What is Code 3805 on a South African Payslip?
Accommodation fringe benefit explained — how SARS values employer-provided housing, the Seventh Schedule formula, when a discount applies, and what appears on your IRP5.
3805Code 3805 is an accommodation fringe benefit — the taxable value of housing your employer provides. Where your employer owns the property, SARS values it using your remuneration less a R43,000 abatement, multiplied by 17%-19%, less any rent you pay. Where the employer rents the property from a third party, the taxable value is the employer's actual rental cost instead. PAYE is deducted on this deemed income monthly.
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What Code 3805 Means
Code 3805 is the accommodation fringe benefit — the taxable value SARS attaches to housing your employer provides as part of your employment package, whether that's a company-owned house, a flat on a mine or farm, or a unit your employer rents on your behalf. Even though you never receive this value as cash, the Seventh Schedule to the Income Tax Act deems it to be income, and your employer must calculate and tax it monthly through PAYE alongside your ordinary salary.
The benefit typically arises where accommodation is tied to the job — remote mining and agricultural operations, live-in hospitality and domestic roles, or postings where suitable housing isn't otherwise available close to the workplace. Unlike a cash housing allowance (code 3713), which is simply added to taxable income in full, code 3805 uses the formula below, which can land on a lower taxable value than the property's market rent would suggest — particularly for higher earners in modest accommodation.
The Seventh Schedule Formula
Where your employer owns the accommodation, SARS uses the formula (A − B) × C/100 × D/12: A is the employee's remuneration (excluding the accommodation benefit itself), B is a fixed R43,000 abatement subtracted before the percentage is applied, C is 17 (rising to 18 or 19 for larger, furnished, or serviced units), and D is the number of full months occupied during the tax year. The result, reduced further by any rent the employee actually pays, is the taxable fringe benefit. Where the employer instead rents the accommodation from a third party to provide to the employee, this formula does not apply — the taxable value is simply the employer's actual rental cost.
| Step | Item | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annual remuneration (excluding code 3805 itself) | R360,000 |
| 2 | Less R43,000 abatement | R317,000 |
| 3 | × 17% (standard unit, occupied all 12 months) | R53,890/year |
| 4 | Divided by 12 (monthly formula value) | R4,491/month |
| 5 | Less employee rental contribution | -R1,000/month |
| Code 3805 taxable fringe benefit | R3,491/month |
This employee's R360,000 base remuneration sits at the top of the 26% tax bracket, and adding the R41,890/year (R3,491/month) fringe benefit pushes total taxable income to R401,890 — past the R383,100 threshold into the 31% bracket. The result is that the fringe benefit adds approximately R986/month to the employee's tax bill (an effective rate of about 28.2% on the benefit), not simply 26% of R3,491. Understanding this helps employees negotiate whether the value of the accommodation justifies the tax cost, or whether a housing allowance (which would also be taxable) might be more transparent.
Where the accommodation is at a site that is geographically remote — such as a mine, farm, or plant — and the employee is required to live there as part of their role, SARS may apply a reduced taxable value or a site-specific determination. If you believe your accommodation falls under a special category, raise this with your employer's payroll team and a registered tax practitioner. The standard Seventh Schedule formula applies unless a specific exemption or reduction can be established.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does code 3805 mean on my payslip?
Code 3805 is an accommodation fringe benefit — the taxable value of housing provided by your employer. Where your employer owns the property, SARS deems you to have received income equal to your remuneration less a R43,000 abatement, multiplied by 17%-19% (depending on the accommodation), less any rent you pay. If your employer rents the property from a third party to provide to you, the taxable value is instead the actual rental cost to your employer. PAYE is deducted on this amount monthly and the annual total appears on your IRP5.
How is the accommodation fringe benefit calculated?
Where your employer owns the accommodation, the Seventh Schedule uses the formula (A − B) × C/100 × D/12: A is your remuneration (excluding the accommodation benefit itself), B is a fixed R43,000 abatement, C is 17 (rising to 18 or 19 for larger, furnished, or serviced units), and D is the number of full months you occupied the property. The result, less any rental contribution you make, is the taxable fringe benefit. If you earn R300,000/year and occupy standard accommodation for all 12 months, the formula gives (R300,000 − R43,000) × 17% = R43,690/year, or about R3,641/month. If your employer instead rents the accommodation from a third party to provide to you, the taxable value is simply the employer's actual rental cost, not this formula.
Is employer-provided accommodation always taxable?
Generally yes, but a reduced value applies in certain circumstances. If the accommodation is at a work location that is geographically remote from the nearest town with comparable amenities, or if the nature of the employment requires the employee to be on-site, SARS may allow a reduction in the taxable value. If the employer is required by law to provide housing, different rules may apply. These exceptions are narrow — most employer-provided accommodation is valued at the standard formula.
What if I pay rent to my employer?
Your rental contribution directly reduces the taxable fringe benefit. If the formula gives a taxable value of R3,641/month and you pay your employer R1,000/month in rent, only R2,641/month is a taxable fringe benefit under code 3805. If you pay rent equal to or exceeding the formula value, no fringe benefit arises and code 3805 should not appear on your IRP5.
Does code 3805 appear on my IRP5?
Yes — the annual total taxable value of the accommodation fringe benefit appears as code 3805 on your IRP5 and is included in your gross income. PAYE was deducted monthly on the value. This can significantly increase your tax bill because you are being taxed on the value of accommodation you may have little choice about occupying as a condition of employment.
What is the difference between code 3805 and code 3704?
Code 3805 is a fringe benefit — the value of accommodation provided as part of your employment package, typically on an ongoing basis. Code 3704 is a subsistence allowance for temporary overnight business travel — the daily amount paid when you are away from home on a business trip. If your employer puts you up in a hotel during a site visit, the cost may fall under code 3704 subsistence rules. If you live in employer-provided accommodation as part of your job, it is code 3805.