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Domestic worker COIDA calculator
If you employ a domestic worker, gardener, nanny, or caregiver in your home, you are a COIDA employer. Estimate your 2026 Return of Earnings assessment below — the calculator applies the R560 minimum, the Class M 1.04% rate, and the earnings ceiling for whichever assessment year you pick — R668,000 from 1 March 2026, or R633,168 for 2025/2026.
Since the 2020 Mahlangu Constitutional Court ruling, every private household that employs a domestic worker, gardener, or childminder is a COIDA employer and must register with the Compensation Fund. A different minimum assessment and a single fixed tariff apply.
Provisional earnings — the year you are in, from 1 March 2026. Earnings above R668 000 per employee are excluded.
Your ROE declares both: actual earnings for the year that ended and provisional earnings for the year ahead. Run it once per year to get both figures.
Wage before deductions. Internally converted to an annual figure (× 12) before applying the R668 000 per-worker ceiling.
Estimated annual assessment fee
R560
This is an estimate based on standard tariff rates. Your actual assessment may differ based on your specific COIDA industry classification and claims history. Verify with the Compensation Fund at labour.gov.za.
Assessment come back much higher than this? It may be on the wrong industry tariff — you have 30 days from your notice to dispute a COIDA assessment.
What a domestic worker COIDA assessment costs
Domestic employers fall under Class Mof the Compensation Fund tariff schedule — a single fixed rate of 1.04% of the annual earnings you pay your worker (Government Gazette 43959). Whatever the calculation comes to, a minimum assessment of R560 applies. For a worker earning around R4,000–R6,000 a month, most households pay between roughly R560 and R750 for the year.
The Return of Earnings deadline is 30 June every year (the window opens 1 April). The 2026 deadline was 30 June 2026; the next window covers the 2026/2027 year. Miss it and a 10% penalty is added automatically — see our ROE deadline guide or, if the date has passed, how to submit a late ROE.
For the full household walkthrough — registration, what to declare, and the personal-liability risk of not registering — read COIDA for domestic workers.
Would rather have it handled?
A registered Labour Practitioner can handle the full process for your household — Compensation Fund registration, the ROE submission, and recovering your Letter of Good Standing.
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ClearComply is a software tool for tracking and information purposes only. We do not provide legal, tax, or professional advice, and we do not file or submit documents on your behalf. Tariff and minimum figures reflect Government Gazettes 43959 and 54577; confirm current figures at labour.gov.za before filing.
ClearComply is a private commercial software provider and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or an official agency of CIPC or any government entity. We are not the Compensation Fund or the Department of Employment and Labour. Letters of Good Standing are issued by the Compensation Fund, not by us.