afriref › Countries › Lesotho

Lesotho public holidays 2026, VAT rate and tax data

Lesotho: VAT rate 15% since 1 Apr 2018; 11 public holidays in 2026 (next: Christmas Day, 25 Dec 2026); corporate tax rate 25%; policy interest rate 6.75%; inflation rate (CPI) 2.6%.

11 series, each cited to the official source it was verified against; most recently verified 30 Oct 2026. Currency LSL.

verified recentlyre-verification due soonstaleColour is the age of the last check against the series' own update cycle.

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LiveSample answer · GET /v1/ls/vat

  "country" "LS"
  "series" "vat"
  "value" 15
  "unit" "percent"
  "effective_from" "2018-04-01"
  "last_confirmed" "2026-07-24"
  "source" 
    "name" "Legal Notice No. 27 of 2018, Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulations…"
    "url" "https://www.rsl.org.ls/sites/default/files/2024-08/Value%20Added%20Tax%20%28Amendment%29%20Regulations%20No.27%20of%202018.pdf"
  

Excerpt, from the same data as this page. This endpoint is $0.003 a call by x402 or MPP, no signup. With a free key, try POST /v1/answers/vat {"country":"ls","amount":1000}.

Lesotho public holidays 2026

11 days in 2026; next: Christmas Day on 25 Dec 2026. Official source: Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of 1995), section 2 and Schedule, as amended by Act… · last verified 30 Jul 2026

Fixed by law 11

DateHolidayStatusSource
1 Jan 2026 Thu New Year's Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
11 Mar 2026 Wed Moshoeshoe's Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
3 Apr 2026 Fri Good Friday Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
6 Apr 2026 Mon Easter Monday Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
1 May 2026 Fri Workers' Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
14 May 2026 Thu Ascension Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
25 May 2026 Mon Africa/Heroes' Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
17 Jul 2026 Fri King's Birthday (King Letsie III) Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
4 Oct 2026 Sun Independence Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
25 Dec 2026 Fri Christmas Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
26 Dec 2026 Sat Boxing Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
2027 dates already held (11)
DateHolidayStatusSource
1 Jan 2027 Fri New Year's Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
11 Mar 2027 Thu Moshoeshoe's Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
26 Mar 2027 Fri Good Friday Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
29 Mar 2027 Mon Easter Monday Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
1 May 2027 Sat Workers' Day
falls Saturday; Lesotho has no substitution rule, so the day is lost
Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
6 May 2027 Thu Ascension Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
25 May 2027 Tue Africa / Heroes' Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
17 Jul 2027 Sat King's Birthday
falls Saturday; Lesotho has no substitution rule, so the day is lost
Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
4 Oct 2027 Mon Independence Day Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
25 Dec 2027 Sat Christmas Day
falls Saturday; no substitution rule, so the day is lost
Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…
26 Dec 2027 Sun Boxing Day
falls Sunday; no substitution rule, so the day is lost
Fixed by law Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of…

Status is read from the record: fixed by law follows from a standing rule (a fixed date or the Easter computus); confirmed is dated in the cited official calendar and not flagged provisional; estimated is provisional or moon-sighting dependent; substitute stands in for a statutory day that fell on a weekend or was moved. Hover a status for the reason.

