Overtime and Sunday pay calculator
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (the BCEA, the law that sets minimum working conditions) says overtime is paid at 1.5 times your normal rate, Sundays at double, and public holidays at double. Enter your wage and the hours, and see what the extra pay should be. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
How the BCEA works out extra pay
Your hourly rate is your monthly pay times 12, divided by 52, divided by your ordinary hours a week. That is the conversion in section 35 of the Act. Every hour of overtime is paid at 1.5 times that rate (section 10). Overtime is voluntary and capped at 10 hours a week and 3 hours a day, unless a collective agreement extends it.
Sunday work (section 16) is double pay if Sunday is not one of your normal days, and 1.5 times if it is. Work on a public holiday that falls on a normal working day (section 18) is at least double your daily wage. If you are paid monthly, your salary already covers the ordinary hours, so this tool shows the extra owed on top of the salary: the full 1.5 times for overtime, the full double for a Sunday you would not otherwise have worked, and the top-up above your normal pay where the day was already paid.
These minimums stop applying once you earn more than the earnings threshold set by the Minister of Employment and Labour: R269 600.90 a year, which is R22 466.74 a month, from 1 May 2026 (Government Notice 7384, Gazette 54544). Above that, extra pay is a matter of contract, not law. The Department of Employment and Labour and the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the labour dispute body) both take unpaid overtime complaints.
Frequently asked questions
What is the overtime rate in South Africa?
At least 1.5 times your normal hourly rate for every hour of overtime, under section 10 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Your employer may instead give you paid time off, but only if you agree to that. Overtime is capped at 10 hours a week and 3 hours a day unless a collective agreement says otherwise.
How is Sunday work paid?
Double your normal rate if you do not normally work on Sundays. If Sunday is one of your ordinary working days, it is 1.5 times. If double the hourly rate for the hours worked comes to less than your normal daily wage, you must be paid the daily wage instead.
Who is not covered by the overtime rules?
Employees who earn more than the earnings threshold, which is R269 600.90 a year (R22 466.74 a month) from 1 May 2026. Above that, overtime, Sunday and public holiday premiums are whatever your contract says. Senior managers and sales staff who travel and set their own hours are also excluded.
Employing people? Get the paperwork right
The employer admin pack has an employment contract template with the overtime, Sunday and public holiday clauses already in, plus payslips, leave records and a disciplinary starter kit.
See the employer packDeadlines and rule changes, by email
Wage increases, threshold changes and filing dates that affect small South African employers. One email when something matters, never more than monthly.
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Rates per sections 10, 16, 18 and 35 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997. Earnings threshold R269 600.90 a year from 1 May 2026 per Government Notice 7384 in Gazette 54544 of 17 April 2026, Department of Employment and Labour, labour.gov.za. Checked 3 September 2026. A bargaining council agreement or sectoral determination for your industry may set different rates.