Tag Archives: Can i check my uif balance?

When can you claim UIF?

Claiming unemployment benefits. If you want to claim from the UIF you need to go to your nearest Labour Office. There you will be asked to sign the unemployment register. You will be told when you need to come back and sign the register again. You will have to sign every four weeks to show that you still need to claim the UIF benefits.

You must go back to the office and sign the register on the correct date. If you are ill, you must take a doctor’s certificate with you to the labour centre.

You will be given a white card, which the UIF officer will sign each time you sign the register.

If everything is in order, you should start getting money from the fund within eight weeks of registering. The money will then be paid every four weeks, until all the benefits are used up.

If you don’t receive your money in eight weeks, you should phone the Labour Centre and ask them to find out why there is a delay. Remember to have your name and ID number ready.

You will receive a slip every time you receive money so that you can see how much you have received and how much you can still get.

To claim unemployment benefits you need to have:

  • A copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document.
  • A copy of your last six payslips.
  • Information supplied by your employer (UI-19).
  • A service certificate from the employer.
  • Proof of registration as a work seeker.
  • A fully completed registration form.

If you want to receive unemployment benefits you need to be prepared to:

  • Go for training or career counseling if the UIF officer asks you to.
  • Be available for work. If you are offered work, you need to be ready to work.
  • Go to different companies to ask for work. You will get a form that needs to be signed showing that you have looked for work and that there are no jobs available.

You need to collect your unemployment benefits from the Labour Office on the date they said the money will be there. You have to collect the money yourself and you must have your white card and ID book with you.

Claiming illness benefit

To apply for illness benefits, you need to register at the Labour Office nearest to you. If you are too ill to go to the office yourself, a friend or family member can get the form from the office and bring it to you to sign. The signed form then needs to be returned to the Labour Office.

You will need:

  • A copy of your bar-coded identity document.
  • Copies of your last six payslips.
  • Information supplied by your employer (UI-19).
  • A service certificate from the employer.
  • Proof of banking details.
  • A statement of amount received from your employer during the period of the illness.
  • A fully completed registration form.

You also need to submit a medical certificate (Form UF86) from your doctor. You need to get your doctor to complete the appropriate section of Form UF86 and then submit this to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Office.

The Department of Labour will consider the application and post Form UF87 to you. You need to complete this form and your doctor needs to sign it. You then submit this form to the claims officer as well.

You will be paid benefits for the time that the doctor has booked you off work but not for the first two weeks off work. You will also only be paid for the time that you have not received normal wages from your employer.

Illness benefits will be paid to you by cheque and posted to you.

Remember, you cannot claim illness benefits if your illness was caused by your own misconduct or if you unreasonably refuse treatment or fail to follow the doctor’s instructions.

If you have lost your job as well as being too ill to work, you need to inform the claims officer of this because you might also be able to claim unemployment benefits for the period not covered by the illness benefits.

Claiming maternity benefits

To claim maternity benefits, you need to register at the Labour Office in person or organise for someone to go in your place. All necessary documents must go with the applicant to the labour office.

To register you will need:

  • A 13-digit bar-coded identity document or passport.
  • Copies of your last six payslips
  • Form UI-2.8 for banking details.
  • Information supplied by your employer (UI-19).
  • A service certificate from the employer.
  • Proof of your banking details.
  • A statement of amount received from employer during maternity leave.
  • Form UI-2.7.
  • Form UI-2.3 (application form).
  • Medical certificate from a doctor or birth certificate of the baby.
  • Form UI-4 (follow-up form).
  • Fully completed registration form.

When you register, you will be given Form UF92. This form must be filled in by your doctor. You then submit this form to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Office.

The claim will be paid by cheque, which will be posted to you. To apply for benefits after the baby is born, you need to complete Form UF95 with help from the doctor who delivered the baby. If you are also unemployed, then you must notify the claims officer.

Claiming adoption benefits

If you want to claim adoption benefits, you need to register with a claims officer at your nearest Labour Office.

You will need to have:

  • A copy of your identity document.
  • Copies of your last six payslips.
  • Your employer’s details on form UI-19.
  • A service certificate issued by your employer.
  • The adoption order.
  • Proof of your banking details.
  • A statement of amount that you have received from your employer during your adoption leave.
  • A copy of your adopted child’s birth certificate.

You must apply for the benefits within six months of the adoption order being issued.

