The Compensation Fund (C.F.) in South Africa provides compensation to employees who either get injured, contract diseases, or die from injuries and illnesses contracted during the course of their employment. Companies are mandated to contribute towards this fund by law, as the fund is governed by the Compensation for Occupation Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) of 1993.
Every year, employers must submit their Return of Earnings (ROE) to the Department of Employment and Labour. The return and the employer’s industry classification help determine the Compensation Fund assessment. For the 2025 assessment period, the published submission window was 1 April–30 June 2026. Check the department’s latest ROE notice for any extension or the next assessment period.
Below is the process to submit a company’s ROE
A company can submit its ROE using two methods, that is manually or online, via the department of labour website. However, this tutorial focuses on the online application alone, which is strongly recommended because it takes a short time and energy to complete.
- The first stage is to register the company on the department of labour website electronically.
- Follow all the steps required, including submitting all supporting documents
- Please note, that registration requires that you have a South African I.D number, and you can only register your organization for the Compensation Fund if it is registered and has obtained a Company Registration Number from the Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)
After registering, you may go ahead and submit your ROE using the same department of labour website. This time, you go on and click Employer Registration and ROE Submission. A new window will open, which is where you input your login details, log in and start the process to submit your ROE.
While at it, please note that you can only login in if;
- Your organization is already registered with the Compensation Fund. If you aren’t registered, you may follow the steps above and register.
After logging in, you will follow all guidelines on the website to submit your ROE online. However, you need to complete your older outstanding ROE first before doing so for the assessment year you are submitting.
After submission, check your registered email address and the official system for the Notice of Assessment and payment instructions. Processing may require verification; do not assume the assessment will always arrive within 24 hours.
In cases where you do not receive your assessment via email, you are free to contact Compensation Fund Customer Care using their email address; cfcallcentre@labour.gov.za. Where there were errors in your submissions, you must notify the C.F. commissioner within 30 days, failure of which may attract a penalty. More so, if the employer is late on filing their ROE, there is a stipulated penalty that may also be applied to the business, as guided by the COID Act.