Quick answer
Every employer of a domestic worker must provide a written contract in Form DW1 when hiring. The employer must also explain the contract in a language the worker understands and keep copies for the most recent five years.
Fast checklist
- Use DW1 as the legal floor.
- Complete the pay, hour, leave, and live-in terms before day one.
- Add probation and PAYE or deduction wording so payroll is clear.
- Match the contract to your real workflow, then issue payslips and keep records.
1. The legal rule
A written contract is mandatory for domestic workers in Namibia
Namibia's Wage Order for Domestic Workers says every employer must, upon hiring, provide a domestic worker with a written contract in Form DW1. The official model contract sits inside the wage-order annexure and works as the baseline contract format for household employment.
That same rule says the contract must be explained in a language the worker understands. In practice, that means you should not hand over a PDF for signature and hope for the best. Walk through pay, hours, overtime, leave, accommodation, and notice terms with the worker first.
EMPPLOY's view is simple: treat the printed DW1 headings as the legal minimum, then add the two short payroll-administration clauses that employers almost always need in real life, namely a probation clause and a PAYE or deduction clause. That gives you a practical 24-point contract checklist for 2025.
2. The 24 sections
What a compliant Namibia domestic-worker contract should contain
The official DW1 form gives you the structure. The checklist below follows those headings and adds the two operational clauses employers commonly need for probation and NamRA payroll handling.
| # | Section | What to write | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parties to the contract | Write the employer's and employee's full names, addresses, phone numbers, ID details, and the employer's social-security reference. | DW1 |
| 2 | Place of work | Identify the household address where the work will be done so the work site is not left vague. | DW1 |
| 3 | Live-in or live-out status | Tick whether the worker lives on the premises, because accommodation and transport rules change depending on that status. | DW1 |
| 4 | Job title | State whether the worker is a housekeeper, cleaner, nanny, gardener, cook, driver, or another domestic role. | DW1 |
| 5 | Detailed duties | List the actual household tasks the worker will do. The official appendix is designed for this and is much better than a generic 'domestic duties' label. | DW1 / Appendix 1 |
| 6 | Full-time or part-time status | Mark the employment status clearly so pay and hour expectations line up with the real arrangement. | DW1 |
| 7 | Ordinary working days | Set out which days of the week are ordinary work days instead of relying on an informal verbal schedule. | DW1 |
| 8 | Starting time, ending time, and meal interval | Complete the daily hour grid so there is a written record of start times, finish times, and the meal break. | DW1 |
| 9 | Basic wage | State the wage amount and whether it is monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly. This is the core salary term. | DW1 |
| 10 | Pay period and payment method | Record whether payment is daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, plus how payment is made and the bank details if you pay by transfer. | DW1 |
| 11 | Overtime rules | Confirm that overtime needs agreement and record the normal overtime rate so there is no argument later. | DW1 |
| 12 | Sunday and public-holiday work | State how Sunday work and public-holiday work will be handled and paid if those days fall inside the ordinary schedule. | DW1 |
| 13 | Transport allowance | For live-out workers, set the transport allowance or confirm that the employer provides transport instead. | DW1 |
| 14 | Social Security registration | Confirm that the employer will register the worker for the Social Security Commission funds and make the required contributions. | DW1 |
| 15 | Sick leave | Write the sick-leave entitlement and the record or medical-note process you will use for absences. | DW1 |
| 16 | Compassionate or family-responsibility leave | State the paid leave available for serious family illness or bereavement. | DW1 |
| 17 | Maternity leave | Record eligibility, timing before and after birth, the medical-note requirement, and how SSC maternity claims will be handled. | DW1 |
| 18 | Vacation or annual leave | Set out the annual-leave entitlement, when consecutive leave can be taken, and how occasional leave days will be deducted. | DW1 |
| 19 | Food and accommodation | If the worker is live-in, describe the food and minimum accommodation standards. If the worker is live-out, say which parts do not apply. | DW1 |
| 20 | Other allowances and benefits | List medical aid, pension, housing support, study leave, or any other allowance in writing rather than leaving it to custom. | DW1 |
| 21 | Health, safety, freedom of association, and code of conduct | Cover protective equipment, safe-working expectations, the employee's union right, and the conduct standards both sides must follow. | DW1 |
| 22 | Changes to the contract, language explanation, and signatures | Say that changes must be agreed in writing, confirm that the contents were explained in a language the worker understands, and have both sides sign. | DW1 |
| 23 | Probation clause | Add a short probation period, review date, and performance standard. This is not a licence to ignore minimum rights during probation. | Practical add-on |
| 24 | NamRA PAYE, lawful deductions, and termination notice | Explain how PAYE and SSC deductions will appear on payslips and state that termination notice will follow the Labour Act's notice periods and written-notice rules. | Practical add-on |
Why this 24-point structure works
It keeps the official Namibia domestic-worker model at the centre of the document, but it also closes the two gaps that usually cause avoidable disputes in household employment: probation expectations at the start and payroll or deduction handling once regular wages begin.
