There are six categories under which you can claim UIF relief:
- Unemployment — for those who lost their job through dismissal, retrenchment, or the natural end of a contract.
- Maternity — for pregnant workers taking leave, payable for up to 17.32 weeks.
- Illness — for those unable to work for more than 14 days. The fund doesn't pay for the first 14 days; cover starts from day 15. You can't claim if the illness was caused by your own misconduct.
- Adoption — for parents adopting a child under the age of 2.
- Commissioning parent — for parents in a legal surrogacy agreement.
- Dependant benefits — for the surviving spouse, life partner, or children of a deceased contributor.
The golden rule of timing: you must lodge your claim within 6 months of your last day of work. Waiting longer will get your application rejected.
You can't claim UIF and the SASSA SRD grant at the same time — receiving UIF benefits makes you ineligible for the SRD grant.