What UIF is and what it pays for
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is South Africa's short-term income support for workers. It runs under two laws: the Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001, which sets the benefits, and the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 4 of 2002, which sets the monthly contributions. The Unemployment Insurance Amendment Act 10 of 2016 made the most recent big changes to how benefits are worked out, and those are the rules this UIF calculator follows.
You can claim from UIF when your income stops for one of these reasons:
- Unemployment: you were dismissed, retrenched, or your fixed-term contract ended and was not renewed. Resigning on your own normally does not qualify.
- Illness: a doctor certifies that you cannot work for 7 days or more, and you are not getting full sick pay from your employer.
- Maternity: you are on maternity leave. This includes a miscarriage in the third trimester or a stillbirth.
- Parental, adoption and commissioning parental: introduced on 1 November 2019 for qualifying parents.
- Dependants: a surviving spouse, life partner or child can claim after a contributor dies.
Who is covered and who is not
Almost every employee who works more than 24 hours a month for one employer must be registered for UIF, including domestic workers, farm workers and people on learnerships. Since the 2016 amendments, foreign nationals working in South Africa on a contract must also be registered.
| Usually covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Full-time and part-time employees working over 24 hours a month | Anyone working 24 hours a month or less for an employer |
| Domestic and farm workers | Members of Parliament, cabinet ministers and deputy ministers |
| Learners in learnership programmes | Provincial executive members, provincial legislators and municipal councillors |
| Foreign nationals employed in South Africa | Self-employed people with no employer |
If you are not sure whether your employer registered you, ask for your UIF reference number or check your payslip for the 1% deduction. A missing deduction is the most common reason claims get stuck.
UIF contributions: how much comes off your salary
UIF is 1% from you plus 1% from your employer, calculated on your remuneration up to a ceiling of R17,712 a month (R212,544 a year). SARS has applied this ceiling since 1 June 2021, so the most anyone pays is R177.12 a month, with the same amount from the employer. The employer pays both parts over to SARS or the UIF each month, together with PAYE.
| Monthly salary | Your UIF (1%) | Employer UIF (1%) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| R4,500 | R45.00 | R45.00 | R90.00 |
| R10,000 | R100.00 | R100.00 | R200.00 |
| R15,000 | R150.00 | R150.00 | R300.00 |
| R17,712 or more | R177.12 | R177.12 | R354.24 |
Your monthly contribution appears in the calculator's results as "Your UIF / month". If your payslip shows more than R177.12, ask payroll to check it, because the ceiling may not have been applied.
How UIF benefits are calculated
UIF does not pay one flat percentage of your salary. It uses a sliding scale called the income replacement rate (IRR). Lower earners get a bigger share of their pay back and higher earners get a smaller share. The scale runs from 60% for the lowest incomes down to 38% at the ceiling.
- Average your pay. Use your average monthly remuneration over the last six months, capped at R17,712.
- Find your daily income (Y1). Multiply the monthly figure by 12 and divide by 365. The highest possible daily income is about R582.31.
- Work out the IRR. IRR = 29.2 + 7173.92 ÷ (232.92 + Y1). The result is kept between 38% and 60%.
- Daily benefit = Y1 × IRR.
- Multiply by the days paid, which depends on the type of benefit and your credit days.
| Monthly salary | IRR | Daily benefit |
|---|
The table above comes from the same formula the calculator uses, so you can see how the rate falls as pay rises. Anyone earning at or above the ceiling gets the minimum 38%, which works out to about R221 a day. Most published guides agree on this formula; a few print a slightly different constant, so expect small differences of a few rand between calculators.
Credit days: how long UIF pays you
For unemployment, the length of your payout depends on your credit days. Under the 2016 amendment you earn one credit day for every completed five days you worked as a contributor, up to 365 credit days in the four years before your job ended. Credits you have not used carry forward inside that four-year window, so a previous claim does not wipe out the rest.
- The first 238 days are paid at your full IRR.
- Any remaining credit days after that are paid at a flat 20% of your daily income.
- Some official explainers describe the accrual as one day for every four days worked. If your UIF statement shows a different number of credits, type it into the credit days box and the calculator will use it.