Every current Lesotho value

SeriesCurrentIn force fromOfficial sourceLast verified
CBL Rate (Central Bank of Lesotho policy rate) 6.75 percent 2026-05-29 Central Bank of Lesotho - Statement of the Monetary Policy… last verified 13 Sep 2026
VAT standard rate 15 percent 2018-04-01 Legal Notice No. 27 of 2018, Value Added Tax (Amendment)… last verified 24 Jul 2026
VAT registration threshold secondary 2000000 LSL 2025-04-25 Value Added Tax Act 2001 (Act 9 of 2001), s.17: "(1) A… last verified 10 Aug 2026
Sectoral minimum wages (basic minimum wages by sector and category) 41 entries 2025-03-28 Legal Notice No. 62 of 2025, Labour Act Wages (Minimum… last verified 15 Oct 2026
Public holidays (free API) 22 days held 2026-01-01 Public Holidays Act 1995 (Act No. 7 of 1995), section 2 and… last verified 30 Jul 2026
CPI inflation (year-on-year) 2.6 percent (YoY) 2026-08-01 Lesotho Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Report… last verified 30 Oct 2026
Company income tax rate (standard, non-manufacturing) 25 percent 2007-04-01 Income Tax Act 1993 (Act No. 9 of 1993), Third Schedule… last verified 24 Jul 2026
Withholding tax rates 0–25% across 8 withholding taxes — no single rate — RSL Income Tax Public Ruling Issue 1 - Withholding Taxes… last verified 10 Aug 2026
Statutory late-payment interest secondary no single figure — High Court of Lesotho, Botha v Lesotho Revenue Authority… last verified 10 Aug 2026
Personal income tax rates, threshold and credit 6 figures held on this page 2026-04-01 Legal Notice No. 24 of 2026, Income Tax (Amendment of… last verified 24 Jul 2026
Statutory social-insurance contributions secondary no single figure — Labour Act, 2024 (Lesotho), in force from 2 April 2024… last verified 11 Aug 2026

Rate schedules and breakdowns

Sectoral minimum wages (basic minimum wages by sector and category)

41 entries · in force from 2025-03-28 · Official source: Legal Notice No. 62 of 2025, Labour Act Wages (Minimum Wages) Notice 2025… · last verified 15 Oct 2026

sectorcategoryservicemonthlyweeklydaily
Clothing, textile and leather manufacturingTextile general workerless than 12 months2724630126
Clothing, textile and leather manufacturingTextile machine operatorless than 12 months2929676135
Clothing, textile and leather manufacturingTextile machine operator traineeless than 12 months2724630126
Clothing, textile and leather manufacturingTrained machine operatormore than 12 months3041704141
Clothing, textile and leather manufacturingTextile general workermore than 12 months3017698140
ConstructionConstruction machine operator and certificated (bricklayer, carpenter, steel fixer, welder, electrician, plumber)less than 12 months50781200281
ConstructionConstruction worker (unskilled heavy physical worker)less than 12 months3226811171
ConstructionConstruction machine operator and certificated (bricklayer, carpenter, steel fixer, welder, electrician, plumber)more than 12 months56641338345
ConstructionConstruction worker (unskilled heavy physical worker)more than 12 months3552885186
Wholesale and retailWholesale, supermarkets and furniture shopsless than 12 months3088713150
Wholesale and retailBakeries with more than 40 employeesless than 12 months3088713150
Wholesale and retailWholesale, supermarkets and furniture shopsmore than 12 months3276757181
Wholesale and retailBakeries with more than 40 employeesmore than 12 months3276757181
Retail (other than small business)Mini-supermarket, bakeries with fewer than 40 employees, cafes, gas and petrol filling stationsless than 12 months2792691148
Retail (other than small business)Mini-supermarket, bakeries with fewer than 40 employees, cafes, gas and petrol filling stationsmore than 12 months2950745156
HospitalityHotels, motels and lodgesless than 12 months3058780162
HospitalityHotels, motels and lodgesmore than 12 months3245835172
HospitalityRestaurants, food caterers and guest housesless than 12 months2779699149
HospitalityRestaurants, food caterers and guest housesmore than 12 months2984746154
Service — securitySecurity guardless than 12 months2641660136
Service — securitySecurity guard (or certified by Home Affairs)more than 12 months3104790184
Service — securityWatchmanless than 12 months2389595130
Service — securityWatchmanmore than 12 months2590653148
Service — funeral parlourAll employeesless than 12 months3088776166
Service — funeral parlourAll employeesmore than 12 months3276825205
Service — cleaning servicesAll employeesless than 12 months3088776166
Service — cleaning servicesAll employeesmore than 12 months3276825205
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code B/EB/C1less than 12 months3067761188
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code C/EC1less than 12 months3320831206
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code ECless than 12 months61691537388
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code B/EB/C1more than 12 months3359842210
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code C/EC1more than 12 months3639916227
Transport and any other driversDriver, licence code ECmore than 12 months75771893466
Transport and any other driversCertificated (auto electrician, motor mechanic, panel beater, spray painter)less than 12 months46781106260
Transport and any other driversCertificated (auto electrician, motor mechanic, panel beater, spray painter)more than 12 months49521164268
Small businessAll employeesless than 12 months156938789
Small businessAll employeesmore than 12 months177852495
Domestic worker (including light physical worker)All employeesless than 12 months87223053
Domestic worker (including light physical worker)All employeesmore than 12 months96225368
General minimum wageUnskilled or manual labourer in any commercial or industrial undertaking not otherwise specifiedless than 12 months2242558121
General minimum wageUnskilled or manual labourer in any commercial or industrial undertaking not otherwise specifiedmore than 12 months2448616139

