Notice pay and final pay calculator
Leaving a job, or letting someone go? The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (the BCEA) sets a minimum notice period based on how long the person has worked. See the notice period, the notice pay if it is paid out rather than worked, the leave payout, and the final pay before tax. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
How notice and final pay work
Section 37 of the BCEA sets the minimum notice either side must give: one week in the first six months, two weeks from six months to a year, and four weeks after a year. Domestic workers and farm workers move to four weeks after six months. A contract can set a longer period, but it must be equal for employer and employee, and it can never be shorter than the Act. Notice must be in writing, unless the employee cannot read.
Section 38 lets the employer pay the notice period out instead of having it worked. Notice pay is what you would have earned in that time, including the value of benefits like housing or food. A week is your monthly pay divided by 4.33, a day is roughly your monthly pay divided by 21.67. Section 40 adds the payout of every day of annual leave you have earned but not taken, whatever the reason you leave. Salary up to your last day is owed on top of both, and the whole lot is taxed as normal pay in the month it is paid.
Notice does not apply the same way to every exit. During a probation period the notice is still the section 37 minimum. In a summary dismissal for serious misconduct the employer may dismiss without notice, but only after a fair hearing. The CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the labour dispute body) and the Department of Employment and Labour both take complaints about unpaid final pay.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice must I give when I resign in South Africa?
Section 37 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act sets the minimum: one week if you have worked six months or less, two weeks if more than six months but not more than a year, and four weeks after a year. Domestic and farm workers get four weeks after six months. Your contract can set a longer period, but it must be the same for both sides, and it can never be shorter than the Act.
Can my employer pay me instead of making me work my notice?
Yes. Section 38 lets the employer pay you what you would have earned over the notice period instead of having you work it. If you resign and simply leave without working notice, the employer does not have to pay notice pay, and may in some cases claim what you should have worked.
Is notice pay taxed?
Yes. Notice pay and leave payout are ordinary remuneration and are taxed through PAYE in the month they are paid. Only a genuine severance benefit from retrenchment gets the special tax table with its R550 000 tax free band.
Dismissing someone? Do the procedure right
The money being correct does not make an unfair dismissal fair. Our situations guide walks through the fair procedure for misconduct, poor performance, absence and retrenchment, and the employer admin pack has the letters and forms.
See the fair procedureDeadlines and rule changes, by email
Filing dates, wage changes and labour rule changes that affect small South African employers. One email when something matters, never more than monthly.
Keep exploring
Notice periods per section 37, payment instead of notice per section 38 and leave payout per section 40 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, Department of Employment and Labour, labour.gov.za. Checked 3 September 2026. Your contract or a bargaining council agreement may set a longer notice period. Estimate only; the final payslip is the employer's responsibility.