Security guard wages 2026/27, by grade and by area
These are the minimum wages for security officers from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027, taken straight off the bargaining council's own schedule. If you are paying less than the figure for your grade and your area, you are underpaying, and the shortfall is recoverable from you going back three years.
Areas 1 and 2, the urban areas
Valid from 1 March 2026 until 28 February 2027.
- Grade A, R8 184 a monthHourly equivalent R39.35. Up R489 on last year's R7 695, a rise of 6.35 percent.
- Grade B, R7 607 a monthHourly equivalent R36.57. Up R489 on last year's R7 118, a rise of 6.87 percent.
- Grades C, D and E, R7 003 a monthHourly equivalent R33.67. Up R489 on last year's R6 514, a rise of 7.51 percent. Grades C, D and E are paid the same rate.
Area 3, the rural areas
Valid from 1 March 2026 until 28 February 2027.
- Grade A, R7 142 a monthHourly equivalent R34.34. Up R470 on last year's R6 672, a rise of 7.04 percent.
- Grades B, C, D and E, R6 726 a monthHourly equivalent R32.34. Up R470 on last year's R6 256, a rise of 7.51 percent. In Area 3, Grade B is paid the same as Grades C to E. That surprises people and it is correct.
The rate follows the site where the officer works, not where your office is. A Johannesburg company guarding a farm pays the Area 3 rate at that farm. The magisterial districts for each area are listed in the schedule to the Main Collective Agreement.
What the increase actually was
A flat R489 a month in Areas 1 and 2 and a flat R470 a month in Area 3, on every grade. Because it is a rand amount and not a percentage, the lowest paid officers got the biggest percentage rise. Grades C to E in the urban areas went up 7.51 percent while Grade A went up 6.35 percent.
It applies from 1 March 2026. If you were still paying the 2025/26 figure in March, the difference is arrear wages and it is owed.
The hourly rate, and why it is not what you think
The single most searched thing on this subject is the Grade B rate per hour. The honest answer is that the bargaining council publishes an hourly equivalent under clause 4(7)(b) of the Main Agreement and then prints beside it, in its own document, not for salary calculation.
A security officer on a normal roster is paid a promulgated monthly salary. The hourly figure exists so that you can work out premiums: Sunday pay at one and a half times, public holiday pay, leave and sick leave provisions, and the relief officer's portion. Dividing a month into hours and paying by the hour is how employers end up under the minimum without meaning to.
What you pay on top of the wage
The wage is the smaller half of what an officer costs. These are the other lines on the bargaining council's own costing sheet for 2026/27.
- Statutory annual bonusOne month's salary.
- Provident fund, 7.5 percent of fund salaryPaid to the Private Security Sector Provident Fund.
- UIF, 1 percentYour 1 percent, on top of the 1 percent you deduct from the officer.
- Hospital cover, R172.50 a monthPer officer.
- Bargaining council levy, R9.40Per officer per month.
- PSiRA per officer fee, about R5.00An average. It varies with company size.
- Uniform, R3 000 per person a yearBudgeted across three sets.
- Night shift allowance, R8 per night shift workedUp from R6 in the first year of the agreement.
- Sunday pay at one and a half timesPlus the public holiday premium.
- The COIDA assessmentYour annual assessment from the Compensation Fund, based on your declared earnings.
Once all of that is added, the bargaining council's illustrative sheet puts a single urban Grade C post at roughly double the bare wage before you have priced a vehicle, a supervisor or a control room. That is the number to quote off, not the wage.
Getting this wrong is expensive
Underpayment goes back three years. A designated agent of the council can issue a compliance order, and arrear wages, the provident fund contributions and the levies come with it.
The agreement binds you even if you never joined. It is extended by gazette to employers who are not parties to it. Not being a member of the council is not a defence.
It changes every 1 March. The current agreement runs to February 2027, with the rates stepping up each year. A figure from last year is a figure that is now short.
Where we fit
Nothing on this page costs you anything and you do not need us for any of it. What people ask us for is the paperwork that has to be right once the wages are.
- Payslips and the UI-19, R190 a monthPayslips every month for your officers, with the UIF declaration prepared and submitted.
- Employment contracts, R490Drafted for one role, BCEA compliant, in editable Word and PDF.
- COIDA registration, R1 290Registration and your first letter of good standing, which main contractors ask for before your officers get on site.
- Bargaining council registration, R690Registering the company with the council itself.
Not sure whether your payslips and contracts match what you are paying? Send me what you have and I will tell you what is missing. It costs nothing to ask.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage for a security guard in South Africa in 2026?
From 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027 the minimum monthly salary in Areas 1 and 2, the urban areas, is R8 184 for Grade A, R7 607 for Grade B and R7 003 for Grades C, D and E. In Area 3, the rural area, it is R7 142 for Grade A and R6 726 for Grades B, C, D and E. These are set by the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector, not by PSiRA.
What is the PSiRA Grade B rate per hour?
The hourly equivalent for Grade B from 1 March 2026 is R36.57 in Areas 1 and 2 and R32.34 in Area 3. The bargaining council prints that figure but labels it not for salary calculation. Security officers on a normal roster are paid a promulgated monthly salary, not an hourly rate, so the hourly figure is used for premiums such as Sunday and public holiday pay rather than for working out the wage itself.
Does PSiRA set security guard wages?
No. PSiRA registers and regulates security service providers and charges registration fees. Wages are set by the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector through its Main Collective Agreement, which is gazetted and extended to employers who are not parties to it. People search for PSiRA wages because PSiRA is the name they know, but the money comes from the bargaining council.
How much did security wages go up in 2026?
By a flat R489 a month in Areas 1 and 2 and a flat R470 a month in Area 3, on every grade. Because it is a rand amount rather than a percentage, the lower grades got the bigger percentage rise: 7.51 percent for Grades C to E in the urban areas against 6.35 percent for Grade A.
Why is Grade B paid the same as Grade C in Area 3?
That is how the schedule is written. In Areas 1 and 2 Grade B sits between Grade A and Grades C to E. In Area 3 the schedule gives Grade A its own rate and puts Grades B, C, D and E together on one figure. It looks like a mistake and it is not.
What does a security officer actually cost an employer per month?
Considerably more than the wage. On top of the salary an employer carries UIF at 1 percent, a provident fund contribution of 7.5 percent of fund salary, hospital cover of R172.50 a month, the bargaining council levy, the PSiRA per officer fee, uniforms budgeted at R3 000 per person a year, a statutory annual bonus of one month's salary, a night shift allowance of R8 per night shift, Sunday pay at one and a half times, and the COIDA assessment. The bargaining council's own illustrative costing puts the fully loaded figure for an urban Grade C site at roughly double the bare wage.
Which area am I in?
Areas 1 and 2 are the metropolitan and urban magisterial districts and Area 3 is everywhere else. The districts are listed in the schedule to the Main Collective Agreement. If you operate across a boundary, the rate follows the site where the officer works, not where your office is, so a company in Johannesburg guarding a rural site pays the Area 3 rate for that site.
What happens if I have been paying the old rate since March?
The difference is arrear wages and it is owed to the officer, along with the provident fund contributions and levies calculated on the correct figure. A designated agent of the council can issue a compliance order, and underpayment claims reach back three years.
Now the other bill, what PSiRA charges
Every PSiRA fee on the 2026/27 schedule, for security businesses, in house registrations and individual officers, and the R8 000 figure that keeps circulating and is wrong.
Read the guideGeneral information about South African law, not legal advice. Wage rates are set by the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector and change every 1 March. Figures here are the schedule valid from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. Check anything that matters to a decision against nbcpss.org.za on the day.