Withholding tax rates

0–25% across 8 withholding taxes — no single rate · in force from — · Official source: RSL Income Tax Public Ruling Issue 1 - Withholding Taxes (Income Tax Act No. 9… · last verified 10 Aug 2026

Rates by payment type

keylabelrateapplies toSource
dividendsNon-resident withholding - dividends (s.107)25gross amount of a Lesotho-source dividend paid to a non-residentRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
Filing is 'Optional': the non-resident may treat the withholding as final or file a return. See the 0% manufacturing-dividend carve-out below.
dividends-manufacturingDividends paid out of manufacturing income (s.107 carve-out)0Lesotho-source dividends paid to non-residents out of manufacturing incomeRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
A domestic statutory exemption tied to Lesotho's concessional manufacturing regime, not a treaty rate.
interestNon-resident withholding - interest (s.107)25gross amount of Lesotho-source interest paid to a non-residentRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
Secondary sources state interest paid by resident manufacturing companies eligible for the concessional rate is withheld at 15%; the RSL ruling does not state this interest carve-out, so it is flagged here without being served as a separate entry. The 10% interest withholding…
royaltiesNon-resident withholding - royalties (s.107)25gross amount of Lesotho-source royalties paid to a non-residentRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
Reduced to 15% 'where the royalty is paid for the use of technology that produces manufacturing income subject to tax in Lesotho' (see separate entry).
royalties-manufacturing-technologyRoyalties for technology producing manufacturing income (s.107)15royalties paid to a non-resident for the use of technology that produces manufacturing income subject to tax in LesothoRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
natural-resource-paymentsNon-resident withholding - natural resource payments (s.107)25gross amount of Lesotho-source natural resource payments to a non-residentRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
management-feesNon-resident withholding - management charges (s.107)25gross amount of Lesotho-source management fees paid to a non-residentRSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
servicesNon-resident services-contract withholding (s.108)10payments to a non-resident under a Lesotho-source services contract (other than employment) - accounting, auditing, economic, financial, legal, engineering, architectural, surveying, artistes, entertainers, sportspersons, etc.RSL Income Tax Public Ruling -…
Source-based: applies only where the service is performed in Lesotho (the ruling's Example 1 - repairs performed in South Africa attract no withholding). Filing is 'Optional' (may be treated as final or as a prepayment). Withholding is computed on the gross amount before VAT.

Personal income tax rates, threshold and credit

6 figures held on this page · in force from 2026-04-01 · Official source: Legal Notice No. 24 of 2026, Income Tax (Amendment of Monetary Amounts)… · last verified 24 Jul 2026

personal tax credit annual12240
personal tax credit monthly1020
effective tax free threshold annual61200
effective tax free threshold monthly5100
monthly bracket boundary6480

Brackets

minmaxrate
07776020
77760—30

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Compare each figure with the other African countries: Policy interest rate · VAT rate · VAT registration threshold · Minimum wage · Public holidays · Inflation rate (CPI) · Corporate tax rate · Withholding tax rates · Statutory interest rate · Income tax rates · Social contributions

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What makes this different

Every value above names the official instrument it came from and the date it takes effect, and we record when we last checked it. Where a value could not be verified against its own statute we do not publish an estimate — the series is simply absent. Where a question falls outside what we hold, the API refuses and explains, free of charge, rather than returning a number that looks right.