The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is extending Saturday service hours at select locations to address high demand for uFiling services, following a court order that disrupted the online platform. File Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has announced extended operating hours on Saturdays at selected service points to accommodate the increased demand of uFiling services.
As stated by the Department of Employment and Labour, this decision comes after the Pretoria High Court issued an interim interdict at the end of August 2024, halting a new support and maintenance contract for the uFiling system.
uFiling, an online platform crucial for applying for UIF benefits, registering companies, and declaring employee contributions, is currently out of service due to a lack of support, said the department.
According to the spokesperson of the department Trevor Hattingh, the UIF has processed over 181,000 claims totalling R419 million at service points nationwide since the suspension.
Hattingh said to manage the heightened demand, UIF service points will operate from 7.30am to 4pm throughout September at the following locations:
Eastern Cape: Gqeberha, East London, and Qonce
KwaZulu-Natal: Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay
Mpumalanga: Emalahleni, Secunda, Middleburg, Malelane, and Mbombela
North West: Mahikeng, Potchefstroom, Lichtenburg, Klerksdorp, Vryburg, Christiana, Brits, Taung, and Rustenburg
Western Cape: Cape Town, Paarl, Mitchells Plain, and Bellville
Employer Registration
New employer registrations can be completed through BizPortal.
The department said BizPortal is exclusively for employer registration and employee registration must be done at a nearby labour centre.
Alternatively, employers can download the UI.8 and UI.19 forms from www.labour.gov.za and email the completed forms to newui8registrations@labour.gov.za.
Employee Declarations
Employers with electronic payroll systems should send live payroll files to Declarations@labour.gov.za or visit a labour centre.
For manual declarations, download the UI.19 form from www.labour.gov.za and email it to uif.declarations@labour.gov.za.
Contributions
The department said that employers must pay their UIF contributions by the 7 day of each month.
If the 7 day is not a “business day” i.e. Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, payments must be made on or before the last “business day’’, said the department.
“UIF contributions are made up of 2% of an employee’s salary. 1% is deducted from the salary of an employee and 1% contributed by the employer.
“Employers who are registered for tax purposes and/or the Skills Development Levy (SDL), must pay their contributions directly to the South African Revenue Services (SARS),” the department said.
Employers can also pay contributions using bank details provided on the Department of Employment and Labour website www.labour.gov.za and use their UIF reference number as the reference for payment.
“Through queue management, monitoring of operations and staff repurposing the UIF has been able to adequately handle claim volumes around the country.
“The Fund is confident that by extending working hours it will be able to maintain the status quo whilst developing alternative online solutions for clients and employers,” the department said.
IOL