The UIF has attached benefits to the maternity tier and it is important you know how long it takes for your maternity UIF benefit to pay out. Maternity benefits can only be claimed once you follow the right process.

How Long Does Maternity UIF take to Pay Out?

Workers on maternity leave must apply for benefits at their nearest labour centre in person or organize for someone to go in their place. Before claiming your maternity UIF benefits there are certain steps that you will need to take and documents which you will need to provide to begin the process. Providing the necessary documents and making sure that you are being able to file the claim is very important. Before filing you have to make sure that you were contributing your 1% monthly to the UIF as this is what qualifies you to be part of this.

It takes about 3-6 weeks from the date the application was submitted for it to be approved and for the first payment to be made. Payment can only be made for each day that proof can be provided that you are on maternity leave. Once the application has been approved you will need to submit proof of maternity leave monthly. The system of the UIF has been designed in such a way that they have made it transparent for lots of people and they have officials that are ready to fill in your requests.

Documents Needed for Applying for Claim for UIF Benefits

Before applying to get your maternity benefits there are several documents which you will need to get ready as this will help in the processing of everything.

• A copy of your 13-digit bar-code ID or passport.
• Completed form UI-19 by the employer.
• You can obtain the UIF maternity forms UI-19 online.
• A medical certificate from your doctor certifying that you are indeed pregnant.
• Original completed yellow form UI-2.3.
• Completed from UI-2.7, filled by your employer.
• Form UI-2.8 for banking details. The bank needs it to confirm your banking details and that the account is active.
• Completed yellow follow-up form UI-4

You can claim maternity benefits if you fall into any of the categories.

• You should be a South African national with a bar-code ID.
• You must be an employee contributing to the Unemployment Insurance Fund monthly.
• Foreign nationals who have a work permit and already contribute to the fund.
• Female employees who miscarry during their 3rd trimester or deliver a stillborn kid.
• They can claim up to four months of maternity benefits.
• Female workers who resign whilst pregnant or during their maternity leave.

Pregnant workers are responsible for at least 4 consecutive months of maternity leave. You need to follow the procedures of the labour office. There are some terms that you should know about the UIF, and some of the questions will be answered in this article. Once you are on maternity leave you should have it in mind that if your employer does not pay 100% of your salary you can claim it from the UIF.

Your employer is entitled to pay you 75% while you claim the remaining 25% from the UIF. You should remember that you cannot receive 100% of your salary from the UIF and your employer combined. Submitting your maternity leave form should be 8 weeks before the maternity leave commences and you can still submit your application online once you do not receive your full remuneration salary from your employee.

You are allowed to claim maternity benefits for up to 4 months and by law, you are allowed to return with your baby to the office in six (6) weeks. Majorly this will determine how long you have been working and if you have been working for a period of four (4) years then the department of labour uses these stats to claim how many credit days you have available. Applications can only be submitted once the full monthly remuneration can no longer be received.

The UIF maternity benefit is up to 38% – 58% of your salary which should be approximately R12 478. More simply if your salary is R12 478 you will be receiving about R155.89 per day. You cannot receive more than this maximum day. The more your salary, the more you will be able to receive more money. The labour department might require proof of banking details and all of this is to ensure that your bank account is active. This is why a form will be given to you so that your bank will fill in that form for you and this will be taken back to the labour office.

Maternity benefits are one of the best benefits to claim in the UIF because you can claim them over and over again. You do qualify to claim maternity benefits again even if it’s within four (4) years of the previous maternity benefit claim. There is an issue with this fact, it is only if you have claimed sick or unemployment benefits within the last four years before your maternity claim that you will probably qualify for maternity benefits. Now if you are the owner of the business then claiming maternity benefits on the UIF might be somehow difficult, this is something that you will have to go to the labour office and discuss with them.

Conclusion

Many of the rules and things that are stated here are what you should have in mind before applying for the maternity benefits of the UIF, you should have the documents ready and you should know the procedures that are needed so you won’t miss out on any of this.