Claiming UIF can be very easy long as you have the needed documents that you can use to follow suit you are good to go. UIF is becoming so popular in South Africa and there is so much information circulating it. The recent increase in contribution and claims have made lots of people accept this offer and the benefits that come with it are numerous.

Can I Claim UIF Money after 3 Years?

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) caters for the unemployed, sick, survivors/dependent, adoption and maternity people in the country. There is so much news circulating concerning the UIF and it is important you get the right information towards it. Knowing more about the UIF will save you from troubles like visiting the labour offices and making complaints that might not be necessary.

Before you can start receiving payment on the UIF you will have to register and contribute and if you fall into any of the categories that have been listed in this article then you can ask to file for your UIF benefit but it should be within a period of four (4) years as it is difficult to get your UIF after that time. Benefits like unemployment and illness should be filed within a period of 7 days and six months respectively. The benefits that are being allocated to the unemployed should be filed when you have been dropped down from work by your employer or when you sack long as you did not carry out any misconduct.

If you are unemployed through resignation, then there is no need way for you to claim any UIF benefits, these are the rules that have been stated on the platform. In terms of illness, you must provide a doctor’s report after 7 days stating the cause of your sickness, you will have to provide relevant documents that are needed for them to process your benefit.

Some employees are excluded from the UIF if they are; Is employed by the employer for less than 24 hours a month Are employed as an officer or employee in the national or provincial sphere of Government Is the President, Deputy President, Minister, Deputy Minister, a member of the National Assembly, a permanent delegate to the National Council of Provinces, a Premier, a member of an Executive Council or a member of a provincial legislature or Is a member of a municipal council, a traditional leader, a member of a provincial House of Traditional Leaders and a member of the Council of Traditional Leaders.

You can claim your UIF money after 3 years. It is quite difficult to claim after 4 years as the labour department might even take time to access your case and situation. It is advisable that you start processing your UIF benefits as soon as you fall into any of the categories that have been listed above.

One thing you should know is that if an issue arises and if you have been contributing to the UIF system for 4 years or more you can claim for 238 days or eight months but if you have been contributing for less you can only claim for a short period. Your UIF benefits depend on your salary and the number of days you have been contributing to the system.

Once you process your claim in the UIF the money will be sent to your account in four (4) business long as all documents were very much provided. A confirmation message will be sent to you and a one-time fee will be charged to you as well, as this will cover all transactions that will be sent to the bank during that period of your claims.

Each category on the UIF platform has its own rules and how one can claim it. The procedure for unemployment benefits and survivor benefits is entirely different and there are several ways to go about it. Each category has different supporting documents and there are some that you will need to email, fax or even provide yourself at the labour offices.

Every document that is being asked for needs to be provided before you can begin to claim your benefits and make sure you start the processes once you fall into any of the categories. Some of the UIF claim benefits take about eight weeks for you to start receiving depending on how everything is in order.

Once you are ready to claim your benefit just go on the uFiling website and log in and you can see your details there. You will need to get some forms to fill out which will help you state your claim and know the next step. All of this can be carried out in the labour office as well as there are officials that are available to guide you through. Questions are being asked about those being old and still paying their UIF, the UIF is meant for everyone to pay long as you are working but once you retire you will receive your retirement benefit and see what is needed.

There is another kind of relief which is called the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS), which pays employees when employers have to stop their operations due to COVID-19 and temporarily lay off employees. The scheme allows employers who face financial difficulties to continue paying their employers even when the business is not running, for up to 3 months. You can see all the benefits that are being tied to the UIF and if you fall into any of these issues you can be rescued. It should be advised that the rules of the UIF must be followed and the documents which you need should be provided as well.

Finally

You can claim your UIF money after 3 years but it is important you follow the rules and regulations of the program as this will enable to not to have issues with them.