Yes — Inspectors Visit Private Homes
Many South African employers of domestic workers assume that the Department of Labour focuses its inspection activities on businesses and formal employers. This is a dangerous misconception. The Department actively deploys inspectors to residential areas, estates and complexes to verify compliance with domestic worker legislation. These inspections are unannounced — an inspector can arrive at your gate on any weekday and request access to verify compliance.
What Inspectors Check
When a Department of Labour inspector visits your home, they will typically check for the following:
- UIF registration — Are you registered as a domestic employer and is your worker registered under your UIF number?
- Monthly UIF declarations — Are you submitting monthly UI-19 declarations and paying contributions?
- COID registration — Are you registered with the Compensation Fund as required since 10 March 2021?
- Employment contract — Does your domestic worker have a written contract complying with Sectoral Determination 7?
- Payslips — Are you issuing compliant payslips and retaining copies for three years?
- Minimum wage compliance — Are you paying at least R30.23 per hour from 1 March 2026?
- Working hours — Are you complying with the 45-hour weekly maximum?
What Happens If You Are Non-Compliant
If the inspector finds non-compliance, they can issue a compliance order on the spot — a legally binding document requiring you to rectify the non-compliance within a specified period. Failure to comply with a compliance order can result in criminal prosecution. For UIF non-compliance, the inspector will calculate backdated contributions owed and require immediate payment or a formal commitment. Penalties and interest are added to outstanding amounts.
What You Need to Have Ready
- Your UIF employer registration number
- Proof of monthly UIF declarations and payment confirmations
- Your COID registration confirmation and latest Return of Earnings submission
- A signed written employment contract for each domestic worker
- Monthly payslips issued to each worker, copies retained for three years
How MyHelper Prepares You for Any Inspection
MyHelper's payroll platform automatically stores proof of every UIF submission made on your behalf. When the Department of Labour responds to your declarations, those responses are also stored. If you receive a surprise inspection, you can download a complete compliance history with a single click. Start with a free compliance check at myhelpersubmit.co.za.
Need help with compliance?
MyHelper makes UIF, COID, payslips and labour law compliance simple — from R249/month.