How to Claim UIF Maternity Benefits

If you are an employed South African and you are pregnant, you are entitled to UIF maternity benefits while on maternity leave. This is not a favour from your employer - it is a right built up through every monthly UIF deduction on your payslip.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund pays between 38% and 60% of your daily income for up to 17.32 weeks. The exact percentage uses a sliding scale: lower-income workers receive closer to 60%, higher earners receive the 38% floor. Payment goes directly into your bank account regardless of what your employer decides to contribute.

Who qualifies

You can claim if:

• You are employed and your employer has been deducting UIF contributions (1% of your salary)
• You are going on maternity leave, have recently given birth, adopted a child under two, or experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth
• You have enough UIF credits built up

For every four days worked as a UIF contributor, you accumulate one day of credit (up to a maximum of 365 days). Most full-time employees who have been working for a year or more will have enough credits for the full 17.32 weeks.

What UIF maternity does not cover

UIF is not full salary replacement. If you earn R30,000 per month, the UIF benefit will be significantly less than that. Some employers top up UIF payments to a set percentage of your salary as part of their maternity policy - check your employment contract. This is a company policy decision, not a legal requirement.

Applying online via uFiling

The online route is the fastest. Register at uFiling.co.za and apply for maternity benefits under "Claim Benefits." You will need to upload your ID, maternity certificate, and bank details. Your employer's UI-19 declaration should be submitted electronically by your HR department - ask them to do this as soon as you inform them of your pregnancy.

Once submitted, the UIF processes your application and you receive a reference number. The first payment typically arrives within two to four weeks of approval.

Applying in person

Take your original documents to any Department of Employment and Labour office: your ID, maternity certificate, payslip, bank details, and the UI-2.7 continuation form (the office will provide this). Queues can be long - going early in the morning helps.

The UI-2.7 form: do not miss this

After your first payment is approved, you must submit a UI-2.7 continuation of payment form every four weeks to confirm you are still on maternity leave. This is the single most common reason payments stop - claimants do not know this ongoing requirement exists.

Submit via uFiling or in person at any labour office. Set a reminder in your phone so you never miss a submission.

If your contributions are not on record

If the UIF Contact Centre tells you there is no record of your contributions, your employer may have failed to register you or failed to submit declarations. This is a legal obligation. Report non-compliant employers to the Department of Employment and Labour.

UIF Contact Centre: 0800 843 843 (free)