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Overtime, Sunday and Public Holiday Pay for Domestic Workers
Asking your domestic worker to stay late for a dinner party, come in on a Sunday or work on a public holiday is fine — but Sectoral Determination 7 and the BCEA set premium rates for those hours, and they are not optional. This guide sets out the rates, the legal limits on hours, and rand-and-cent examples at the 2026 minimum wage of R30.23/hour.
Last reviewed June 2026 · wage figures from 1 March 2026
Agreed hours vs legal maximums
Your worker's ordinary hours are whatever you agree in the employment contract — but Sectoral Determination 7 caps them at 45 hours a week: up to 9 hours a day for someone working 5 days a week or fewer, or up to 8 hours a day for someone working 6 days. A worker who works more than 5 hours continuously must also get a meal interval of at least one continuous hour.
Two caps sit above the agreed hours. A domestic worker may not work more than 15 hours of overtime in a week, and may not work more than 12 hours in total (ordinary plus overtime) on any single day. Overtime itself only happens by agreement — you cannot simply instruct it, and your worker is entitled to refuse hours beyond what the contract says. Put the agreed schedule in writing so there is never a dispute about where ordinary time ends and premium time begins; the full minimums are on our minimum wage tables page.
Overtime: one and a half times the wage
Any agreed hours beyond ordinary hours must be paid at 1.5 times the normal wage. At the 2026 minimum of R30.23/hour, that is R45.35 per overtime hour. If you pay above the minimum, the multiplier applies to the actual wage, not the legal floor — a worker on R40/hour earns R60/hour overtime.
Instead of cash, you and your worker can agree to paid time off in exchange for overtime worked. If you use this route, record the arrangement in writing and grant the time off promptly — informal 'we'll make it up sometime' arrangements are where most disputes start.
Sunday work
Sunday pay depends on whether Sunday is part of the worker's normal schedule. A worker who ordinarily works Sundays (for example, a live-in carer whose roster includes Sundays) must be paid at 1.5 times the wage for every hour worked — R45.35/hour at the 2026 minimum. A worker who does not ordinarily work Sundays must be paid double — R60.46/hour.
Paid time off in exchange for Sunday work can also be agreed instead of the premium. If you regularly need Sunday help, it is usually cheaper and clearer to build Sunday into the contract as an ordinary working day at 1.5x than to pay ad-hoc double time — just make sure the weekly 45-hour ordinary cap still holds.
Public holidays
A domestic worker cannot be required to work on a public holiday unless you have agreed it. Under section 18 of the BCEA, the rules are: if the holiday falls on a day the worker would ordinarily work and they stay home, you must still pay the normal day's wage; if they do work, you must pay at least double the daily wage. If the holiday falls on a day they would not ordinarily work and nothing was agreed, no payment is required.
Concretely, at the 2026 minimum an 8-hour worker is owed R241.84 for a public holiday spent at home (if it falls on her normal workday) and at least R483.68 if she works it. You cannot swap a public holiday for an ordinary unpaid day off without agreement.
Night work and standby
Work between 18:00 and 06:00 needs a written agreement and attracts a night-work allowance of at least 10% of the ordinary daily wage, and is only permitted where the worker lives at the workplace or transport is available. Standby — where a live-in worker must remain on the premises overnight and may be required to work — is limited to no more than 5 times a month, and time actually worked beyond three hours during a standby period must be paid at overtime rates.
These rules matter most for live-in arrangements and night nannies. Asking a live-in worker to 'just listen for the baby' every night is standby work in law, not a free favour — schedule it, cap it and pay for it.
Worked examples at R30.23/hour
All examples below use the 2026 national minimum wage; if your worker earns more, substitute her actual hourly rate. For context on typical above-minimum pay, see the domestic worker salary guide.
| Scenario | Calculation | Amount due |
|---|---|---|
| Stays 2 extra hours after a dinner party (overtime) | 2 x (R30.23 x 1.5) | R90.69 |
| 5-hour Sunday clean, doesn't normally work Sundays | 5 x (R30.23 x 2) | R302.30 |
| 8-hour Sunday shift, Sundays in her normal roster | 8 x (R30.23 x 1.5) | R362.76 |
| Works her normal 8-hour day on a public holiday | 8 x R30.23 x 2 | R483.68 |
| Public holiday falls on her workday; she stays home | 8 x R30.23 | R241.84 |
| Night-work allowance on a R241.84 daily wage | R241.84 x 10% | +R24.18 for the night |
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Frequently asked questions
Can I just pay a flat monthly salary that 'includes' overtime?
Only if the salary genuinely covers ordinary hours at no less than the minimum wage plus every overtime hour at 1.5x — and you can show the calculation. A flat amount that ignores actual extra hours worked is unlawful underpayment, however generous it looks.
My worker agreed to work the public holiday for normal pay. Is that okay?
No. Double pay for working a public holiday is a statutory minimum, and the NMW and BCEA override any agreement to accept less.
Is babysitting in the evening overtime for a live-in worker?
Yes, if it falls outside her agreed ordinary hours it is overtime at 1.5x, and work after 18:00 also triggers the night-work rules (written agreement plus an allowance of at least 10% of the daily wage). Regular overnight responsibility should be structured as standby, limited to 5 times a month.
What is the maximum I can ask a domestic worker to work?
45 ordinary hours a week, plus a maximum of 15 overtime hours a week by agreement, and never more than 12 hours in any single day including overtime.
Can I give time off instead of paying overtime or Sunday premiums?
Yes — paid time off may be agreed instead of overtime or Sunday premium pay, but it must be a genuine written agreement and the time off must actually be granted.