The calculator estimates credits from the months you enter. For example, 24 months of contributions gives about 146 credit days, and 48 months reaches the 292 that the five-day rule allows, unless you override it.
Benefit types compared
| Benefit | Rate | How long | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment | 38%–60% (IRR), then 20% | Up to your credit days, max 365 | Apply within 12 months of the job ending |
| Illness | 38%–60% (IRR) | Days certified off sick | 7 days or more off work |
| Maternity | 66% of earnings, capped | Up to 17.32 weeks (121 days) | 13 weeks' employment; apply within 12 months of the birth |
| Dependants | Based on the contributor's benefit | Remaining credits | Apply within 18 months of the death |
Maternity pay from UIF tops up whatever your employer pays. If your employer pays part of your salary during maternity leave, UIF may reduce its payment so that the two together do not go over your normal pay.
Worked examples
Example 1: retrenched on R10,000 a month
Thandi earned R10,000 a month for the past two years and was retrenched.
| Daily income: R10,000 × 12 ÷ 365 | R328.77 |
| IRR: 29.2 + 7173.92 ÷ (232.92 + 328.77) | 41.97% |
| Daily benefit: R328.77 × 41.97% | about R137.98 |
| Credit days: 24 months, one per five days | 146 days |
| Estimated total | about R20,147 |
Example 2: maternity leave on R20,000 a month
Lerato earns R20,000 a month, which is above the ceiling, so UIF uses R17,712. Her daily income is R582.31, and 66% of that is about R384.33 a day. Over the full 121 days that is roughly R46,500, before any adjustment for pay her employer continues during leave.
Why UIF payouts come out lower than expected
- Your employer did not declare you. If your earnings were never declared, the UIF has no record of your credits.
- The ceiling. Anyone earning more than R17,712 is treated as earning R17,712, so high earners often get far less than they expect.
- Gaps in work. Months without contributions in the last four years mean fewer credits.
- Late applications. Unemployment claims lodged more than 12 months after the job ended can be refused unless there is good cause.
- Resignation. Leaving voluntarily usually means no unemployment benefit, although maternity and illness benefits are separate.
How to claim UIF
- Ask your employer for the UI-19 form (declaration of employment) and, if possible, your last six payslips.
- Register and apply on the Department's uFiling system online, or visit your nearest Labour Centre with your ID and banking details.
- For illness or maternity, include the medical certificate and the employer's salary information for the leave period.
- Keep checking in as instructed while the claim is paid, and keep copies of everything you submit.
Forms, Labour Centre contacts and the official benefit rules are on the Department of Employment and Labour website.
Frequently asked questions
How much UIF will I get per month?
Between 38% and 60% of your daily income for each day you are paid, depending on how much you earned. A worker on R10,000 a month gets about R138 a day, or roughly R4,100 for 30 days.
How do I use this UIF calculator?
Choose the benefit type, enter your average monthly salary before deductions, and for unemployment enter the months you contributed in the last four years. The calculator shows your daily benefit, replacement rate and an estimated total.
What is the UIF ceiling in 2026?
R17,712 a month, or R212,544 a year. Both contributions and benefits are calculated on pay up to this amount.
How is UIF calculated on my payslip?
1% of your gross remuneration up to R17,712, so a maximum of R177.12 a month. Your employer pays another 1% on top.
Can I claim UIF if I resign?
Generally no. Unemployment benefits are for people who lost their job through dismissal, retrenchment or the end of a contract. Maternity and illness benefits do not depend on how you left.
How long does UIF pay for?
For unemployment, up to the credit days you have built up, with a maximum of 365 days. The first 238 days are paid at your full rate and any remaining days at 20% of your daily income.
How much is UIF maternity benefit?
66% of your earnings, capped at the R17,712 ceiling, for up to 17.32 weeks. On the maximum salary that is about R384 a day.
How long do I have to claim UIF?
Unemployment claims must be lodged within 12 months of your job ending. Maternity claims must be made within 12 months of the birth, and dependants have 18 months from the contributor's death.
Is this calculator official?
No. It is a free estimate using the published formula. The Department of Employment and Labour decides the final amount from your records.
Rates verified: October 2026 against the Unemployment Insurance Amendment Act 10 of 2016 and the SARS ceiling notice. This calculator gives an estimate only and is not legal or tax advice.