Minimum wage checker for South African employers

Type what you pay and the hours. We work out the rate per hour and check it against the legal minimum for that kind of work, from the current gazette.

Per

Ordinary hours, not overtime. The law allows at most 45.

Only used to turn a daily rate into an hourly one.

A learner gets a weekly allowance, not the hourly rate.

Sectors with their own minimum

  • Contract cleaning Sectoral Determination 1 (Department of Employment and Labour). Current table
  • Wholesale and retail Sectoral Determination 9 (Department of Employment and Labour). Current table
  • Private security National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS). Current table
  • Road freight and logistics National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry (NBCRFLI). Current table
  • Metal and engineering Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC). Current table
  • Motor industry (workshops, dealerships, fuel stations) Motor Industry Bargaining Council (MIBCO). Current table
  • Civil engineering (construction) Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry (BCCEI). Current table

Source: Government Notice R.7083, Government Gazette 54075, 3 February 2026, in force from 1 March 2026, read 11 October 2026. The gazette (PDF); Department of Employment and Labour, minimum wage and sectoral determinations.

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Questions employers ask

What is the national minimum wage in South Africa right now?

R30.23 for each ordinary hour worked, from 1 March 2026 (Government Notice R.7083, Government Gazette 54075, 3 February 2026). Farm workers and domestic workers get the same R30.23. Workers on the Expanded Public Works Programme get R16.62 an hour, and learners on a registered learnership get a weekly allowance set by NQF level and credits. The Minister adjusts the rate each year, usually from 1 March.

Does the minimum wage include tips, transport or accommodation?

No. The minimum is for the ordinary hours worked and must be paid in money. Tips, bonuses and gifts do not count, nor does anything you pay or provide so the person can do the job, such as transport, equipment, tools, food or accommodation, or board and lodging given in kind (National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018, section 5). Overtime pay is also separate, on top.

My business falls under a bargaining council or a sectoral determination. Which minimum applies?

The higher one. The national rate is the floor for everyone. If a sectoral determination or a bargaining council agreement covers your work, its wage table applies where it is higher, and the Department of Employment and Labour or the council publishes it. Contract cleaning and wholesale and retail have their own tables in the Department's determinations; private security, road freight, metal and engineering, motor and civil engineering have council agreements. The list on this page links to each.

What if the person works less than four hours in a day?

For a worker earning below the earnings threshold, a day of less than four hours must be paid as four hours (Basic Conditions of Employment Act, section 9A). So a short shift still costs you four hours at the minimum. If you cannot afford the minimum you may apply to the Department of Employment and Labour for an exemption; until it is granted, the full rate applies.