How much leave is my domestic worker owed?
Under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), a domestic worker is entitled to 21 consecutive days' paid annual leave a year — three weeks of the days they ordinarily work, so 15 days for a five-day week, 18 for a six-day week and just 3 days for a once-a-week worker. On top of that they get paid sick leave equal to the days they normally work in six weeks, over each 36-month cycle, and 3 days' family-responsibility leavea year once they qualify. Enter the schedule below to see exactly what's owed.
1 for once-a-week, 5 or 6 for full-time
e.g. 8 for a full day, 4 for a half-day
How long they've worked for you
This 12-month cycle (optional)
The 21-consecutive-days default is statutory; the 1-per-17 ratio applies only by agreement
Entitlements follow the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). Annual leave is 3 weeks of the worker's ordinary days per 12-month cycle, sick leave is the days normally worked in 6 weeks per 36-month cycle, and family-responsibility leave is 3 days once qualified.
Leave owed
5 days/week · part-timeAnnual leave (per 12-month cycle)
Annual
15 d
15 days/year
Sick
30 d
per 36-month cycle
Family
3 d
per year
Sick leave (per 36-month cycle)
Family-responsibility leave: 3 days a year
Figures follow the BCEA and are the statutory minimum — you may always grant more. See the full leave guide, or generate a payslip.
Annual leave: 21 days, pro-rata
The BCEA gives a worker 21 consecutive daysof paid annual leave for every completed 12 months of employment. “Consecutive” means a three-week span — only the days the worker ordinarily works in that span are paid, so the practical entitlement is three weeks of their working days. A full-time five-day worker gets 15 paid days; a six-day worker gets 18. As an alternative, the Act allows accrual of 1 day for every 17 days worked, but only by agreement. The 21-consecutive-days method is the default. See the full domestic worker leave guide.
Part-time & once-a-week workers
Annual leave scales with the days worked, never the headline “21”. A worker who comes one day a week is owed 3 days of paid annual leave a year — three weeks of a single working day — not 21. A two-day worker gets 6, and so on. This is the most common leave mistake employers make. The dedicated part-time leave guide walks through the pro-rata maths.
Sick leave: the 36-month cycle
Sick leave runs in 36-month cycles. In a full cycle the worker may take the number of days they normally work in six weeks — 30 days for a five-day week, 6 for a once-a-week worker. During the first six months of employment, sick leave instead accrues at 1 day for every 26 days worked. Full detail is in the sick leave guide.
Family-responsibility leave
A worker employed longer than four months who works at least four days a week is entitled to 3 days of paid family-responsibility leave per 12-month cycle — for the birth or illness of their child, or the death of a close family member. A worker below four days a week, or in their first four months, does not yet qualify; the calculator says so honestly. See the family-responsibility leave guide.
The 24-hour rule for leave
The BCEA's leave provisions apply once a worker does at least 24 hours a monthfor you. Below that line, annual, sick and family-responsibility leave do not apply — but the minimum wage still applies to every hour worked. After you've worked out the leave, you can generate a compliant payslip or check the wage.
Where these rules come from
All figures are the statutory minimums in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (BCEA): annual leave (s20), sick leave (s22) and family-responsibility leave (s27), as applied to domestic workers. They are minimums — you may always grant more. This is a compliance tool, not legal advice.
Common questions
- How much annual leave is my domestic worker owed?
- Under the BCEA, a domestic worker gets 21 consecutive days' paid annual leave for every 12 months of employment. In working days that is three weeks of the days they ordinarily work: 15 days for a 5-day-a-week worker, 18 for a 6-day week, and 3 days for a once-a-week worker. By agreement you may instead accrue 1 day for every 17 days worked.
- How is annual leave calculated for a part-time or once-a-week worker?
- Annual leave is three weeks of the worker's ordinary working days, so it scales with the days they work. A worker who comes one day a week is entitled to 3 days of paid annual leave a year — not 21 — because three weeks of a single working day is three days. A 2-day-a-week worker gets 6 days, and so on. The calculator works this out from the days per week you enter.
- How much sick leave does a domestic worker get?
- Over each 36-month cycle a domestic worker may take the number of days they normally work in six weeks of paid sick leave — 30 days for a 5-day week, 6 days for a once-a-week worker. During the first six months of employment, sick leave accrues at 1 day for every 26 days worked.
- When does family-responsibility leave apply?
- Family-responsibility leave is 3 paid days per 12-month cycle, but only for a worker employed longer than four months who works at least four days a week for you. A worker below four days a week, or in their first four months, does not yet qualify. It covers the birth or illness of the worker's child, or the death of a close family member.
- Does leave apply to a worker who only works a few hours a month?
- The BCEA's leave provisions (annual, sick and family-responsibility leave) only apply once a worker does at least 24 hours a month for you. Below that threshold these leave entitlements do not apply — though the national minimum wage still applies to every hour worked.
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.