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.

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Claiming illness benefits

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 online?
• What is the maximum UIF payment?
• When can you claim UIF?
• Can I claim UIF if I resigned?
• Who must pay UIF?
• How long does UIF take to pay out after signing?
• Does UIF pay lump sum?
• Do directors pay UIF?
• Why is my UIF claim rejected?
• Can I claim UIF if I retire South Africa?
• Are you allowed to resign with immediate effect?
• Can I claim UIF if my husband died?
• How much UIF will I receive?
• Is UIF taxable?
• Is UIF calculated on gross or basic salary?
• How long does maternity benefit take to process?
• How many months does UIF pay for maternity leave?
• How is UIF calculated?
• What happens to my UIF contributions if I resign?
• What forms are needed to claim UIF?
• How do I register for UIF?
• What is the retirement age in South Africa?
• Does UIF expire?
• Is UIF calculated before or after tax?
• Is UIF paid on overtime?
• Does bonus have UIF?
• When should I apply for maternity pay?
• How does maternity leave pay work?
• Can I claim UIF after 2 years?