This South Africa end-of-service calculator works out the statutory amounts you are owed when you leave a job — severance pay, notice pay and an accrued-leave payout — under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). South Africa does not use a Gulf-style “gratuity” that accrues on resignation, so the entitlement depends heavily on why employment ended.
How it works
The tool first converts your monthly remuneration to a weekly figure (monthly × 12 ÷ 52) and a daily figure (weekly ÷ 5 working days), then applies the BCEA rules:
- Severance (s.41): one week’s remuneration for each completed year of continuous service — payable only on retrenchment.
- Notice (s.37): 1 week under 6 months’ service, 2 weeks for 6 months to under 1 year, and 4 weeks for 1 year or more.
- Accrued leave (s.40): outstanding annual-leave days paid at your daily rate.
If you select resignation or retirement, severance is shown as not payable, because the BCEA reserves it for operational dismissals.
Example
On retrenchment after 5 completed years earning R18,000 a month, your weekly pay is about R4,154. Severance is 5 × R4,154 ≈ R20,769, plus 4 weeks’ notice of about R16,615, giving a statutory package of roughly R37,400 before any leave payout and before tax.
Notes
- Severance can be forfeited if you unreasonably refuse suitable alternative employment offered to avoid retrenchment.
- Your retirement or provident fund is paid out separately by the fund under its own tax tables — it is not part of these BCEA amounts.
- Figures are gross; PAYE and any agreed deductions reduce the actual payment.