If your domestic worker works for you for 24 hours or more a month, about one 8-hour day a week, you must register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Every month you deduct 1% of her wage, add 1% of your own, declare her and pay the total over by the 7th. Fail to do so and you'll owe every missed contribution back to her first day, plus a 10% penalty and interest. You can also face a compliance order and, under the Unemployment Insurance Act, a fine or imprisonment.
What UIF is, and why it matters to her
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is run by the Department of Employment and Labour. It pays a portion of a worker's income when she can't earn, so she isn't left with nothing. For a domestic worker that safety net is often the only one she has. If she's properly registered, she can claim:
- Unemployment benefits if her job ends, including when her employer dies
- Maternity benefits while she's on maternity leave, at up to 66% of her earnings
- Illness benefits if she's booked off sick for more than 14 days
- Parental and adoption benefits when she has or adopts a child
- Dependants' benefits for her family if she dies
Her benefits depend on what has been declared and paid in her name. She earns one day of benefit for every four days she works as a contributor. Each month you skip is a month of protection she loses.
Who must be registered
The law covers every employee who works 24 hours or more a month for the same employer. That threshold is low:
- A housekeeper who comes one full day a week works about 35 hours a month. She must be registered.
- A nanny, caregiver, gardener or driver on the same hours must be registered too.
- Live-in and live-out workers are treated the same.
- If she works for several households, each employer who uses her for 24 hours or more a month must register and pay for their share.
Only workers who work fewer than 24 hours a month for you are excluded, for example a gardener who comes for two hours every other week.
| UIF and COIDA are different | UIF | COIDA |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Lost income when a job ends, or during illness or maternity leave | Injuries and illness caused by work |
| Who must be registered | Workers on 24 hours or more a month | Every domestic worker, any hours |
| How you pay | Every month (1% from you, 1% from her) | Once a year |
You need both. Read our guide to COIDA for domestic workers.
What it costs
UIF is 2% of her monthly wage: 1% deducted from her pay and 1% paid by you. Contributions are capped at earnings of R17,712 a month, so the most anyone pays is R177.12 each. For most households it costs less than a cup of coffee a week.
| Her hours (at the R30.23 minimum wage) | Monthly wage | Her 1% | Your 1% | Total to UIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day a week (8 hrs) | R1,047.97 | R10.48 | R10.48 | R20.96 |
| 3 days a week (8 hrs) | R3,143.92 | R31.44 | R31.44 | R62.88 |
| 5 days a week (8 hrs) | R5,239.87 | R52.40 | R52.40 | R104.80 |
| 5 days a week (9 hrs), full time | R5,894.85 | R58.95 | R58.95 | R117.90 |
Your share for a full-time worker is about R59 a month, or around R707 a year. Her 1% must be shown on her payslip. See what you must pay her in our minimum wage 2026 guide.
Work out your UIF, and the cost of ignoring it
Enter her monthly wage. To see what you'd owe if you've never paid, add the number of months she's worked for you.
Plus interest from each due date. And that's only the money. Her lost benefits, a compliance order or a criminal charge can cost far more.
What happens if you don't comply
Many employers only find out they're in trouble when it's too late to fix quietly: their worker loses her job, falls pregnant or gets sick, goes to the Labour Centre to claim, and there's no record of her. That's when the Department comes to you. Here's what you can face:
| If you… | You can face |
|---|---|
| Never registered her | Paying all back contributions, both her 1% and yours, for every month since she started Most common |
| Pay late, or not at all | A 10% penalty on the unpaid amount, plus interest at the rate set by SARS, from the day after each payment was due |
| Deduct her 1% but never pay it over | All of the above, and you've kept money that belongs to her. Expect it to be treated as serious misconduct Highest risk |
| Don't declare her, or give false information | An offence under the Unemployment Insurance Act |
| Ignore a labour inspector | A compliance order, which can be made an order of the Labour Court. Ignoring a court order is contempt of court |
| Are convicted of an offence under the Act | A fine, imprisonment, or both |
Here's what that can mean. Your housekeeper has worked for you full time for six years and you've never registered her. She falls pregnant and applies for maternity benefits. There's no record of her, so her claim stalls. You now owe six years of contributions, a 10% penalty and interest, and a labour inspector wants to see your records. Meanwhile she's without income just when she needs it most. Registering from day one would have cost you about R59 a month.
