UIF Registration for Employers: How to Register and Pay via uFiling.

The Department of Employment and Labour says all employers who employ any person and give remuneration in cash or in kind must register with the Fund as soon as they start activities as an employer, and must make the deductions from workers' remuneration. Penalties and interest apply under the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act, 2002 if they do not.

Workers who work 24 hours or more per month must contribute; workers who work less than 24 hours per month are excluded. Domestic workers and their employers have been required to contribute since 1 April 2003, per the same guide. The Department adds that a household needs its own reference number, separate from any business registration.

The SARS employer guide explains there are two registrations: all new employers register with the UI Commissioner (from 1 February 2020) so employee information can be declared, and employers who must pay PAYE or SDL, or registered voluntarily with SARS, pay their UIF contributions to SARS. The employer has no discretion over which applies.

1. 1

   Register as an employer with the UIF

   The Department guide says forms UI-8 (registration of employer) and UI-19 (registration of worker) can be downloaded from labour.gov.za or obtained at a local Department office, and sent to the UIF or handed in at a local office. It states registration is finalised within one day of receiving completed forms, and a UI-54 confirms the reference number.
2. 2

   Domestic employers: register by phone, email, post or in person

   Per gov.za: phone 012 337 1680, email [email protected], post to the UIF in Pretoria (0052), or visit a Labour Centre. The worker must be registered if they work more than 24 hours a month.
3. 3

   Create a uFiling user profile

   On the uFiling register page, enter your name as it appears on your ID, a username, title, initials, ID type (South African ID or passport) and your preferred contact (email or SMS). Do not refresh the page while it processes.
4. 4

   Link your UIF reference number

   gov.za says that once you have a UIF reference number you can register on uFiling to handle transactions and updates online. The uFiling user guide covers adding the employer to your profile.

uFiling states that employers registered with SARS can still submit returns online but cannot pay through uFiling: payment is made directly to SARS. See our PAYE calculator for how PAYE sits alongside UIF on payroll.

uFiling says returns cover all employees for the period and must be submitted no later than the 7th of each month for the preceding month. You need the employer UIF reference number and, for each employee, the ID number, start date, salary details, period of employment and hours worked, plus the termination date and reason where an employee has left (see our UI-19 guide).

The employee contributes 1% of remuneration and the employer 1%, up to the R17,712 monthly ceiling (R177.12 each). Estimate it with the UIF calculator; employees can later work out benefits with the UIF payout calculator and the how to claim UIF online guide.

• UI-19 FormThe employer declaration of employees.
• UIF CalculatorEmployee and employer contributions.
• UIF Payout CalculatorEstimate unemployment benefits.
• How to Claim UIF OnlineThe employee side of a claim.
• PAYE CalculatorEstimate PAYE on a salary.
• What is UIF?Plain-language definition.