Free contract generator
Generate yours free in 5 minutes
Use EMPPLOY's Namibia contract generator to turn the DW1 checklist into a signed domestic-worker contract with the practical clauses household employers usually forget.
Generate yours free in 5 minutes3. If you skip the paperwork
What happens if you do not have a written contract?
Usually the first consequence is not dramatic. It is administrative. The worker still has rights, the employment relationship still exists, and the employer is the side that now has less proof. That gap matters when there is a dispute about wages, working hours, overtime, leave, accommodation, or notice.
The worker can still prove employment
Skipping the written contract does not erase the employment relationship. It usually just leaves the employer with weaker evidence about hours, pay, duties, live-in terms, or leave balances.
Disputes become harder to defend
When the Labour Commissioner or an arbitrator asks what was agreed, an employer with no written terms often ends up relying on memory, chat messages, and incomplete payment records.
Inspectors can demand compliance
Labour inspectors may inspect employment records and can issue compliance orders if they believe the Act has not been followed.
Record-keeping duties still apply
The employer must keep employment records current for the most recent five years and retain them for five years after termination, so a missing contract often points to a wider paperwork problem.
If a labour inspector believes the Act has not been followed, the inspector may issue a compliance order. If an employer ignores that order, the Labour Act makes that a separate offence risk. That is why the written contract should be treated as front-end compliance, not optional admin.
4. Worked example
Here's what a compliant contract for a live-in housekeeper looks like
The exact wording can change, but a clean Namibia domestic-worker contract for a live-in housekeeper should read broadly like this.
| Employer | M. Jacobs Household, 14 Schanzen Road, Klein Windhoek |
| Employee | Selma Iipumbu, live-in housekeeper |
| Start date | 1 July 2025 |
| Probation | 3 months, with a written review at the end of September 2025 |
| Hours | Monday to Saturday, 07:30 to 16:30, meal interval 12:30 to 13:30 |
| Basic wage | N$4,500 per month, paid by bank transfer on the last working day |
| Overtime | 1.5x on ordinary overtime, 2x on Sundays or public holidays |
| Transport | Not applicable because the employee is live-in |
| SSF / compensation | Employer to register with SSC and make the required contributions |
| NamRA PAYE | Deduct only if and when PAYE becomes due under the current tax tables |
| Leave | Annual leave, sick leave, family-responsibility leave, and maternity leave tracked separately |
| Accommodation | Private lockable room, bed, electricity, water, toilet, and bathing access |
| Notice | Written notice follows Labour Act section 30 unless there is a lawful summary-dismissal ground |
Copy-ready clause style
Start date: 1 July 2025 Probation: 3 months, subject to written review Hours: Monday to Saturday, 07:30-16:30, with a 1-hour meal interval Wage: N$4,500 per month, payable on the last working day of each month Overtime: 1.5x on ordinary overtime; 2x on Sundays and public holidays Accommodation: lockable room, bed, electricity, water, toilet, and bathing access Leave: annual leave, sick leave, family-responsibility leave, and maternity leave as required by law SSC: employer to register and make contributions required by law PAYE: deductions only if due under the current NamRA tax rules, with a written payslip Notice: termination notice follows the Labour Act unless there is a lawful summary-dismissal ground
5. Related guides
Keep the contract connected to the full Namibia compliance workflow
The contract is only the first compliance document. These guides cover hiring, wages, leave, payroll, SSC or NamRA administration, and lawful termination. If you want to build the contract now, start with the free contract generator. If you want ongoing support after signature, the Compliance Plan handles the recurring admin.
