Salary guide · South Africa
Learnership stipend 2026: the official minimum allowance per week by NQF level
The legal minimum learnership allowance runs from R455 a week for a learner's first 120 credits to R2,654.04 a week at NQF 5 to 8 with 481 to 600 credits, from 1 March 2026.
Those amounts are in Schedule 2 of Government Gazette 54075, and they apply to learners who have a learnership agreement under section 17 of the Skills Development Act. A learner just starting on any level is entitled to at least R455 a week, which is about R1,971.52 a month. An employer can pay more than this table, and many adverts don't state a stipend at all, so ask before you accept. Applying for a learnership is free: real programmes don't charge you.
| NQF level | Credits you already have | Minimum per week | About per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 to 2 | 0 to 120 | R455.00 | R1,971.52 |
| Level 1 to 2 | 121 to 240 | R909.94 | R3,942.77 |
| Level 3 | 0 to 120 | R455.00 | R1,971.52 |
| Level 3 | 121 to 240 | R856.94 | R3,713.12 |
| Level 3 | 241 to 360 | R1,402.87 | R6,078.64 |
| Level 4 | 0 to 120 | R455.00 | R1,971.52 |
| Level 4 | 121 to 240 | R910.04 | R3,943.20 |
| Level 4 | 241 to 360 | R1,402.87 | R6,078.64 |
| Level 4 | 361 to 480 | R2,047.41 | R8,871.43 |
| Level 5 to 8 | 0 to 120 | R455.00 | R1,971.52 |
| Level 5 to 8 | 121 to 240 | R985.76 | R4,271.30 |
| Level 5 to 8 | 241 to 360 | R1,474.90 | R6,390.74 |
| Level 5 to 8 | 361 to 480 | R2,077.79 | R9,003.06 |
| Level 5 to 8 | 481 to 600 | R2,654.04 | R11,499.96 |
Weekly figures: Government Gazette 54075, Schedule 2. The monthly column is our sum at 4.333 weeks, the same number of weeks the gazette uses for its monthly wages. The gazette itself prints the allowance per week only.
How much will I get on my learnership?
Find your NQF level, then count the credits you already have. Say you're on an NQF 4 learnership with no credits yet: the legal minimum is R455 a week. Once you have 241 credits, the minimum on the same level rises to R1,402.87 a week, about R6,078.64 a month. Your learnership agreement states the actual figure, so read it before you sign.
A credit is a unit of learning on the national framework. Your training provider can tell you how many you have. If you don't know, ask them in writing.
Is a learnership stipend the same as an internship stipend?
No. This table is only for section 17 learnership agreements. An internship isn't in the table, so the employer sets the amount. In government, the DPSA has its own developmental programme scale. Its schedule letters run from R59,580 a year to R144,549 a year on the first notch, from 1 April 2026, and it's not pensionable.
A common government figure is R98,097 a year, which is R8,174.75 a month. Public Service Vacancy Circular 36 of 9 October 2026 states R8,174.75 a month in 20 internship adverts. We couldn't confirm which qualification gets which letter, so read your advert.
Is the stipend more or less than the minimum wage?
It's a separate rule. The gazette says the national minimum wage is R30.23 an hour, but that workers with a learnership agreement are entitled to the allowances in Schedule 2 instead. So R455 a week is legal for a new learner, though it's below the R1,360.35 a week of a full time worker on the minimum wage. Work out your transport cost before you say yes, because a long commute can eat most of R455 a week.
Which learnerships are open now?
In our catalogue on 1 November 2026, these had learner or apprentice in the title. Closing dates pass fast, so check the current list on our internships page.
Sasol Learner Administrator and Learner Electro Mechanic: closes 6 November. Eskom Electrical Apprentices: closes 13 and 16 November, in two adverts. Valterra Platinum Learner Miner: closes 16 November. FirstRand FirstJob Learner: closes 20 November. DHL YES4Youth Learnership: no deadline published. None of these adverts states a stipend in our salary field, so ask the employer. How to spot a real programme is in our learnerships guide.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026. Each figure keeps the period and scope of its source.
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