South Africa Minimum Wage 2026: Are You Being Paid Enough?

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) in South Africa is R30.23 per ordinary hour from 1 March 2026. See the Government Gazette notice and the Department of Employment and Labour announcement. This is general information: check any applicable sectoral determination, collective agreement or exemption for your circumstances.

What this means in rand terms

At R30.23 per hour, a worker doing 45 ordinary hours per week earns R1,360.35 before deductions. After UIF (1%) and any other deductions, take-home pay will be lower.

If you are paid monthly, divide your monthly salary by the ordinary hours you worked. For example, 195 ordinary hours at R30.23 is R5,894.85 before deductions. Your actual pay can vary with hours, overtime and lawful deductions.

Want to see what lands in your account after deductions? Calculate your take-home pay with our free SARS tax and UIF calculator.

Who is covered

The NMW covers almost all workers in South Africa — employees, domestic workers, farm workers, and workers in learnership programmes. Gig economy workers (Uber, Bolt, delivery drivers) who are treated like employees — with set hours, rules, uniforms, and disciplinary processes — may also be entitled to minimum wage protection under Section 198 of the Labour Relations Act.

What your employer must provide by law

Besides minimum wage, your employer must:

• Give you a payslip every time you are paid showing all deductions
• Register you for UIF and deduct 1% (they also contribute 1%)
• Give you a written contract within the first month
• Not require more than 45 hours per week without written overtime agreement
• Pay overtime at 1.5× your normal rate and Sunday work at 2×
• Provide 21 consecutive days (15 working days) annual leave per year
• Allow 30 days sick leave over every 3-year cycle

What to do if you are underpaid

1. Calculate your hourly rate — divide your weekly pay by the number of hours worked
2. Compare to the minimum — R30.23 per ordinary hour from 1 March 2026
3. Keep records — bank statements, payslips, WhatsApp messages, photos

If you are being underpaid, report to the Department of Employment and Labour — it is free and they are required to investigate within 30 days. You can also refer the matter to your sector's bargaining council or the CCMA.

Retaliation for reporting a minimum wage violation is illegal under the Protected Disclosures Act.

Check if you are being underpaid with our free minimum wage calculator →