Employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to at least 2× their ordinary hourly rate under the BCEA. Here's how that works out in practice.
For an employee earning R19,500/month working a standard 45-hour week (≈195 hours/month):
Hourly rate = R19,500 ÷ 195 = R100/hour
8 hours × R100/hour × 2 = R1,600.00 for that day
That's on top of the employee's normal monthly salary — this is additional pay for working the holiday.
If the public holiday falls on a day the employee would normally have worked, and they don't work it, they're simply paid their ordinary day's pay — no extra premium, since they didn't work the day.
8 hours × R100/hour × 1 = R800.00 (normal day's pay, already included in monthly salary)
If a public holiday falls on a day the employee wouldn't normally work (e.g. a Saturday for a Monday–Friday employee), no additional pay is owed for the holiday itself.
Check any scenario with our Public Holiday Pay Calculator.
No additional pay is owed for the holiday itself, since the employee wouldn't have worked that day anyway.
Yes — 2× the ordinary hourly rate is the BCEA minimum; some contracts may offer more.
Yes — it's treated as normal remuneration for that period and is subject to PAYE and UIF like any other pay.
TSS Payroll applies the correct 2× rate for public holidays worked, automatically.
No credit card required · Cancel anytime · 30-day free trial