Adoption benefits are paid by cheque through the post. A form will accompany the payment. This form must be filled in and sent back to the claims officer at the Labour Office.

Claiming death benefits

The husband or wife of the deceased worker and any minor children of the worker can claim death benefits from the UIF.

You must apply for these benefits within six months of the death of the worker.

If you were the husband or wife of the deceased worker, you need to go to the Labour Office. You will need to have:

  • Your identity document.
  • Copies of the deceased’s last six payslips.
  • The employer’s details on form UI-19.
  • A certified copy of the death certificate.
  • A certified copy of your marriage certificate.
  • A service certificate from the employer.
  • Proof of your banking details.

If you are the child of the deceased worker, you can claim by completing Form UF127 and submitting it at the Labour Office. You will need:

  • A copy of your identity document.
  • Copies of the last six payslips of the deceased.
  • Information supplied by the employer on form UI-19.
  • A service certificate from the employer.
  • A certificate copy of your (the child’s) birth certificate.
  • Proof of your banking details.
  • A certified copy of the death certificate.
  • Proof of guardianship.
  • Proof that you (the child) are a learner who was dependent on the deceased.

The Labour Office will give you Form UF128, which needs to be filled in by the deceased’s last employer and then submitted at the Labour Office.

The death benefit is the amount that the worker could have claimed if they were unemployed. This is paid out in one payment.

More Information on UIF

Can I claim UIF after 2 years?

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN WORKERS CLAIM? If you have been contributing to the Fund for four years or more, then you can claim for up to 238 days. If you have been contributing for a shorter period, then you can claim 1 day for every 6 days that you worked while you were contributing to the Fund. If you take maternity leave, you can only claim up to 121 days. The Fund pays a percentage of the wage/salary that you earned while you were contributing to the fund. The highest amount that can be paid is 58% of what you earned per day.

How do I claim UIF, where do I start?

          
There are different procedures for claiming the various benefits available:

  • Unemployment benefits
  • Illness benefits
  • Maternity benefits
  • Adoption benefits
  • Death benefits

How do i claim unemployment benefits? What forms do I need? If you want to claim from the Fund you need to go to your nearest Labour Centre. There you will be asked to sign the unemployment register. You will be told when you need to come back and sign the register again. You will have to sign every four weeks to show that you still need to claim the UIF benefits.

You must go back to the office and sign the register on the correct date. If you are ill, you must take a doctor’s certificate with you to the labour centre. You will be given a white card, which the UIF officer will sign each time you sign the register.


If everything is in order, you should start getting money from the Fund within eight weeks of registering. The money will then be paid every four weeks, until all the benefits are used up. If you don’t receive your money in eight weeks, you should phone the Labour Centre and ask them to find out why there is a delay. Remember to have your name and ID number ready. You will receive a slip every time you receive money so that you can see how much you have received and how much you can still get.

             
To claim unemployment benefits you need to have:

  • a copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document
  • a copy of your last six payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of registration as a work seeker
  • a fully completed registration form.

If you want to receive unemployment benefits you need to be prepared to:

  • Go for training or career counseling if the UIF officer asks you to.
  • Be available for work. If you are offered work, you need to be ready to work.
  • Go to different companies to ask for work. You will get a form that needs to be signed showing that you have looked for work and that there are no jobs available.

You need to collect your unemployment benefits from the Labour Centre on the date they said the money will be there. You have to collect the money yourself and you must have your white card and ID book with you.

How do I claim for ilness benefits? What forms do I need?

To apply for illness benefits, you need to register at the Labour Centre nearest to you. If you are too ill to go to the office yourself, a friend or family member can get the form from the office and bring it to you to sign. The signed form then needs to be returned to the Labour Office.You will need:

  • a copy of your bar-coded identity document
  • copies of your last 6 payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of banking details
  • a statement of amount received from your employer during the period of the illness
  • a fully completed registration form.

You also need to submit a medical certificate (Form UF86) from your doctor. You need to get your doctor to complete the appropriate section of Form UF86 and then submit this to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Centre. The Department of Labour will consider the application and post Form UF87 to you. You need to complete this form and your doctor needs to sign it. You then submit this form to the claims officer as well.

             
You will be paid benefits for the time that the doctor has booked you off work but not for the first 2 weeks off work. You will also only be paid for the time that you have not received normal wages from your employer. Illness benefits will be paid to you by cheque and posted to you.

