How to register for COIDA (workmen's compensation)

Short answer

COIDA is the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, South Africa's workmen's compensation law. If you employ anyone, including a domestic worker, you must register with the Compensation Fund, online at cfonline.labour.gov.za or on form W.As.2. There is no registration fee we could find. You then pay an annual assessment based on your payroll.

COIDA pays employees who are hurt or made ill by their work, and employers fund it through an annual assessment. Clients, banks and tenders will ask for proof of registration, and an unregistered employer can be penalised.

No feelisted for registering (you pay the assessment)

7 daysafter your first employee, per published guides

Up to 10%penalty for failing to register or file

Last checked against official sources on 3 November 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official portal before you submit. How we check.

On this page

Short answer
Who needs it
Before you start
Step by step
Fix a problem
What it costs
How long it takes
When it expires
What comes next
Sources

Who needs it

Every employer carrying on business in South Africa who has employees. Register each separate business you run
Household employers with a domestic worker. Domestic workers have been covered since a Constitutional Court ruling on 19 November 2020
Not needed if you have no employees. You cannot then get a letter of good standing
Companies with branches that hold their own CIPC registration certificate register those branches separately, per published guides

Before you start

Tick these off as you gather them.

Your legal and trading names, and your CIPC registration number (or ID number if you are a sole proprietor or household employer)
Your income tax and PAYE numbers, if you have them
A CIPC certificate, or trust deed, or NPO certificate, depending on your entity type
ID copies of the owners, directors or members
Proof of your business address and a working email address and cellphone number
The date your first employee started, the number of employees and your estimate of annual earnings
A specific description of what your business does. This drives your industry classification and your rate
For household employers: the worker's ID or permit, proof of your address and the employment contract

Step by step

Decide your route. Companies and close corporations with a PAYE number register on CF Online. Sole proprietors, partners, trusts, NPOs, body corporates and entities without a PAYE number use form W.As.2 on paper, according to published guides.
Online route: open the CF Online user registration page at cfonline.labour.gov.za. Enter your RSA ID number, first names, surname, email address, cellphone number and the captcha.
Wait for the email with your password. The page says the password is sent to the email address you gave, so check it before you submit.
Log in and start a new employer registration for your business.
Enter your business details exactly as they appear on your CIPC documents: legal name, registration number, tax numbers and addresses.
Describe your business activity in specific terms, for example "residential plumbing contractor" rather than "general trade".
Enter the date your first employee started, your number of employees and your estimated annual earnings.
Attach or send your supporting documents as the system asks, then submit.
Paper route: complete and sign form W.As.2 from the Department's website or a labour centre, attach your documents, and hand it in at a labour centre. Household employers can email the completed CF-1E form and documents to [email protected], per the Fund's 2021 notice.
Write down your Compensation Fund registration number. It starts with 99 and is your payment reference. Then file your first Return of Earnings.

Open the official portal: CF Online (Compensation Fund)

Fix a problem

The issues people hit most, and what to do. Each one has its own link you can share.

My COIDA registration was rejected or sent back

The usual causes are an unsigned or incomplete W.As.2, missing CIPC, ID or address documents, the wrong route for your entity type, or an agent who cannot show authority to act. Ask the Fund exactly what is missing (0860 105 350 or [email protected]), fix that item, and resubmit the full pack. Do not start a second registration.

The Fund put me in the wrong industry classification

Your classification sets your rate, so a wrong one means overpaying or underpaying. Compare the class on your assessment notice with what your business does. Write to the Fund with your registration number, a plain description of your work and your CIPC documents, and ask for reclassification. If an assessment is already issued, apply for a revision within 30 calendar days of the invoice date.

It says my business is already registered, or I may have a duplicate

A previous owner, an earlier registration or a branch may already hold a number. Do not register again. Give the Fund your CIPC number and ID and ask for the existing registration to be found and updated. Separate legal entities each need their own registration, but one entity should not have two.

I cannot find my COIDA reference or registration number

Search your email for the Fund's registration confirmation, then check any earlier assessment invoice, Return of Earnings submission or letter of good standing. The number starts with 99. If you have none of these, call 0860 105 350 or email [email protected] with your CIPC number and a director's ID.

I registered but got no confirmation

Check your spam folder and the email address you used. Then call 0860 105 350 or email [email protected] with the date you submitted, your CIPC number and a copy of what you sent. For W.As.2 submissions, keep proof of delivery from the labour centre.

A client asks for COIDA verification and I do not know what to send

Clients usually want your registration number plus a current letter of good standing, which shows you are registered, have filed and have paid. Registration alone does not produce the letter. File your Return of Earnings and pay the assessment first.

What it costs

Item	What you pay
Registering yourself	No registration fee is listed on the Fund's channels we checked
Annual assessment	Total employee earnings divided by 100, multiplied by the rate for your industry class. Earnings above the yearly per-employee maximum are left out.
Minimum assessment	R1,621 for employers, R560 for household employers (2025 assessment year)
Not registering, or filing late	A penalty of up to 10% can apply
A consultant or agent	A service fee on top

Be careful with sites quoting a fixed government fee for registration. Rates change each year, so use the figures on your own assessment notice.

How long it takes

The Fund does not publish a turnaround time. Published guides describe a few days online and longer on paper, and incomplete forms add delays. Register as soon as you hire, and allow several weeks if a tender or client deadline depends on it.

When it expires

Registration does not expire. You stay registered until you close the business or tell the Fund you have stopped employing
File a Return of Earnings every year. The 2026 season ran from 1 April to 30 June 2026
Tell the Fund within 7 days if your address, email, nature of business or contact details change, or if you cease operating

What comes next

File your first Return of Earnings and pay the assessment
Then get your COIDA letter of good standing
Tendering? Register on the CSD and keep your tax compliance PIN in good standing

Sources

Cite this guide: noredtape, "How to register for COIDA (workmen's compensation)", last checked 3 November 2026. https://noredtape.co.za/guides/coida-registration/

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