Domestic worker UIF and COIDA registration
If someone works in your home for 24 hours or more a month, you are an employer. The law wants two registrations, a monthly declaration and a written set of employment terms. We do all of it in one order: the UIF registration, the Compensation Fund registration, the declarations set up, and the written particulars the worker must be given.
Domestic worker UIF and COIDA registration costs R590 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
Independent paperwork service. ProperSA is an independent private company, not the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Compensation Fund or the Department of Employment and Labour. You can register yourself at no charge by phoning the UIF on 012 337 1680 or emailing [email protected], and by sending the CF-1E form to the Compensation Fund. Our R590 pays for both registrations to be prepared and lodged correctly, the declarations set up and the employment particulars written.
What the law asks of a household employer
- UIF registration. Every employer must register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the Act applies to every worker employed for 24 hours or more a month. The worker is then covered for unemployment, illness, maternity and death benefits.
- UIF contributions, 2% of the wage. You pay 1% and deduct 1% from the worker, on wages up to R17 712 a month, declared and paid by the seventh of the following month. The regulations let a domestic employer declare and pay once a year instead, provided nobody’s employment ends in between.
- Compensation Fund registration. Since the Constitutional Court’s November 2020 ruling, and the Compensation Fund notice that followed it, every employer of a domestic worker must register. The 2022 Amendment Act that writes this into the Act came into force on 23 January 2026. Domestic employers sit in their own class at 1.04% of wages, with a minimum assessment of R560 a year from 1 March 2026, and a return of earnings is filed between 1 April and 30 June each year.
- Written particulars of employment. Sectoral Determination 7 requires you to give the worker, in writing, the hours, the wage and rate, overtime, payment in kind, deductions, leave and the notice period. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act adds the rest.
- The minimum wage. R30,23 an hour from 1 March 2026, and a worker who works fewer than four hours on a day is paid for four. Check your figure on the free domestic worker wage calculator.
What it costs you in government charges
These go to the funds, not to us, and they are the same whether you register yourself or we do it.
| Charge | How much | When |
|---|---|---|
| UIF contribution | 2% of the wage (1% from you, 1% from the worker), on wages up to R17 712 a month | By the 7th of the next month, or once a year for domestic employers |
| Compensation Fund assessment | 1.04% of annual wages, minimum R560 a year | After the return of earnings, filed 1 April to 30 June |
| Registration fees | None. Both funds register you free of charge |
On a wage of R5 000 a month that is R100 a month for UIF, R50 of it deducted from the worker, and the R560 minimum assessment a year.
What is included
- UIF employer registration for the household and the first declaration for each worker, prepared and lodged under your signed authority
- Compensation Fund registration on the CF-1E, with the employment contract and proof documents the Fund asks for, lodged by email to the Fund’s registration address
- The written particulars of employment for each worker, drafted from your answers to meet Sectoral Determination 7 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, ready to sign
- A one page payroll sheet showing the wage, the UIF deduction and what you pay, with the annual option explained
- Your return of earnings diary note for April, with what to file and where
- If the worker started before today, the UIF arrears worked out in writing before you decide
- Both registration numbers delivered to your client portal, with free WhatsApp updates while we wait on the funds
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay securely by card or instant EFT (PayFast), or wait for the EFT invoice.
- Complete the short form in your client portal: your details, the worker’s details, the start date, hours and wage. Upload your ID, the worker’s ID and proof of your address.
- We prepare the UIF registration, the CF-1E and the employment particulars, send you the mandate and the particulars to sign, and lodge both registrations.
- You receive the UIF reference and the Compensation Fund registration number as each fund issues them, with the payroll sheet and the diary dates. The funds take their own time; we chase and keep you posted.
Only need one of the two? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
What we will need from you
- Your identity number and a copy of your ID, plus proof of your home address not older than three months. The Compensation Fund asks for both.
- Your income tax reference number if you have one. The UIF asks for it, and it is on any SARS letter.
- The worker’s identity number and a copy of their ID, or the passport and work authorisation for a foreign worker.
- Start date, days and hours a week, and the wage. If the worker started before today, the date they started, so we can work out the UIF arrears.
- Your bank account details for the UIF profile. Never a password; we do not ask for one and you should never send one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register my domestic worker for UIF?
Yes, if the worker works for you for 24 hours or more in a month. The Unemployment Insurance Act applies to every employer and employee except those working under 24 hours a month for that employer. You register once, then declare and pay 2% of the wage each month, half of it deducted from the worker, by the seventh of the following month. Domestic employers may declare and pay once a year instead, as long as nobody’s employment ends in between.
Does a household really have to register with the Compensation Fund?
Yes. The Constitutional Court ruled in November 2020 that excluding domestic workers from the Compensation Act was invalid, with effect back to 1994, and the Compensation Fund then published a notice requiring every employer of a domestic worker to register. The amendment writing this into the Act came into force on 23 January 2026. The minimum assessment for a domestic employer is R560 a year from 1 March 2026.
What does it cost me each year after the registration?
Two things. UIF: 2% of the wage, 1% from you and 1% deducted from the worker, on wages up to R17 712 a month. Compensation Fund: an assessment at 1.04% of annual wages, with a minimum of R560 a year for a domestic employer, paid after you file the return of earnings between 1 April and 30 June each year.
What is the minimum wage for a domestic worker in 2026?
R30,23 for each ordinary hour worked, from 1 March 2026, the same as the national minimum wage. A worker who works fewer than four hours on a day must be paid for four hours.
Do you need my uFiling password?
No. We never ask for a password. We prepare and lodge the registrations under your signed authority through the Department’s domestic employer route, and if you would rather hold the uFiling profile yourself we send you the completed details and walk you through it in writing.
My worker started years ago and I never registered. Is it too late?
No, and registering now is far better than being found later. UIF contributions can be backdated, and we tell you what the arrears come to before you decide. The Compensation Fund registration runs from the date you register.
I have a gardener two mornings a week. Does this apply?
Count the hours. Two mornings of four hours is about 32 hours a month, which is over the 24 hour line, so yes. One morning a week is usually under it, and then UIF does not apply, although the Compensation Fund notice does not carry an hours threshold.
Does a business that employs cleaners use this?
No. This is for a private household. A company or a cleaning business uses UIF registration and COIDA registration, or the Employer Admin pack for all three registrations at once.
Usually ordered with it
- Payslips every month, R190 a month. A compliant payslip for each worker and the UIF declaration filed for you.
- UIF maternity and parental pack, R590. When the worker goes on maternity leave, the claim prepared properly.
- UIF exit pack, R390. The termination declaration and the documents the worker needs to claim when employment ends.
Figures checked on 10 October 2026 against the Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 and the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 4 of 2002, UIF Regulation 13, Compensation Fund Notice 106 of 2021, Proclamation 306 of 2026 bringing the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Act 10 of 2022 into force, Compensation Fund Notices 3894 and 3910 of 2026, Sectoral Determination 7 and Government Notice R7083 of 3 February 2026 on the national minimum wage. The funds decide their own turnaround times, which are outside ProperSA’s control.