           
Remember, you cannot claim illness benefits if your illness was caused by your own misconduct or if you unreasonably refuse treatment or fail to follow the doctor’s instructions. If you have lost your job as well as being too ill to work, you need to inform the claims officer of this because you might also be able to claim unemployment benefits for the period not covered by the illness benefits.

CLAIMING MATERNITY BENEFITS

To claim maternity benefits, you need to register at the Labour Office and get a medical certificate on the correct form from your doctor.

To register you will need:

  • a copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document
  • Copies of your last 6 payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of your banking details
  • a statement of amount received from employer during maternity leave
  • a fully completed registration form.

      
When you register, you will be given Form UF92. This form must be filled in by your doctor. You then submit this form to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Office. The claim will be paid by cheque which will be posted to you. To apply for benefits after the baby is born, you need to complete Form UF95 with help from the doctor who delivered the baby. If you are also unemployed, then you must notify the claims officer.

How do I claim for adoption benefits? What document/ forms do I need?

If you want to claim adoption benefits, you need to register with a claims officer at your nearest Labour Centre.

You will need to have:

  • a copy of your identity document
  • copies of your last 6 payslips
  • your employer’s details on form UI19
  • a service certificate issued by your employer
  • the adoption order
  • proof of your banking details
  • a statement of amount that you have received from your employer during your adoption leave
  • a copy of your adopted child’s birth certificate.

You must apply for the benefits within six months of the adoption order being issued. Adoption benefits are paid by cheque through the post. A form will accompany the payment. This form must be filled in and sent back to the claims officer at the labour centre.

CLAIMING DEATH BENEFITS

The husband or wife of the deceased worker and any minor children of the worker can claim death benefits from the UIF. You must apply for these benefits within six months of the death of the worker.

        
If you were the husband or wife of the deceased worker, you need to go to the Labour Centre and fill in Form UF126. You will need to have:

  • your identity document
  • copies of the deceased’s last six payslips
  • the employer’s details on form UI19
  • a certified copy of the death certificate
  • a certified copy of your marriage certificate
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of your banking details.

If you are the child of the deceased worker, you can claim by completing Form UF127 and submitting it at the Labour Centre. You will need:

  • a copy of your identity document
  • copies of the last six payslips of the deceased
  • information supplied by the employer on form UI19
  • a service certificate from the employer.
  • a certificate copy of your (the child’s) birth certificate
  • proof of your banking details.
  • a certified copy of the death certificate
  • proof of guardianship
  • proof that you (the child) are a learner who was dependent on the deceased.

The Labour Office will give you Form UF128, which needs to be filled in by the deceased’s last employer and then submitted at the Labour Centre. The death benefit is the amount that the worker could have claimed if they were unemployed. This is paid out in one payment.

Does UIF expire?

Does the right to claim a UIF dependants’ benefit expire?

Question:

hi I’m Thobile my dad died in 2012 n we r 3 beneficiaries we got paid for his provident fund what I would like to know is that can we still claim for his uif or his wife has the ryt since he was married to him or can we as his children do it and I would also like to know if is it to late to claim for the uif.

Answer:

Thobile, Unfortunately, the right to claim the UIF dependants’ benefit expires six months after the deceased’s passing.

More Information on UIF

How much UIF will I receive?

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN WORKERS CLAIM? If you have been contributing to the Fund for four years or more, then you can claim for up to 238 days. If you have been contributing for a shorter period, then you can claim 1 day for every 6 days that you worked while you were contributing to the Fund. If you take maternity leave, you can only claim up to 121 days. The Fund pays a percentage of the wage/salary that you earned while you were contributing to the fund. The highest amount that can be paid is 58% of what you earned per day.

How do I claim UIF, where do I start?

          
There are different procedures for claiming the various benefits available:

  • Unemployment benefits
  • Illness benefits
  • Maternity benefits
  • Adoption benefits
  • Death benefits

How do i claim unemployment benefits? What forms do I need? If you want to claim from the Fund you need to go to your nearest Labour Centre. There you will be asked to sign the unemployment register. You will be told when you need to come back and sign the register again. You will have to sign every four weeks to show that you still need to claim the UIF benefits.

You must go back to the office and sign the register on the correct date. If you are ill, you must take a doctor’s certificate with you to the labour centre. You will be given a white card, which the UIF officer will sign each time you sign the register.


