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Part-time and char workers: which rules apply, and what changes under 24 hours a month

30 October 2026 · 5 min read

Many households do not employ a full-time domestic worker. Someone comes in on a Tuesday, or every second Friday, to clean or iron. That person is still your employee, and some of the rules apply from the first hour. Others only start once your employee works 24 hours or more a month for you. This guide sorts out which is which.

In one line: the minimum wage of R30.23 an hour and the rule that a short day is paid as four hours apply to every char worker; UIF and the leave chapter of the BCEA only apply once your employee works 24 hours or more a month for you - and one 6-hour day a week already crosses that line.

What applies from the first hour

  • The national minimum wage. R30.23 for every ordinary hour from 1 March 2026. Domestic workers get the same rate as everyone else, and there is no lower rate for part-time work.
  • The four-hour minimum. A day of fewer than four hours is paid as four hours. Booking someone for "just two hours" still costs at least 4 x R30.23 = R120.92 for that day.
  • A payslip with every payment. Section 33 of the BCEA does not have an hours threshold. Our payslip guide lists what goes on it.
  • Fair treatment when the work ends. The Labour Relations Act protects every employee from unfair dismissal, with no minimum hours. See our CCMA guide.

What switches on at 24 hours a month

  • UIF. An employee who works less than 24 hours a month for an employer is excluded from the UIF. From 24 hours, you register your employee, deduct 1% from the wage and add 1% of your own.
  • Annual, sick and family responsibility leave. Section 19(1) of the BCEA says the leave chapter "does not apply to an employee who works less than 24 hours a month for an employer". From 24 hours, leave builds up in the normal way - see our annual leave guide.
Check before you rely on this: we confirmed the 24-hour rule in the UIF legislation and in section 19 of the BCEA. We have not confirmed whether Sectoral Determination 7 for domestic workers words the leave threshold differently. If your arrangement sits close to 24 hours, treat your employee as covered.

Count the hours worked, not the hours paid

The four-hour rule and the 24-hour rule measure different things. The first decides what you pay. The second asks how many hours your employee works for you in a month. A month is about 4.33 weeks (52 weeks / 12 months), so:

  • 5 hours a week is about 21.7 hours a month - under 24.
  • 6 hours a week is 26 hours a month - over 24.
  • Anything from about 5.5 hours a week upward crosses the line on average.

Months are not all the same length. A once-a-week worker gets four visits in most months and five in some. Five 5-hour Tuesdays is 25 hours, which is over 24 in that month.

Unconfirmed: the legislation does not say clearly whether a worker who crosses 24 hours only in five-visit months is covered in those months, or on the usual monthly average. The simple and safe answer is to register for UIF anyway. It costs you about R6.55 a month in the example below, and it removes the question.

Three worked examples at R30.23 an hour

1. One 5-hour day a week

  • Pay per visit: 5 x R30.23 = R151.15
  • Average month: R151.15 x 52 / 12 = R654.98
  • Hours a month: about 21.7 - under 24, so UIF and the leave chapter do not apply on average (but see the five-visit month above).

2. Two 3-hour mornings a week

  • Each morning is under four hours, so each is paid as four: 4 x R30.23 = R120.92 a visit.
  • Average month: R120.92 x 2 x 52 / 12 = R1,047.97
  • Hours actually worked: 6 a week, about 26 a month - over 24, so UIF applies.
  • UIF: 1% of R1,047.97 = R10.48 from the wage, and R10.48 from you.

3. One 8-hour day a week

  • Pay per visit: 8 x R30.23 = R241.84
  • Average month: R241.84 x 52 / 12 = R1,047.97
  • Hours a month: about 34.7 - UIF and leave both apply. UIF is again R10.48 each.

Examples 2 and 3 cost exactly the same. The four-hour rule means two short mornings cost as much as one full day, for less work done.

Check the minimum for your own arrangement. The calculator below starts at example 2 (3 hours a day, 2 days a week); change the hours and days to match yours:

Calculator by CalcSA - open the minimum wage calculator if it does not load.

Then check UIF. This one starts at example 1 - a monthly wage of R654.98 and about 22 hours - so it shows "excluded". Change the hours to 25 to see a five-visit month:

Calculator by CalcSA - open the UIF contributions calculator if it does not load.

Common mistakes with char workers

  • Paying a "day rate" that falls below the hourly minimum. R200 for a 7-hour day is R28.57 an hour - under R30.23.
  • Paying only the hours worked on a short day. Three hours is paid as four.
  • Assuming "part-time" means "no UIF". The test is 24 hours a month with you, not full-time or part-time.
  • Counting the hours your employee works for other households. Each employer counts only its own hours. If your employee works for several households, each one that reaches 24 hours registers separately.
  • Nothing in writing. A short written contract with the days, hours and hourly rate settles most disputes before they start.

How HomeHR helps

Sources
  • National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018; Government Gazette No. 54075, Notice R7083 (3 February 2026) - R30.23/hour from 1 March 2026 (summarised by Labour Guide).
  • Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, section 9A (four-hour minimum), section 19(1) (leave chapter excludes under 24 hours a month), section 33 (payslip): BCEA s19 on acts.co.za.
  • Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 and Contributions Act 4 of 2002 - excludes employees working under 24 hours a month for an employer; 1% + 1%: SARS - What is the UIF? and Fasken - domestic workers and the UI Act.
  • Department of Employment and Labour warning to register domestic workers who work 24 hours or more a month (2026): BusinessTech.
  • Monthly figures use 52 weeks / 12 months, as the CalcSA calculators do.

General information, not legal advice. Every figure we use is on the rates page with its source.

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