South Africa | National minimum wage increases effective March 2026

South Africa | National minimum wage increases effective March 2026

South Africa’s Department of Employment and Labour published Government Gazette 54075 (3 February 2026) under the National Minimum Wage Act, increasing the national minimum wage and related allowances effective 1 March 2026.
What is changing
National minimum wage (NMW)
  • Effective 1 March 2026, the national minimum wage increases from R28.79 to R30.23 for each ordinary hour worked.
  • This hourly rate also applies to farm workers and domestic workers.
Expanded public works programme (EPWP) workers
  • Effective 1 March 2026, the minimum wage for EPWP workers is R16.62 per hour.
Learnership allowances
  • Effective 1 March 2026, minimum weekly allowances apply to workers who have concluded learnership agreements under section 17 of the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No. 97 of 1998), as follows:
    • NQF Level 1 to 2 (0–120 credits): R455.00 per week
    • NQF Level 1 to 2 (121–240 credits): R909.94 per week
    • NQF Level 3 (0–120 credits): R455.00 per week
    • NQF Level 3 (121–240 credits): R856.94 per week
    • NQF Level 3 (241–360 credits): R1,402.87 per week
    • NQF Level 4 (0–120 credits): R455.00 per week
    • NQF Level 4 (121–240 credits): R910.04 per week
    • NQF Level 4 (241–360 credits): R1,402.87 per week
    • NQF Level 4 (361–480 credits): R2,047.41 per week
    • NQF Level 5 to 8 (0–120 credits): R455.00 per week
    • NQF Level 5 to 8 (121–240 credits): R985.76 per week
    • NQF Level 5 to 8 (241–360 credits): R1,474.97 per week
    • NQF Level 5 to 8 (361–480 credits): R2,077.79 per week
    • NQF Level 5 to 8 (481–600 credits): R2,654.04 per week
Contract Cleaning Sector and Wholesale and Retail Sector
  • Effective 1 March 2026, minimum wages for the Contract Cleaning Sector (Sectoral Determination 1) and the Wholesale and Retail Sector (Sectoral Determination 9) increase to align with the national minimum wage rates.
Important notes
  • Employment Tax Incentive (ETI): One qualifying criterion is that an employee must earn at least the higher of the applicable national minimum wage rate or the minimum rate specified by the applicable wage-regulating measure. Employers should ensure the updated minimum wage rates effective 1 March 2026 are reflected in the ETI minimum wage rate configuration.
  • For more information on how to update the wage rates on the system, please click here: https://support.payspace.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-do-i-configure-the-eti-minimum-wage-rate-per-hour-component
  • Exemptions: Employers who cannot afford to pay the national minimum wage may apply online for an exemption from the National Minimum Wage Act.
Official source

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