Learnership Stipends 2026 in South Africa
What you actually get paid during a learnership in South Africa, by company. Below are stipend amounts confirmed for 2026 against company careers portals and recurring 2026 listings. Where a company has not publicly disclosed a rate, it is listed separately - a stipend is still paid, but the amount is only confirmed when you apply.
Important: Stipend amounts are reviewed annually by employers and SETAs. The figures below are best-effort as of 2026-05-18 - confirm the current rate with the employer before accepting an offer. We are not the application platform - apply only through the official company careers portal linked on each company page.
Published stipends (sorted low to high)
| Company | Sector | Stipend / month |
|---|---|---|
| SAPS | Government & Public Sector | Approximately R4,500/month trainee stipend during the BPDLP (plus uniform, meals, accommodation and medical aid). Constable salary on graduation. Note: this is a police trainee programme, not a SETA learnership. Confirm current rate with SAPS as the 2026 circular figure has not been republished. |
| Discovery | Financial Services | Wealth Management Learnership: reported R5,000 - R5,500/month (multiple 2026 sources). Long-Term Insurance and other tracks differ - confirm with company. |
| Woolworths | Retail | YES4Youth placements: R5,241/month (YES programme baseline applicable across all participating employers in 2026). Non-YES placements may differ - confirm with company. |
| Nedbank | Banking | YES4Youth Learnership: R5,241/month (YES programme baseline applicable to all participating employers in 2026). Graduate programme and bursary rates differ - confirm with company. |
| Sasol | Petrochemicals & Mining | R5,300/month for the 12-month learnership (2026 intake, per published listings). Higher for graduates and EIT - confirm with company. |
| Toyota SA | Automotive | Maintenance Learnership: reported R5,500/month (figure persists across multiple intake listings; 2026 amount not explicitly re-confirmed by Toyota - confirm with company). |
| FNB | Banking | R5,933/month for the FirstJob learnership (per 2026 listings - confirm current rate with FNB) |
| AECI | Petrochemicals & Mining | Chemical Process Operator Learnership: reported approximately R7,000/month (NQF 2; figure carried from 2025 intake across multiple 2026 listings - confirm with company). |
| Mr Price | Retail | R7,760/month for the JumpStart programme (per 2026 listings - confirm current rate with Mr Price) |
| Capitec | Banking | R8,500/month for the Better Champion learnership (per 2026 listings - confirm current rate with Capitec) |
Stipend paid - amount not publicly disclosed
The following companies pay a monthly learner stipend but have not published the rate. The amount is confirmed when you receive an offer.
| Company | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Absa | Banking & Financial Services | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company. Absa runs multiple distinct programmes (FAIS Adviser, Junior Learnership, Graduate Programme) with different rates per cycle. |
| Anglo American | Mining & Resources | Artisan learners: reported R6,000 - R9,000/month (mining-sector SETA-aligned, multiple 2026 sources). EIT and graduate stipends not publicly disclosed. |
| BMW SA | Automotive | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Coca-Cola Beverages SA | FMCG | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Eskom | Energy & Utilities | Engineer-in-Training (EIT): approximately R6,000 - R11,000/month reported on Glassdoor (Feb 2026). Artisan learner stipend not publicly disclosed - confirm with company. |
| Harmony Gold | Petrochemicals & Mining | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Implats (Impala Platinum) | Petrochemicals & Mining | Monthly stipend paid; amount not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Investec | Banking | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Liberty | Financial Services | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Massmart | Retail | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| MTN | Telecommunications & IT | Not publicly disclosed - MTN explicitly states stipend amounts are confirmed at onboarding. Confirm with the recruiter. |
| MultiChoice | Media & Entertainment | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Old Mutual | Financial Services | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Pepkor | Retail | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Pick n Pay | Retail | R3,000/month for the W&R Operations Learnership NQF 3 (confirmed across multiple 2026 listings). IT and supply-chain track stipends not publicly disclosed. |
| Sanlam | Financial Services | Monthly allowance paid; amount not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| SARS | Government & Public Sector | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company. The SARS Graduate-in-Training programme advertises a "competitive stipend" without a published figure. Bursary covers tuition, books and prescribed materials. |
| Shoprite | Retail & Hospitality | Money Market YES Programme: R3,360/month base plus performance-based commission (verified 2026 cycle). Other Shoprite learnerships (Retail Readiness, butchery/bakery): not publicly disclosed - confirm with company. |
| Sibanye-Stillwater | Petrochemicals & Mining | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| SPAR | Retail | Monthly stipend paid; amount not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Standard Bank | Banking & Financial Services | R6,800/month for the PPB Voice Branch (Call Centre) Learnership NQF 5 (confirmed across multiple 2026 listings). Graduate Programme and Global Leadership Programme salaries not publicly disclosed. |
| Telkom | Telecommunications | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Tiger Brands | FMCG | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
| Transnet | Transport & Logistics | Train Assistant Trainee: reported R6,500 - R7,000/month (24-month programme, multiple 2026 listings). Artisan and other learnership stipends not publicly disclosed - confirm with company. |
| Vodacom | Telecommunications | Not publicly disclosed - confirm with company |
Reference: SETA and YES4Youth minimums
Where a company has not publicly disclosed its stipend, these reference rates apply as a floor (the company may pay above):
- YES4Youth programme baseline (2026): R5,241/month. The YES4Youth programme is a national initiative; participating employers (Nedbank, Woolworths, Standard Bank, Vodacom, MTN, Sanlam and many more) pay this baseline to YES learners.
