The UIF cap amount is the maximum earning ceiling for contributors in the UIF. Every employee and employer contributes about 1% of their earnings to the UIF making it 2% and they pay this monthly all for the benefits that are attached to it. There are so many tiers in the UIF and the ones that you fall into that is how you will receive your benefit.

UIF Cap

In the past some employers paid the employee’s contribution on his behalf, i.e. the employee paid 2%) which is not supposed to be like that. The main UIF act states that the employer must deduct the employee’s contribution from the employee’s remuneration and it also goes on to say that the employer remains liable for the contribution of the UIF.

UIF Cap Amount

The maximum earning ceiling is known as the UIF cap amount which has been increased for some time now. The maximum earnings ceiling is R17 712 per month or R212 544 annually and this has been clarified that if you earn higher there are ways that it can be worked around.

The government has to increase the UIF cap amount due to the situation of the economy and various things that are happening and taking place. Lots of people lost their jobs due to the Covid 19 saga and it affected the rate of unemployment in the country, before many persons could get back on their feet there are so many that were able to benefit from the UIF and this prompted the government to increase the contribution threshold and make sure everyone is almost paying the same amount.

All of these changes were made for several reasons and all to make sure that there is transparency in the system. If a contribution is deducted from the employee, then the deduction will be shown on the employee’s pay slip, giving him proof that the contribution was deducted. Secondly, the payment of an employee contribution by the employer would be a payment of an employee’s debt and constitutes a taxable fringe benefit and this would result in a change to the remuneration on which the contribution was calculated, leading to another calculation of the contribution. Employers must declare their employee’s details in the database and they must be shown on the UIF portal.

You can claim unemployment benefits if you have been dismissed or retrenched or if your contract has expired and you cannot claim if you have voluntarily resigned from your job. You can claim illness benefits if you are off work due to illness for more than 7 days, benefits are paid from the date on which you stopped working.

Maternity benefits can be claimed if you are pregnant and take maternity leave which you can claim for 17 weeks and if you happen to have a miscarriage in the third trimester or the baby is stillborn, you may claim maternity benefits. You can claim adoption benefits if you legally adopt a child younger than two years old and you leave work to look after that child and it should be noted that only one of the adopting parents can apply for benefits. The wife/ husband or minor child of someone who has died can claim dependents benefits if the deceased paid contributions to the fund, the dependent benefit should be claimed early enough as well as it might be difficult if it has been there over the years.

UIF Cap Increase

The previous threshold was R14 872.00 per month. This increase will only affect the employee and employer contributions where the employee currently earns between the previous maximum threshold and the new threshold (between R14 872.00 and R17 712.00 per month). Under the UICA, employers and employees must contribute 1% of the remuneration paid to the employee to the UIF.

This increase applies to remuneration paid or payable by an employer to an employee during any month from 1 June 2021. The previous limit of R 14 872 per month was therefore only applicable to remuneration paid or payable by an employer to an employee for any month up to 31 May 2021, with effect from 1 June 2021 – R 17 712 (R177.12) per month (R 212 544 annually). You should note that SARS has a maximum contribution of R177.12, so if your income increases to more than R17700, you will not pay more than R177.12 toward your UIF.

UIF Ceiling

The UIF ceiling means that the maximum contribution of employers and employees will be increased. Employers and payroll administrators are advised to implement the new contribution ceiling. This will take place in total effect and everyone is expected to follow suit. The benefits that come with this are numerous as well and the more you contribute, the more you can benefit from all of this.

There are various rules to adhere to for this new policy, there are so many things that an employer must do and make sure that payments are being made on time. As an employer, you may not deduct more than 1%, deduct outstanding amounts when they fall behind with payments, and then ask for a fee for deducting the money. If an employer deducts too much money by accident, then they must pay the workers back their extra money.

If the 7^th day of a month is not a business day, employers must pay on or before the last business day before the 7^th. The UIF ceiling is very necessary as it helps everyone in contributing the almost same amount as there are various persons in the country for those who earn higher or even lower as they strive to make ends meet monthly. You will have to follow the guidelines and the rules of the UIF to ensure that you can enjoy all the benefits that have been allocated to this program.

Closing

We have given you information about the UIF cap amount, UIF ceiling, UIF cap increase and many more. It is important to know more about the UIF and know the rules so you can enjoy the benefit.