Quick answer #
Pay@ Gateway settles same-day on business days only. Transactions processed on weekends or on South African public holidays settle on the next business day. This is a banking-system constraint, not a Pay@ constraint — the SA payment rails simply don’t clear on non-business days.
How weekends work #
Transactions throughout Saturday and Sunday accumulate, and the combined settlement clears on Monday (or the next business day if Monday is a public holiday). You’ll see this as a single, larger-than-usual deposit on Monday evening.
The 14:00 SAST cut-off doesn’t apply over the weekend — every transaction from Saturday morning through Sunday night is included in the Monday settlement.
How public holidays work #
South African public holidays follow the same pattern as weekends. If you trade on a public holiday, those transactions settle on the next business day. If a public holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, you may see settlement delays of 3 days for transactions made late on the preceding business day.
The South African public holidays for 2026 are:
- New Year’s Day (1 Jan)
- Human Rights Day (21 Mar)
- Good Friday (3 Apr)
- Family Day (6 Apr)
- Freedom Day (27 Apr)
- Workers’ Day (1 May)
- Youth Day (16 Jun)
- National Women’s Day (observed Mon 10 Aug — actual date 9 Aug falls on a Sunday)
- Heritage Day (24 Sep)
- Day of Reconciliation (16 Dec)
- Christmas Day (25 Dec)
- Day of Goodwill (26 Dec)
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a substitute holiday.
How to plan for it #
If your business has predictable weekend or holiday trading peaks (a restaurant on Heritage Day, a retailer on Black Friday weekend), expect:
- A larger consolidated settlement on the next business day rather than daily payouts
- A possible 1–2 day cash-flow gap if the holiday creates a long weekend
- Settlement reports continuing to be available daily even when settlement isn’t happening
For most SMEs this is a non-issue. If your business is genuinely cash-flow-sensitive across weekends, Wholesale plan customers can request priority same-day settlement — talk to your account manager.
Related articles #
- When will I get paid (settlement timing) — Article 30
- Why is my settlement late — Article 31
- Reading my settlement file — Article 32
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