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UIF How to Speed Up Payments

During the current Covid 19 crisis we are focussing extensively on UIF as the mounting financial burden on families is leaving them destitute.

We have outlined below some of the way to ensure your application gets approved without unnecessary delays.

While UIF is overwhelmed with claims and urgent pleas for assistance, there are some things that claimers can do, to be proactive in finding out the reason for the delay in payment. Your employment history and associated documentation is of utmost importance and if this is correct, it will go a long way to ensuring that your claim goes as fast as possible.

Tips for claiming UIF

  1. Ensure that your bank account details are in your married (current) surname. If it doesn’t match you won’t get paid. Communications from the Department of Labour feels non-existent. The call centre is inundated with calls and inboxes are full to bursting… the onus is on you to make sure that your details are correct.
  2. Online claims and manual clams cannot both be done. In other words, once you have submitted online do not go and try to follow up at your local UIF Dept in person.
  3. Send your documents more than once. You need to send UI19 AND salary schedule. Even if your employer has done this for you, keep sending. And don’t forget that salary schedule as it’s a vital part of the process.
  4. Call the Dept to check your Employment History for at least the last 5 years is correct and that nothing in missing. Call Centre will tell you if something is missing and then you will need to get that information as fast as possible and send to UIF.
  5. When you call the Call Centre and someone answers, get their name and email address and then stick with that 1 person all the time. Follow up Follow up Follow up.
  6. When the Dept says that they will pay in 10 days’ time – these are 10 WORKING days and this is also not guaranteed.
  7. The biggest problem with payments is your banking details. Ladies: make sure that the surname on your bank account matches the one that is at Home Affairs! NOTE: Home Affairs does not always have your current surname! While it is supposed to be automatic when you get married that the surname is changed, it’s always worth a phone call through to them to check as this doesn’t always happen.
  8. When you get married, paperwork is sent to Home Affairs by your church or other registered legal entity who marries you. Your surname should be updated on their system and then you will need to ensure that your surname changes at your bank, so that it matches Home Affairs. If there is a mismatch, this will delay your payment.
  9. The process for payment is that the claim will go through to a moderator who will verify your account. Once verified, the status will change to Sent to Paymaster. Once it is with PayMaster you should have your money with a matter of days, depending on which bank you are with.
  10. Air-banks like TymeBank and Monzo will take longer to verify accounts at UIF.
  11. If you were a recipient of TERS, ensure that you have been paid out in full from TERS before submitting your documentation to the Department otherwise the system will reflect 2 claims and your second claim will be delayed. Sometimes you will even need to be removed from TERS claims, in order to claim your unemployment or other claim.