Employers pay into the Compensation Fund once a month (based on a maximum amount of earnings of R529 265 per employee). Employees do not pay anything to the Fund, so employers cannot deduct money from employees’ wages for this. The following employers do not have to pay into the Fund:

• National and provincial state departments
• Certain local authorities
• Employers who are insured by a company other than the Compensation Fund. For example, those companies which are part of the Chamber of Mines are insured by Rand Mutual Association, and many employers in the construction industry are insured by Federated Employers Mutual Assurance.
• Private households in respect of their domestic workers

These employers are still covered by the Act and claims are made to and decided by the Commissioner. The only difference is that the payouts are made by the insurance fund of the employer (not by the Compensation Fund).

You can claim if:

• You were injured on duty
• You lost a family member who died on the job
• You are a domestic worker in a boarding house
• You are a trainee farm worker
• You are a worker employed by a temporary employment agency