South African law doesn't use the term "paternity leave" — it's called parental leave, and it gives fathers and non-birth parents 10 consecutive days of leave when their child is born.
Parental leave is available to any employee who is a parent of a child but isn't entitled to maternity leave — most commonly fathers, but also same-sex partners and other qualifying parents. There's no minimum length of service required to qualify, unlike some other leave types.
The employer is not obliged to pay salary during parental leave. Instead, the employee can claim a UIF parental benefit — up to 66% of their salary, capped at the UIF earnings ceiling — provided they've been contributing to UIF. Some employers choose to top up pay as a benefit, but this is not a legal requirement.
The same 10-day parental leave applies to one adoptive or commissioning parent when the other takes the longer 10-week adoption leave.
South African law provides 10 consecutive days of parental leave (the legal term covering paternity leave) under the BCEA, available to any employee who is a parent but not entitled to maternity leave.
The employer is not required to pay for parental leave, but the employee can claim a UIF parental benefit of up to 66% of their salary for the leave period, provided they have contributed to UIF.
No — it must be taken as one continuous block of 10 days.
TSS Payroll manages annual, sick, maternity and parental leave balances automatically — with UIF-ready documentation when you need it.
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