Updated 2026-11-14
A public service job advert may show a salary level, an annual salary range, an OSD grade or a total package. These are not interchangeable. This guide explains how to read them using the latest DPSA material available as at 14 November 2026.
Never pay anyone for a public service job, an interview, a placement or access to an application.
The ordinary Public Service Act salary structure is split into salary levels. The DPSA's 2026 cost-of-living circular applies to employees on levels 1 to 12 who are appointed under the Public Service Act. It identifies Senior Management Service, or SMS, as salary levels 13 to 16.
| Salary levels in an advert | What the 2026 DPSA material says |
|---|---|
| Levels 1 to 12 | These are covered by the standard 2026 cost-of-living circular when the employee is appointed under the Public Service Act, unless an exclusion applies. |
| Levels 13 to 16 | These are SMS levels. They were excluded from Circular 15 of 2026 and handled separately. |
| OSD post | This is an occupation-specific pay structure rather than the ordinary non-OSD salary scale. Read the relevant OSD title, grade and notch in the advert. |
For the 2026/27 financial year, the DPSA determined a 4% adjustment to the salary scales that applied up to 31 March 2026, effective from 1 April 2026, for levels 1 to 12 and covered OSD employees. The official notice says this was pensionable for qualifying staff. Do not treat this as an open-ended promise for future years - it is a 2026 determination.
Do not assume every government employer is covered by that one circular. It excludes personnel employed under the Employment of Educators Act, South African Police Service Act, South African Defence Act, Correctional Services Act and National Prosecuting Authority Act from that specific circular. Check the advert and the employer's current notice for the applicable scale.
A salary level or OSD grade can contain notches. A notch is a pay point within the applicable scale. Your advert may state one annual figure, a range, or a package. Use the wording in that advert rather than assuming that everyone at the same level earns the same amount.
In the DPSA engineering OSD, pay progression is defined as moving from one notch or package to the next higher notch or package within the same grade. Grade progression is different: it is progression to a higher grade within a work level when the stipulated criteria are met. Career progression is appointment to a higher work level and depends on a vacancy or open competition.
OSD means Occupation Specific Dispensation. It is a post and salary structure for identified occupations. The 2026 DPSA circular includes separate updated scales for professional nurses, staff nurses and nursing assistants; legal employees; social services professions; engineering professions and related occupations; medical, dental, pharmacy and emergency-care occupations; and therapeutic, diagnostic and other allied-health professionals.
An OSD advert should be read by occupation and grade, not by trying to map it directly onto an ordinary salary level. The applicable professional registration, qualification, experience, grade and performance rules can matter. For example, the DPSA engineering OSD says that it covers occupations where a prescribed qualification or statutory requirement may be inherent to the job, and its structure uses grades and progression criteria.
The DPSA's 2026 flexible-component circular also says that affected OSD employees who are remunerated on a total cost-to-employer package may restructure the flexible portion of that package if they wish. This does not mean every OSD job is advertised as a package. Follow the remuneration wording on the vacancy notice.
| If the advert says | What to do |
|---|---|
| Salary level 1 to 12 | Check the annual amount or range against the current departmental advert. The 2026 DPSA adjustment was effective from 1 April 2026 for covered employees. |
| OSD grade or notch | Check the occupation-specific scale and whether registration, recognised experience, grade or progression criteria are stated. |
| Total package or TCE | Read the package wording carefully. The DPSA distinguishes package remuneration from the salary scale and allows affected package employees to restructure the flexible portion. |
| A figure conflicts with a website or social-media post | Rely on the official vacancy notice and ask the named departmental HR contact to confirm the applicable scale. |
Salary is normally shown as an annual amount in public service adverts. Do not turn it into a take-home estimate: deductions and package choices can differ. The official 2026 circular also says implementation errors and overpayments or underpayments must be corrected.
No. The DPSA identifies levels 13 to 16 as Senior Management Service levels. Circular 15 of 2026 covered levels 1 to 12 and OSD employees appointed under the Public Service Act, while SMS was dealt with separately.
The latest official material used here is for 2026/27. It records a 4% adjustment from 1 April 2026 for covered employees on levels 1 to 12 and OSDs. Check the current official notice before relying on it for a later cycle.
Not necessarily. In the DPSA engineering OSD, pay progression is movement to the next notch or package within the same grade. Appointment to a higher work level is career progression and depends on a vacancy or open competition.
Not necessarily. The DPSA maintains OSD scales for several professional groups, including nursing, social services, engineering and health occupations. Check whether the advert identifies an OSD grade, notch or package.
No. A genuine public recruitment process is free. Do not pay a person claiming they can secure a post, interview or placement.