Ikhaya
For South African households

You never planned to become an employer.You already are one.

The person who works in your home is entitled to a written contract, payslips, UIF, annual leave and notice. Ikhaya keeps all of it in one folder, so if a bad day ever comes you can put the whole file on the table in thirty seconds.

14 days free — cancel any time in the trial and you pay nothing. R79 a month per worker after that, free from the fourth. The calculators are free — no account needed.

Payslip · September 2026

Thandeka M.

Signed
Ordinary hours176 × R30,23
R 5 320.48
Overtime8 hours at 1.5×
R 362.76
Sunday worked1 Sunday at double
R 483.68
Public holiday24 September
R 241.84
UIF− R64,48 withheld · + R64,48 from you
Paid to herR 6 355.56
Contract on file12 payslipsLeave: 18 of 22 days used

If it goes wrong

Notice owed with 4 months' service:

4 weeks

Final day 30 September → last day at work 28 October.

R 30.23

the lowest legal pay per hour from 1 March 2026

2%

UIF each month — 1% withheld, 1% from you

4 weeks

notice once she has worked for you longer than six months

3 years

how long the Basic Conditions of Employment Act says keep the records

Why the folder matters

Most households never think about this until a bad day arrives.

And on that day the question is never whether you were a good employer. It is whether you can show it.

She refers a dispute to the CCMA

The commissioner will ask what you paid, when, and what you agreed. A signed contract and twelve months of payslips is usually the whole answer. Nothing at all is usually the whole problem.

She applies for UIF

UIF pays her only if the monthly contributions were deducted, declared and paid. One missing month turns a claim into a queue at the Department of Employment and Labour.

The employment has to end

Notice, a final payslip, a service certificate, severance if she qualifies. Work it out before the meeting, not the morning after it.

What's in the folder

Everything the law expects a household employer to be able to produce.

A contract that matches the law

Working hours, meal intervals, Sunday and public-holiday pay, deductions, notice — the terms a household employer must state in writing.

Payslips that add up

Ordinary hours, overtime, Sundays and public holidays, UIF in and out. Every payslip is stored the moment you create it.

A leave ledger you can read

Days accrued, days taken, days left. No more arguing about a long weekend in December.

Notice and severance, worked out

Type the last day. See the notice you owe, the pay you owe, and the severance that applies if she qualifies.

The evidence pack

One export of the contract, every payslip and the leave record, in date order, with the dates you were working on them.

Reminders before the deadline

Pay day, UIF month-end, the year the contract needs re-checking. Nudged to you in advance.

Pricing

R79 a month per worker. Free from the fourth.

Cancel in one click. The calculators stay free for everyone, no account needed.

Ikhaya

R79/month

The whole household folder, and the export you reach for on a bad day.

  • R79 per worker for the first three, free from the fourth — billed to you, never deducted from anyone's pay
  • Written contract you can sign and keep
  • Payslips with overtime, Sundays and UIF
  • Leave ledger with accrual and balances
  • UIF figures ready for the monthly declaration
  • Reminders before pay day and UIF month-end
  • Evidence-pack export, in date order
  • 3 years of records stored — archive instead of delete

The national minimum wage for domestic workers is R30,23 an hour from 1 March 2026. It is reviewed every year, usually in March — check the Department of Employment and Labour for the current figure before you rely on it.

Questions

The four things everyone asks.

Do I really have to do all this?

If she works for you rather than for a contractor, yes. Domestic workers were brought under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act in 2003 and under UIF in 2003, and the sectoral determination sets the minimum wage. The paperwork is the law, not a nice-to-have.

What does it cost?

R79 a month per worker for the first three — from the fourth worker on, free, so the bill never passes R237. That covers the contract, payslips, leave ledger, UIF figures, reminders and the evidence pack. The calculators on this site stay free for everyone.

What if I try it and then change my mind?

You start with a 14-day free trial: you add a card to begin, but nothing is charged for the first 14 days — cancel any time in the trial and you pay nothing at all. If you keep Ikhaya past the trial and then decide it isn't for you, tell us within 30 days of paying and we refund you in full. The refund is handled by our payment provider, Paddle.

Who pays — me or the person I employ?

You do, the household. The per-worker price is simply how the bill counts the people on your payroll: nothing is deducted from anyone's wage, no worker is ever charged, and no worker needs an account or a login. If three or more people work for you, the price stops counting — R237 is the ceiling.

What happens if I stop paying?

You don't have to give notice and there's no cancellation fee — stop paying and the service stops. Nothing new can be added from that day, but the folder stays readable and exportable for 30 days, so you can still produce the contract, payslips and leave record if a worker or the CCMA asks. After that it archives; ask and we'll send you a copy.

Is this legal advice?

No. Ikhaya keeps the records and does the arithmetic the law sets out. For a dismissal, a dispute or anything that feels serious, talk to a labour consultant, your nearest Legal Aid office or the CCMA.

What happens to my information?

Your household folder is only readable by you. We ask for the minimum needed to do the job, and you can delete a worker or your whole account at any time.

Set the folder up while it's still easy.

Ten minutes now, and the paperwork is never the thing that catches you out.