Employment Equity reporting opens on 1 September 2026.
For designated employers, the new reporting cycle is an opportunity to make sure workforce information, Employment Equity plans, targets and supporting documentation are properly prepared before submission.
But Employment Equity compliance has changed significantly since the Employment Equity Amendment Act, No. 4 of 2022 came into operation on 1 January 2025.
With the 2026 reporting period approaching, employers should understand who must report, what has changed and what needs to be prepared.
Who Is a Designated Employer?
Under the amended Employment Equity framework, employers with 50 or more employees are designated employers.
There are also specific exceptions. Employers with 1 to 49 employees can remain designated where they are an organ of state or have been designated through a collective agreement.
The previous turnover thresholds that could make smaller employers designated were removed when the amendments came into effect. This means that businesses should not automatically rely on the previous turnover-based rules when determining whether they have Employment Equity reporting obligations
When Does Employment Equity Reporting Open?
The 2026 Employment Equity reporting period opens on 1 September 2026.
According to the Department of Employment and Labour:
- Manual reports: must be submitted by 1 October 2026.
- Online reports: can be submitted until 15 January 2027.
- The Department encourages employers to use the online reporting system.
The online system allows employers to capture information during the reporting period and provides features such as pre-population of certain information, error indicators and assistance messages.
After submission, the system provides an acknowledgement and the relevant EEA2 and EEA4 forms.
What Has Changed Since 2025?
The Employment Equity Amendment Act introduced important changes to South Africa’s Employment Equity framework.
The amendments came into operation on 1 January 2025, followed by the publication of the Employment Equity Regulations on 15 April 2025.
The regulations include:
- General Administrative Regulations
- Employment Equity reporting forms
- Templates for Employment Equity analysis
- Templates for Employment Equity Plans
- Regulations establishing five-year sector numerical Employment Equity targets.
These changes mean that Employment Equity preparation should not be treated simply as completing an annual report.
Sector Numerical Targets Are Now Part of the Framework
One of the major changes is the introduction of five-year sector numerical Employment Equity targets.
The regulations establish targets across 18 economic sectors for designated groups at the four upper occupational levels:
- Top Management
- Senior Management
- Professionally Qualified and Middle Management
- Skilled Technical and Junior Management
The targets also include persons with disabilities.
Designated employers must consider the applicable sector targets when preparing and implementing their Employment Equity Plans.
The Department has confirmed that the implementation of these regulations and sector numerical targets is continuing following the Constitutional Court judgment delivered in May 2026.
Your Employment Equity Plan Matters
Designated employers must prepare and implement an Employment Equity Plan.
Following the 2025 amendments, designated employers prepared plans covering the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2030.
The Department has stated that designated employers must align their Employment Equity Plans with the applicable five-year sector numerical targets.
Employers must also establish numerical goals and annual Employment Equity targets as required by the Employment Equity Act.
This makes it important for employers to review whether their current Employment Equity Plan remains properly aligned with the applicable requirements.
What Should Employers Prepare?
Before the reporting period opens, employers should ensure that the information required for their Employment Equity reporting is available and accurate.
This includes reviewing information relating to:
Workforce profile
Make sure employee information is accurate and properly categorised.
Occupational levels
Review how employees are classified across the relevant occupational categories and levels.
Employment Equity analysis
Identify barriers and Employment Equity issues that need to be addressed.
Employment Equity Plan
Ensure that the organisation’s plan is properly prepared and aligned with the applicable requirements and sector targets.
Numerical goals and annual targets
Review the organisation’s targets and progress towards them.
Supporting documentation
Make sure the relevant records and documentation are available to support the information being reported. The Department’s reporting framework includes EEA2 and EEA4 reporting forms, as well as templates for Employment Equity analysis and Employment Equity Plans
What About Employers With Fewer Than 50 Employees?
This is an important distinction for smaller businesses.
Employers with fewer than 50 employees are generally not required to comply with Chapter III of the Employment Equity Act, including the statutory requirement to prepare Employment Equity Plans and submit annual EE reports.
However, there are exceptions.
An employer with fewer than 50 employees can still be a designated employer if it is an organ of state or has been designated through a collective agreement.
The Department has also indicated that non-designated employers can still choose to report voluntarily and can interact with the Employment Equity system for compliance-related purposes.
Don’t Leave Preparation Until the Deadline
Employment Equity reporting involves more than entering numbers into an online system.
The information being reported should reflect the organisation’s workforce and its Employment Equity processes.
Waiting until the final days of the reporting period can make it more difficult to identify and correct missing or inconsistent information.
A better approach is to prepare early.
Ask Your Business:
- Do we know whether we are a designated employer?
- Is our employee information accurate?
- Have we reviewed our workforce profile?
- Are our occupational levels correctly recorded?
- Is our Employment Equity analysis up to date?
- Is our Employment Equity Plan properly prepared?
- Have we considered the applicable sector numerical targets?
- Are our annual numerical goals and targets properly documented?
- Do we have the supporting information required for our report?
- Are we ready for the reporting period opening on 1 September 2026?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, now is the time to address it.
Let ironWILL Help you Prepare.
Employment Equity requirements can be complex, particularly when HR teams are managing compliance alongside their everyday responsibilities.
ironWILL assists businesses with Employment Equity requirements and helps employers navigate the preparation and reporting process.
With the 2026 Employment Equity reporting period opening on 1 September, preparation should start before the reporting window becomes a deadline.
Get your Employment Equity information in order. Understand your obligations. Prepare before you submit.
Ready for Employment Equity Reporting 2026?
Contact ironWILL to discuss your Employment Equity requirements and reporting preparation.