Labour inspectors do visit homes, often in planned inspection drives in residential areas, and a single complaint from your worker at a Labour Centre is enough to start an investigation. There's no deadline after which it all goes away. The longer you leave it, the bigger the bill.
Excuses that won't protect you
| What employers say | The reality |
|---|---|
| “She asked me not to register her.” | Neither of you can opt out. The duty to register and pay is yours, and her agreement doesn't change the law. |
| “She only works part time.” | If she works 24 hours or more a month for you, about one full day a week, she must be registered. |
| “I pay her in cash. Nobody will know.” | She will, the day she needs to claim. Her claim leads straight back to you. |
| “I'm registered for COIDA, so I'm covered.” | COIDA and UIF are separate. You need both. |
| “I'll pay her more instead.” | A higher wage doesn't replace UIF. The contributions must still be declared and paid in her name. |
| “I'll register her when she leaves.” | By then you owe the full back amount, plus penalties and interest, and she may already have lost benefits. |
How to register
Register when she starts working for you. If she's been with you for a while and you never registered, register now and settle what's outstanding. Coming forward yourself is far better than being found out.
- Gather your details
- Your ID number, contact details and home address
- Her full name, ID or passport number and start date
- Her monthly wage and the hours she works
- Register as a domestic employer online at ufiling.labour.gov.za, by email to domestics@uif.gov.za, by phone on 012 337 1680, or at your nearest Labour Centre.
- Get your UIF reference number. You'll use it for every monthly declaration and payment. Keep it with her employment records.
The forms and the uFiling system can be confusing, and arrears calculations are easy to get wrong. That's why many families hand it to us. Our Payroll, UIF & COIDA service registers you, works out any arrears and keeps you compliant every month.
Your monthly duties
- Deduct 1% from her wage and add your 1%. Show the deduction on her payslip.
- Declare her earnings to the UIF before the 7th of the following month.
- Pay the full 2% by the 7th of the following month, using your UIF reference number.
- Update the UIF when anything changes, such as her wage, her hours or her leaving.
- When she leaves, give her a completed UI-19 form and a certificate of service. She needs these to claim, and holding them back delays her money.
- Keep records of her payslips, declarations and payments for at least three years.
See what else she's entitled to in our guide to leave for domestic workers.
Quick compliance check
Tick everything that's true for your household.
Frequently asked questions
Is UIF compulsory for domestic workers?
Yes. If she works for you for 24 hours or more a month, registering her and paying contributions is a legal requirement under the Unemployment Insurance Act and the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act. It isn't up to you or her.
My domestic worker asked me not to deduct UIF. Can I agree?
No. The law doesn't let an employer and employee agree to skip UIF. If you don't deduct her 1%, you're still responsible for registering her and paying contributions.
I've employed her for years and never paid UIF. What should I do?
Register now, declare her from her start date and arrange to pay the arrears. Coming forward before a claim or an inspection limits the damage. We can work out what you owe and handle it for you.
Does my domestic worker need to be registered if she has other employers?
Yes, if she works 24 hours or more a month for you. Each employer registers and pays UIF on the wage they pay her. If she loses one of her jobs, she may be able to claim for the income she lost from it.
Do I pay UIF through SARS?
Most households don't. If you're not registered with SARS as an employer (because you don't run PAYE), you register and pay directly with the UIF, usually through uFiling.
Are foreign domestic workers covered?
Generally, yes. Foreign nationals working legally in South Africa are covered by UIF, unless they're here on a contract that requires them to leave the country when it ends.
Get UIF right without the stress.
We register your household for UIF and COIDA, work out any arrears, prepare payslips and submit your monthly declarations. Or let us find you a vetted nanny, housekeeper or caregiver.
Sources: Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 (sections 3, 16, 24, 56 and 65), as amended by the Unemployment Insurance Amendment Act 10 of 2016; Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 4 of 2002 (sections 10, 12 and 13); Department of Employment and Labour, Know your UIF rights and obligations; South African Government, “How do I register my domestic worker with the UIF?”; SARS, UIF earnings ceiling of R17,712 a month.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rates and amounts are correct as of the update date above.