If everything is in order, you should start getting money from the Fund within eight weeks of registering. The money will then be paid every four weeks, until all the benefits are used up. If you don’t receive your money in eight weeks, you should phone the Labour Centre and ask them to find out why there is a delay. Remember to have your name and ID number ready. You will receive a slip every time you receive money so that you can see how much you have received and how much you can still get.

             
To claim unemployment benefits you need to have:

  • a copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document
  • a copy of your last six payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of registration as a work seeker
  • a fully completed registration form.

If you want to receive unemployment benefits you need to be prepared to:

  • Go for training or career counseling if the UIF officer asks you to.
  • Be available for work. If you are offered work, you need to be ready to work.
  • Go to different companies to ask for work. You will get a form that needs to be signed showing that you have looked for work and that there are no jobs available.

You need to collect your unemployment benefits from the Labour Centre on the date they said the money will be there. You have to collect the money yourself and you must have your white card and ID book with you.

How do I claim for ilness benefits? What forms do I need?

To apply for illness benefits, you need to register at the Labour Centre nearest to you. If you are too ill to go to the office yourself, a friend or family member can get the form from the office and bring it to you to sign. The signed form then needs to be returned to the Labour Office.You will need:

  • a copy of your bar-coded identity document
  • copies of your last 6 payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of banking details
  • a statement of amount received from your employer during the period of the illness
  • a fully completed registration form.

You also need to submit a medical certificate (Form UF86) from your doctor. You need to get your doctor to complete the appropriate section of Form UF86 and then submit this to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Centre. The Department of Labour will consider the application and post Form UF87 to you. You need to complete this form and your doctor needs to sign it. You then submit this form to the claims officer as well.

             
You will be paid benefits for the time that the doctor has booked you off work but not for the first 2 weeks off work. You will also only be paid for the time that you have not received normal wages from your employer. Illness benefits will be paid to you by cheque and posted to you.

           
Remember, you cannot claim illness benefits if your illness was caused by your own misconduct or if you unreasonably refuse treatment or fail to follow the doctor’s instructions. If you have lost your job as well as being too ill to work, you need to inform the claims officer of this because you might also be able to claim unemployment benefits for the period not covered by the illness benefits.

CLAIMING UIF MATERNITY BENEFITS

To claim maternity benefits, you need to register at the Labour Office and get a medical certificate on the correct form from your doctor.

To register you will need:

  • a copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document
  • Copies of your last 6 payslips
  • information supplied by your employer (UI19)
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of your banking details
  • a statement of amount received from employer during maternity leave
  • a fully completed registration form.

      
When you register, you will be given Form UF92. This form must be filled in by your doctor. You then submit this form to the UIF claims officer at the Labour Office. The claim will be paid by cheque which will be posted to you. To apply for benefits after the baby is born, you need to complete Form UF95 with help from the doctor who delivered the baby. If you are also unemployed, then you must notify the claims officer.

How do I claim for adoption benefits? What document/ forms do I need?

If you want to claim adoption benefits, you need to register with a claims officer at your nearest Labour Centre.

You will need to have:

  • a copy of your identity document
  • copies of your last 6 payslips
  • your employer’s details on form UI19
  • a service certificate issued by your employer
  • the adoption order
  • proof of your banking details
  • a statement of amount that you have received from your employer during your adoption leave
  • a copy of your adopted child’s birth certificate.

You must apply for the benefits within six months of the adoption order being issued. Adoption benefits are paid by cheque through the post. A form will accompany the payment. This form must be filled in and sent back to the claims officer at the labour centre.

CLAIMING UIF DEATH BENEFITS

The husband or wife of the deceased worker and any minor children of the worker can claim death benefits from the UIF. You must apply for these benefits within six months of the death of the worker.

        
If you were the husband or wife of the deceased worker, you need to go to the Labour Centre and fill in Form UF126. You will need to have:

  • your identity document
  • copies of the deceased’s last six payslips
  • the employer’s details on form UI19
  • a certified copy of the death certificate
  • a certified copy of your marriage certificate
  • a service certificate from the employer
  • proof of your banking details.

If you are the child of the deceased worker, you can claim by completing Form UF127 and submitting it at the Labour Centre. You will need:

  • a copy of your identity document
  • copies of the last six payslips of the deceased
  • information supplied by the employer on form UI19
  • a service certificate from the employer.
  • a certificate copy of your (the child’s) birth certificate
  • proof of your banking details.
  • a certified copy of the death certificate
  • proof of guardianship
  • proof that you (the child) are a learner who was dependent on the deceased.