Namibia guide
Namibia Domestic Worker Contract 2025: Full Compliance Guide for Employers
A practical Namibia employer guide that links the free domestic worker contract template to the real compliance file: DW1 clauses, wages, leave, SSC, NamRA, and termination.
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Comment embaucher légalement au Gabon en 2025 — Guide complet pour employeurs
Un guide pratique pour les employeurs qui veulent recruter au Gabon avec un contrat robuste, une paie sociale propre et une lecture claire du SMIG, du revenu minimum mensuel et des procédures de rupture.
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Comment embaucher légalement au Cameroun en 2025 — Guide complet pour employeurs
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Un guide pratique pour les employeurs qui veulent recruter au Maroc avec un contrat robuste, une paie CNSS propre et une procédure de rupture maîtrisée.
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Comment embaucher légalement au Sénégal en 2025 — Guide complet pour employeurs
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Un guide pratique pour les employeurs qui recrutent en Côte d'Ivoire et veulent cadrer contrat, CNPS, SMIG, congés payés et procédure de rupture.
Namibia guide
Free Domestic Worker Contract Template Namibia 2025 — Generate Online
A free Namibia domestic worker contract template guide covering the DW1 contract structure, the clauses employers should complete, common compliance mistakes, and how to generate the contract online.
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Namibia SSF & NamRA Payroll Contributions Guide 2025 — What Every Employer Must Know
A practical Namibia employer guide to SSF/SSC and NamRA payroll obligations: registration, 0.9% plus 0.9% contributions, PAYE thresholds for domestic workers, monthly filing, and common compliance mistakes.
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Namibia Domestic Worker Leave Guide 2025 — Annual Leave, Sick Leave & Public Holidays
A practical Namibia employer guide to domestic-worker leave: annual leave, sick leave, public holiday pay, maternity leave, family responsibility leave, and a simple leave-tracking template.
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Namibia Domestic Worker Payroll Guide 2025 — Payslips, SSF & PAYE Explained
A practical Namibia employer guide to domestic-worker payslips and payroll: what must be on the payslip, SSC deductions, PAYE rules, record-keeping, and a ready-to-copy sample payslip.
Namibia guide
Namibia Domestic Worker Termination Guide 2025 — Notice Periods & Legal Rules
A practical Namibia employer guide to domestic worker termination: fair dismissal rules, 1 week or 1 month notice, severance pay, written notices, and common legal mistakes to avoid.
Namibia guide
Namibia Domestic Worker Salary Guide 2025 — Minimum Wage & Legal Requirements
A practical Namibia salary guide for household employers covering the old N$16.27 wage order, the current 2025 minimum wage, SSF, PAYE, hours, overtime, and leave.
Namibia guide
How to Legally Hire a Domestic Worker in Namibia (2025 Complete Guide)
A practical employer guide to domestic worker contracts, SSC registration, NamRA obligations, wage rules, and lawful termination in Namibia.
6. FAQs
Namibia domestic-worker contract questions employers ask most
Is a verbal contract valid for domestic workers in Namibia?
A verbal agreement may still prove that an employment relationship exists, but domestic-worker employers are required to provide a written contract in Form DW1 when hiring. So a verbal arrangement on its own is not the compliant approach.
Can I use a template contract?
Yes, if the template is based on Namibia's DW1 model contract and you actually complete it with the worker's real pay, hours, live-in or live-out status, leave terms, and signature details. A generic online template that ignores Namibia rules is a poor substitute.
Do I need a separate clause for a live-in domestic worker?
Yes. Live-in status should be written down clearly because the contract should cover accommodation standards, food, and the fact that living on site does not cancel leave, overtime, or public-holiday rights.
What notice period should a Namibia domestic-worker contract use?
The Labour Act's default notice periods are at least one day for employment of four weeks or less, one week for more than four weeks but not more than one year, and one month after more than one year. The contract can repeat that rule or agree a longer equal notice period for both sides.
Compliance plan
Upgrade to Compliance Plan for ongoing compliance management
After the contract is signed, the recurring work starts: payroll checks, leave tracking, SSC and NamRA reminders, and contract maintenance. Upgrade to the Compliance Plan for 4,000 NAD/yr and keep the paperwork current instead of rebuilding it during a dispute.