- MICT SETA-funded learnerships: R2,500/month flat (the only SETA-published per-SETA flat rate we could verify on an official SETA site).
- NQF Level 2-3 entry learnerships: R2,000 - R3,500/month (industry consensus, 2025-2026).
- NQF Level 4-5 intermediate learnerships: R3,500 - R5,500/month.
- NQF Level 6+ advanced / graduate learnerships: R5,500 - R7,500/month.
The DHET does not publish a single national stipend table - learner allowances are set per learner agreement (per SETA guidance under the Skills Development Act). These ranges come from SETA materials and industry-consensus sources, not gazetted minimums.
How learnership stipends work in South Africa
- Funded by Section 12H tax incentive. Employers running registered learnerships can claim a tax allowance per learner (up to R40,000-R60,000 per year depending on disability status and NQF level), which is what makes the programmes commercially viable.
- SETA minimum allowances. The Department of Higher Education and Training publishes minimum monthly stipends by NQF level. Companies on SETA-funded programmes must pay at least the minimum; many pay more.
- NQF level matters. NQF Level 2-3 retail/operations learnerships sit at the lower end; NQF 4-5 banking, IT and wealth-management learnerships sit higher.
- Tax. Stipends are taxable as services-rendered income, but most fall below the SARS monthly threshold (R7,996.67 in the 2026 year of assessment), so no PAYE is typically deducted.
- Allowances. Some employers add transport or housing allowances on top of the base stipend - especially for trades and mining learnerships at remote sites.
Frequently asked questions
How much do learnerships pay in South Africa in 2026?
Published learnership stipends in 2026 range from approximately R3,000 to R8,500 per month for entry-level programmes. Banking and structured retail-readiness programmes pay at the upper end (Capitec R8,500/mo, Mr Price JumpStart R7,760/mo, FNB FirstJob R5,933/mo). Most companies do not publish a stipend amount publicly - the rate is confirmed when you apply.
Is the SETA minimum learnership stipend the same for every company?
No. The Department of Higher Education and Training publishes minimum monthly learner allowances by NQF level, which SETAs must enforce on funded programmes - but employers commonly pay above that minimum. The actual amount you receive depends on your employer, your NQF level, and any housing or transport allowances added.
Why do banks pay more than retail learnerships?
Banks (Capitec, FNB, Standard Bank, Absa) typically attach learnerships to revenue-producing roles in branches and call centres, and the qualification level is usually NQF 4 or 5 in banking, requiring a stronger matric. Retail and entry-level operations learnerships are often NQF 3, where the SETA stipend floor is lower.
Are these stipends taxed?
Section 10(1)(q) of the Income Tax Act exempts bona fide bursaries and scholarships, but learnership stipends paid as an allowance for services rendered are taxable income. The employer deducts PAYE if the monthly stipend exceeds the SARS tax threshold (R7,996.67/mo in the 2026 year of assessment for under-65s). Most learnership stipends fall below that threshold, so no tax is deducted - but the employer does claim a Section 12H learnership tax allowance on its own taxes.
Where do you get the stipend figures from?
Each published figure on this page was cross-checked against either the company's own careers portal or recurring 2026 third-party listings (multiple opportunity sites and SA youth-employment pages). Where a company does not publicly disclose its rate, we list the company in the "not publicly disclosed" section rather than guess.
Related
Stipend figures verified against company careers portals and 2026 third-party opportunity listings on 2026-05-18. Employers review stipends annually - always confirm the current rate when applying. We are not the application platform; apply only through each company's official portal.