The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) sets minimum standards for employee rights in South Africa, including leave entitlements.
Sage HR includes predefined, BCEA‑compliant policies for sick leave, annual leave, and reporting. These policies apply the rules automatically, so you don’t need to manage them yourself.
What Sage HR covers
Sage HR focuses on three BCEA areas:
Sick leave with different rules for new employees in their first six months and established employees
Annual leave with BCEA‑aligned entitlements and monthly accrual
Reporting that handles carryover and probation through policy sequences
This automation removes the need to track probation sick leave, annual leave carryover, or reporting manually. It reduces admin and helps you stay compliant.
📎NOTE:
This functionality is available only to South African customers
Sage HR provides BCEA policies as a starting point. Review and update them if legislation changes
Annual leave
BCEA sets a minimum of 21 days’ paid leave per year
This equals 15 working days on a five‑day week or 18 days on a six‑day week
Leave accrues monthly
Unused leave can carry over for up to six months
Public holidays don’t count as annual leave
Sage HR provides BCEA‑aligned annual leave policies. You can use policy sequences to manage carryover and policy changes.
Sick leave
In the first six months, employees earn one day of paid sick leave for every 26 days worked
After six months, employees receive their full sick leave cycle entitlement
For example, employees receive 30 days over three years on a five‑day week
Employees must provide a medical certificate for absences longer than two consecutive workdays
Employees must also provide a certificate after more than two absences in an eight‑week period
Sage HR:
Uses year‑cycle policies to manage sick leave
Applies different accrual rules for new joiners and existing employees
Shows balances for parent and child policies in reports
Displays guidance messages when balances split across policies
Reporting and compliance
Sage HR uses policy sequences to manage BCEA carryover and special conditions.
Parent policies hold the main entitlement
Child policies manage carryover or probation rules
Reports show messages to help you view full balances across policies
What hasn’t changed
Other BCEA leave types, including maternity leave, parental leave, and family responsibility leave, remain unchanged.
For full details on BCEA leave entitlements, see the CCMA Leave Info Sheet..