Domestic cook salary in Polokwane (2026)
What you legally have to pay a domestic cook — a worker whose primary job is preparing the household's meals — in Polokwane this year: the national minimum wage, the 4-hour daily minimum, an estimated monthly gross for a typical shifts built around meal times, weekdays pattern, and the UIF on top.
These are legal minimums, not market rates
Minimum hourly
R30.23
National minimum wage, from 1 March 2026
Daily minimum (4-hour rule)
R 120,92
A worker who reports must be paid for at least 4 hours
Estimated monthly gross
R 4 584,88
Typical 35 hours/week at minimum wage
UIF (1% + 1%)
R 45,85 + R 45,85
Deducted from worker + paid by employer
What a domestic cook typically does
A domestic cook is a worker whose primary job is preparing the household's meals. The usual arrangement is shifts built around meal times, weekdays. Day to day, the role tends to cover:
- planning and preparing the household's daily meals
- kitchen prep, cooking and plating to the family's tastes
- managing the pantry, fridge and grocery list
- kitchen hygiene, dishes and food-safe storage
A domestic cook is a domestic worker under the National Minimum Wage Act, so the same hourly floor applies. Time spent prepping and cleaning the kitchen counts as working time, not just the hours actively cooking.
How the domestic cook minimum is worked out
South Africa sets a single national minimum wage for domestic workers — R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026 — and it applies in Polokwane just like everywhere else. A typical domestic cook working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week does 35 hours a week, which comes to about R 4 584,88 a month gross at the minimum rate.
On top of the wage, both you and the worker pay 1% UIF on the gross (up to the R17 712 monthly ceiling). The worker's 1% comes off their pay; your 1% is paid by you and is not deducted.
What's a fair rate above the minimum?
Check and pay it correctly
Dignita works out the exact figures for your domestic cook's hours and generates the paperwork you legally need.
Domestic cook pay in Polokwane — quick answers
- What is the minimum wage for a domestic cook in Polokwane?
- The national minimum wage for a domestic worker — including a domestic cook — is R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026. It applies everywhere in South Africa, including Polokwane. A domestic cook who reports for work must be paid for at least 4 hours, so the daily minimum is R 120,92.
- How much should a domestic cook earn per month in Polokwane?
- At the legal minimum of R30.23/hour and a typical shifts built around meal times, weekdays pattern of 35 hours a week, a domestic cook earns about R 4 584,88 per month gross. This is a legal minimum, not a market average. Cooks with formal training, the ability to cater for guests, or experience with specific or dietary cuisines are frequently paid above the minimum — but a skilled-cooking premium is a market rate, not a legal entitlement.
- What does a domestic cook usually do?
- A domestic cook is a worker whose primary job is preparing the household's meals. Typical responsibilities include planning and preparing the household's daily meals, kitchen prep, cooking and plating to the family's tastes, managing the pantry, fridge and grocery list. A domestic cook is a domestic worker under the National Minimum Wage Act, so the same hourly floor applies. Time spent prepping and cleaning the kitchen counts as working time, not just the hours actively cooking.
- How much UIF for a domestic cook?
- UIF is 1% deducted from the worker plus 1% paid by the employer. On a gross of about R 4 584,88, that is roughly R 45,85 off the worker and R 45,85 from the employer each month, up to the R17 712 monthly ceiling.
Keep reading
Dignita is a compliance tool, not legal advice. Figures are based on current South African legislation; confirm with a labour-law professional for your situation.