The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) sets the rules for overtime in South Africa. The rate depends on when the overtime is worked — weekday, Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.
Overtime Rates at a Glance
1.5×
Weekday & Saturday overtime
2×
Sundays (if not normally worked)
2×
Public holidays worked
For monthly-salaried employees, divide the monthly salary by the number of ordinary working hours per month. The BCEA uses 4.33 weeks per month × ordinary daily hours:
Monthly salary ÷ (weekly hours × 4.33) = hourly rate
Example: R15,000 ÷ (40h × 4.33) = R15,000 ÷ 173.2 = R86.61/hour
| Scenario | Rate | Formula | Example (R86.61/h × 3h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday overtime | 1.5× | hourly × 1.5 × hours | R389.75 |
| Sunday (not normally worked) | 2× | hourly × 2 × hours | R519.66 |
| Sunday (normally worked) | 1.5× | hourly × 1.5 × hours | R389.75 |
| Public holiday (worked) | 2× | hourly × 2 × hours | R519.66 |
Yes. Overtime pay is remuneration and is added to the employee's monthly gross salary for PAYE calculation. It is also subject to UIF up to the monthly ceiling (R177.12).
Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the ordinary hourly rate for weekday and Saturday overtime, and 2 times the ordinary rate for Sundays and public holidays, under section 17 of the BCEA.
Under the BCEA, employees may not work more than 10 hours overtime per week, or 3 hours on any day.
Yes — by agreement with the employee, you can grant 1.5 hours of paid time-off for each hour of overtime worked on weekdays/Saturdays, and 2 hours off for each Sunday/public holiday hour.
Employees earning above R254,371.67/year (2025) can agree in writing to different overtime arrangements, including compressed work weeks or averaging agreements.
Employees may not be required to work more than 12 hours per day (including overtime) and may refuse overtime that would endanger their health and safety.
Senior managerial employees are excluded from the BCEA's overtime provisions. However, what constitutes 'senior managerial' is interpreted narrowly — when in doubt, apply BCEA rules.
Add overtime hours per employee before each payroll run. TSS Payroll applies the correct BCEA rate and calculates PAYE and UIF automatically.
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