more than 2 consecutive days
- The employee is off on more than 2 occasions in 8 weeks
The certificate can come from a doctor, a traditional healer, or another registered health practitioner who can diagnose and treat patients. If a live-in employee cannot reasonably get one, you have to help them get it before you can refuse to pay. If you asked for a certificate and a valid one is not provided, the day can be unpaid.
How it shows on the payslip
Sick days are itemised on the payslip:
- Paid sick leave used
- Remaining sick leave balance
- Unpaid days, if there is no entitlement or no note
This keeps everything clear for both employer and employee.
What if the employee runs out of sick leave
If all paid sick leave is used:
- Additional sick days are treated as unpaid leave
- Annual leave can cover extra sick days only if the employee agrees
- "No work, no pay" applies
- This is also shown on the payslip
Your responsibilities as an employer
As an AskMandla employer, you:
- Track absences via WhatsApp
- Pay the sick leave the employee is entitled to, and ask for a certificate only where the rules above allow it
- Encourage employees to provide sick notes
- Stay compliant with labour laws
We handle the rest: record-keeping, calculations, and payslips.