The Labour Office will give you Form UF128, which needs to be filled in by the deceased’s last employer and then submitted at the Labour Centre. The death benefit is the amount that the worker could have claimed if they were unemployed. This is paid out in one payment.

More Information on UIF

Does UIF pay lump sum?

How much will you get paid when you claim UIF?

These two sites have a UIF calculator:

www.ezuif.co.za

www.uif-hero.co.za

The Department of Labour takes 2 criteria into consideration:

  • your salary over the last 4 years, and
  • your UIF contributions over the last 4 years

I entered information for someone earning R15 000 who has been working and contributing for the maximum period of 4 years and who is going on maternity leave.

The total that this lady will get paid is R22 000.

This should be paid in four monthly payments of about R5 500 per month.

In reality, the Department of Labour takes up to 8 weeks to approve your claim, so the first payment will be for 2 months (about R11 000) and then followed by 2 more monthly payments of R5 500 each. The above payment examples are estimates and close, but the Department makes the final calculation.

Remember that you no longer qualify for UIF if you start working.

More Information on UIF

Who must pay UIF?

Employers must pay unemployment insurance contributions of 2% of the value of each worker’s pay per month. The employer and the worker each contribute 1%. Contributions are paid to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) or the South African Revenue Services (SARS).


UIF Application

The Unemployment Insurance Act and Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act apply to all employers and workers, but not to –

  • workers working less than 24 hours a month for an employer;
  • learners;
  • public servants;
  • foreigners working on contract;
  • Employees in receipt of an old age pension are, since 07/2/2007, no longer excluded from contributing towards UIF; or
  • workers who only earn commission.

Domestic employers and their workers are included under the Act since 1 April 2003.


UIF Contributions Payable

The contribution that employers must deduct from a worker’s pay is 1% of the worker’s total earnings, excluding commission. In addition to the 1% deducted from the worker, the employer also contributes 1% for every worker that they employ.  The total contribution paid to the UIF is therefore 2%.

Example:

If a worker earns R1 000 per month, the employer must deduct 1%, namely R10. In addition, the emloyer must pay R10 for that worker. The total of R20 must therefore be paid to the UIF or SARS.

          
Earnings Ceiling

Workers who earn more than the annual, montly or weekly maximum earnings ceiling must also contribute to the Fund, but their contributions are worked out on the maximum earnings ceiling.

          
Example:

If a worker earns R10 000 per month and the monthly earning ceiling is R1 096 per month, the worker’s contribution will be worked out on R8 836.

       
What employers may not do UIF

Employers may not –

  • deduct more than 1%;
  • deduct outstanding amounts when they fall behind with payments; and may not
  • ask a fee for deducting the money.

If employers deduct too much money by accident, they must pay the extra money back to workers.

Based on Legislation in Section 6 and Section 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act


UIF Payment of Contributions

Employers must pay the 1% they deducted from workers, together with the 1% they have contributed, to the UIF or SARS before the 7th of every month.

Example:

Contributions due for January, must reach the UIF or SARS on or before 7 February. If the 7th day of a month is not a business day, employers must pay on or before the last business day before the 7th. “Business day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday. Based on Legislation in Section 8, Section 9, of the Unemployment Insurance Contribution Act

More Information on UIF

Can I claim UIF if I resigned?

You cannot claim if you resign from your job, but you can claim if you were on a contract that ended – as long as the employer terminated your services. In order to claim benefits, you also have to register as a work seeker with the Department of Labour

You cannot claim UIF under the following circumstances:

  • If you were suspended from your job because you committed fraud;
  • If you quit your job;
  • If you refused training or advice;
  • If you already qualify for a benefit from an unemployment fund under the Labour Relations Act; and
  • If you are receiving benefits from any other scheme established by the Labour Relations Act.

In simple terms, UIF is available to employees who have involuntarily lost their job and income.

There is a difference between being unemployed and being retired. In the case of early retirement, it is important to remember that you voluntarily left your job and will, presumably, receive retirement benefits by way of an annuity, whether a guaranteed or living annuity, unless you elect to defer your retirement from the fund until a later date.

The fact that you voluntarily leave your job, will mean that no UIF benefit will be available to you.

If, during your working life you never claim for UIF – either because you’ve not elected to do so, or because you have never qualified for UIF benefits in terms of the principles of the Unemployment Insurance Act – then no benefit will be due to you and the contributions made during your period(s) of employment will not be due to you either.

More Information on UIF