Overtime, Sunday & Public Holiday Pay
Overtime, Sunday & Public Holiday Pay
What you must pay for overtime, Sundays, public holidays and night work under the BCEA -- and the earnings threshold that switches these rights off for higher earners.
Ordinary hours
| Maximum per week | 45 hours |
| Maximum per day | 9 hours on a 5-day week, or 8 hours on a 6-day week |
Premium pay
| Overtime | 1.5 times the normal rate (by written agreement only; capped at 10 hours a week and 12 in a single day) |
| Sunday (not a usual working day) | 2 times the normal rate |
| Sunday (a normal working day) | 1.5 times the normal rate |
| Public holiday worked | At least double the normal daily wage |
| Public holiday on a working day, not worked | Full normal pay |
| Night work (18:00 to 06:00) | An extra allowance or reduced hours, plus transport must be available |
The earnings threshold carve-out
- Employees earning ABOVE the BCEA earnings threshold of R269,600.90 a year (from 1 May 2026) are NOT automatically entitled to overtime, Sunday or night-work premiums
- Below the threshold these are statutory rights you cannot contract out of
Reference only -- not legal advice. A bargaining council agreement can set higher premiums. The threshold figure changes; confirm the current one before relying on it. Verify at labour.gov.za.
Sources: Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 · BCEA earnings threshold notice (effective 1 May 2026) · Department of Employment and Labour
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