UIF declarations and UI-19 forms
The monthly declaration to the Department of Employment and Labour, and the forms your leavers need to claim. Separate from SARS, frequently forgotten, and the reason UIF claims get rejected.
Two UIF obligations, not one
This is where most employers come unstuck. UIF involves two separate obligations to two separate bodies, and doing one does not satisfy the other.
The first is the contribution: 1 percent from the employee and 1 percent from the employer, each subject to the earnings ceiling, paid over to SARS as part of your monthly EMP201. Most employers get this right because it rides along with PAYE.
The second is the declaration: a monthly submission to the Department of Employment and Labour through the uFiling system, listing every employee, their earnings and their employment status. This is what actually populates an employee's UIF record. Paying the money without filing the declaration means the money is in the fund but the employee has no record in it.
The consequence lands on your former employee. They lose their job, go to a Labour Centre to claim, and are turned away because their declaration history is missing or their termination was never recorded. They then come back to you, and it becomes an urgent problem at the worst possible moment.
What we do each month
- Submit the monthly uFiling declaration for every employee, with earnings and status
- Record new starters with the correct commencement date
- Record terminations with the correct reason code, which determines whether the employee can claim at all
- Reconcile the declaration to the payroll and to the UIF portion of the EMP201
- Keep the employer registration and banking details current with the Department
UI-19 forms and termination reason codes
When an employee leaves, they need a UI-19 to claim. The form records the employment period, earnings and the reason for termination, and the reason code matters enormously: a resignation does not qualify for unemployment benefits, while retrenchment, dismissal and end of contract do. A code entered carelessly can cost a former employee months of benefits they were entitled to, and it is the kind of thing that turns into a CCMA matter.
We issue the UI-19 with the correct code, together with the certificate of service the Basic Conditions of Employment Act requires, as part of every termination we process.
Other UIF benefits your staff may claim
UIF is not only unemployment. Employees can claim maternity, illness, adoption, parental and dependants benefits, and all of them depend on a clean declaration history. Maternity claims in particular are common and are routinely delayed because an employer's declarations were not filed. Keeping the monthly submission current means a claim is processed on the employee's own timeline rather than after a scramble.
Registration and arrears
Every employer must register with the UIF, separately from registering as an employer with SARS. Where you are not registered, or registered but never declared, we handle the registration and the catch up submissions. The Department can and does raise assessments for unpaid contributions with penalties and interest, and inspectors do visit.
Scope
What you get
Monthly declarations
Filed on uFiling for every employee, every month, reconciled to the payroll.
Starters and leavers
Commencement and termination dates recorded correctly, with the right reason code.
UI-19 forms
Issued to every leaver together with a certificate of service, so they can claim without chasing you.
Employer registration
Registration with the Department of Employment and Labour where you are not yet registered.
Arrears cleared
Catch up declarations for periods never submitted, and assessments dealt with.
Claim support
Assistance where a current or former employee's claim is held up by an employer record issue.
Questions
UIF declarations: common questions
Is UIF paid to SARS or to the Department of Labour?
Both are involved, which is exactly why this trips employers up. The contributions are paid to SARS with your EMP201. The monthly declaration listing employees and earnings goes to the Department of Employment and Labour through uFiling. Doing one without the other leaves your employees without a claimable record.
How much is UIF?
One percent of remuneration from the employee and one percent from the employer, so 2 percent in total, with each side capped at the earnings ceiling set by the Minister. The ceiling is adjusted periodically, and payroll must be updated when it changes.
What is a UI-19 form?
The declaration an employer gives a departing employee so they can claim UIF benefits. It records the employment period, earnings and the reason for termination. Without it, or with the wrong termination reason code, the claim is delayed or refused.
My ex employee says they cannot claim UIF. Why?
Almost always because the monthly declarations were not filed, or the termination was never recorded, or the reason code says resignation when it should not. We check the declaration history, correct what is wrong and file what is missing so the claim can proceed.
Do domestic workers need UIF?
Yes. Employers of domestic workers must register and declare, and the same contribution rules apply. It is one of the most commonly overlooked obligations in the country.
We have never filed UIF declarations. What is the exposure?
The Department can raise an assessment for unpaid contributions with penalties and interest, and inspectors do conduct visits. The practical exposure is usually larger than the money: employees who cannot claim tend to escalate, and it surfaces in CCMA and Labour Court matters. We handle registration and catch up submissions.
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