Who can claim UIF illness benefits | Eligibility & Application process

claim UIF illness benefits

What are Unemployment insurance fund (UIF) illness benefits?

UIF illness benefits are financial support provided to employees who can not continue their jobs for at least seven consecutive days due to sudden illness. The benefits are a portion of the UIF system regulated by the South African government. The unemployment fund ensures that employees can maintain expenses and meet their financial needs until they resume work. This article focuses on the eligibility criteria and the detailed application process to claim UIF illness benefits.

Who is eligible to claim UIF illness benefits?

  • The most important criterion is that you must work for a company and regularly contribute to the unemployment insurance fund (UIF). The employee and employer must cater 1% of the employee’s salary to the UIF. You can even calculate your net after UIF deduction using the UIF and PAYE calculator.
  • You must comply with medical treatment rules provided by the UIF authority to claim the benefits. You must have a signed medical certificate from a medical service provider. If the illness, whether it is physical or mental makes you unable to work for seven days or more, then you are qualified to submit your claimant.
  • If you feel fully exhausted due to heavy work pressure you can claim benefits for your sick leaves. However, there is a condition here. If you get a lesser salary than the regular one during the period you will get this benefit.
  • The application timeline plays a crucial role in the process. The claimant should be made within 6 to 12 months from the first day of your illness. If you fail to submit within the stipulated time frame your application will be disqualified.

Who can not avail of the benefits?

  • If an employee receives compensation from the unemployment fund under the Labor Relations Act, he is not eligible to submit the claim.
  • Employees will get rejection if discrepancies are found in their documents.
  • If you commit any kind of fraud or manipulation, you will get banned for an indefinite period. 

Types of illness covered by UIF benefits

  1. Chronic disease: Individuals suffering from diabetes chronic hypertension, heart disease, and asthma qualified for UIF benefits.
  2. Infectious/communicable diseases: Those suffering from contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, COVID-19, and HIV need extended periods of treatment. During this period, they need a sufficient financial net to cover their expenses.
  3. Surgical recovery: Whether you undergo major or minor surgery, the post-recovery period takes time. If you can not work during that period, the government will provide you with adequate financial assistance in the form of UIF.
  4. Mental health illness: If mental disorders like anxiety, depression, severe stress, bipolar disorder, and burnout prevent you from performing your natural job duties you can apply for the UIF benefits. All you need is a signed medical certificate from a registered psychiatrist.
  5. Pregnancy-related condition: During pregnancy, complications sometimes occur. So it is necessary to have proper bed rest for recovery. The South African government provides special illness benefits to pregnant employees.
  6. Terminal disease: Terminal disease is incurable and it worsens gradually. These diseases include cancer, dementia, heart attack, organ failure, and supranuclear palsy.  Those suffering from terminal diseases will get UIF benefits.

Documents required for the application process

  • Government ID: You need to have a passport or a 13-digit barcoded South Africa ID or Asylum seeker permit to confirm your South African citizenship.
  • UF 86 form: It’s a Valid medical certificate issued by the registered medical practitioner. This form outlines how severe your illness is. It also emphasizes the time for not being able to work.
  • UI – 2.8 form: This form confirms that you have legitimate bank details. Along with the UI-2.8 form, you need to submit pay slips for the last 6 months.
  • UI-19 Form: This form confirms your employment period. It also states that you are currently unemployed.
  • UI-2.7 form: It is a Declaration form that verifies your UF contribution status. With the form, you must attach a follow-up certificate.

A step-by-step guide to applying for UIF illness benefits

  • Step 1: Before starting the application process keep all the necessary documents (medical certificate, ui-19, ui -2.7, ui-2.8, government ID, and follow-up form) near you.
  • Step 2: Submit all your documents to your nearest labor center. The staff of the labor Centre will process your documents and assist you with the upcoming processes. If you are too ill to walk,  you can submit your claim online at the UIF portal through the guided steps.
  • Step 3: If all the documents you submitted are up to date the labor Centre staff will take around 5 to 6 weeks to process. Once the processing is complete the total amount of benefits will be transferred to your bank account.
  • Step 4: if your illness explains the stipulated timeframe you must submit a follow-up form (ui 3 and uf 87) every month. It will not hamper your receiving benefits until you start work.

How long can you claim UIF illness benefits?

The value of UIF illness benefits primarily depends on two factors: the total time duration you have been employed and the amount you have contributed to the UIF. By making timely UIF contributions you are credit days. This credit day decides how long you can claim the illness benefits. Closely read the following paragraphs to understand its mechanism.

Credit day accumulation

  • You earn 1 credit day on accumulation of 4 working days. The more you work the higher your credit days will be.
  • You can accumulate up to 365 credit days within 4 years. It means you can get the illness benefit for 365 days if you are 4 years relentlessly for a company.
  • The minimum duration required to qualify for the benefit is 2 weeks.  It means you must be away from your job for at least 14 consecutive days.

Starting of the payment date

The payment will start as soon as you take leave from your job due to illness. If you get any remuneration during the period you will not receive the benefits.

Duration of benefits

An individual will receive the benefits as long as he or she is unable to do the job properly. That period is calculated on the number of credit days. The maximum number of days you can claim the benefits is 365.

Partial payment from an employer

If you are on sick leave and getting partial payment during the period, you can claim the remaining amount of UIF.

Final words

In summary, the introduction of the Unemployment Insurance fund has been a boon for South African citizens. This fund acts as a financial net for workers going through illness and mental agony. The government has recently structured the UIF system so that every needy employee gets sufficient monetary assistance transparently. You can share our article with your friends if you find it valuable.