UIF calculator: contributions and benefit estimate
See exactly what comes off a payslip for the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and roughly what the fund would pay if you lost your job.
Your details
Your UIF deduction per month
R150.00
Your employer adds the same, for a total of R300.00
- Estimated daily benefit
- R192.72
- Credit days
- 365
- Estimated total benefit
- R58 393.37
How we worked it out
- Salary subject to UIFR15 000.00
- Employee contribution (1%)R150.00
- Employer contribution (1%)R150.00
- Total paid to UIF each monthR300.00
- Average monthly salary (capped at ceiling)R15 000.00
Ceiling R17 712 per month
- Daily incomeR493.15
Monthly salary × 12 ÷ 365
- Income replacement rate39.08%
29.2 + 7 173.92 ÷ (232.92 + daily income), between 38% and 60%
- Daily benefitR192.72
- Credit days365
One day for every four days worked, up to 365
- Days paid at sliding scale (first 238)238
- Days paid at flat 20%127
- Estimated total benefitR58 393.37
- This is an estimate. The UIF calculates benefits from its own records of your contributions and may differ.
- Credit days you use are deducted, and the four-year cycle resets after a claim.
The benefit formula
The Department of Employment and Labour publishes this method:
- Daily income = average monthly salary (capped at R17 712) × 12 ÷ 365.
- Income replacement rate (IRR) = 29.2 + 7 173.92 ÷ (232.92 + daily income), as a percentage between 38% and 60%.
- Daily benefit = daily income × IRR.
- Total benefit = daily benefit × credit days.
For someone earning R17 712 or more, daily income is R582.31, the IRR is 38% and the daily benefit is R221.28, which matches the department's own worked example.
Frequently asked questions
How much is UIF per month?
Employees pay 1% of their remuneration and employers add another 1%. Contributions stop growing once pay reaches R17 712 a month, so the maximum is R177.12 each, or R354.24 in total.
How are UIF benefits calculated?
The UIF takes your average salary over the last six months (capped at the ceiling), converts it to a daily rate, and pays a percentage of it called the income replacement rate. Lower earners get a higher percentage, from 38% up to 60%.
How long can I claim for?
You earn one credit day for every four days you work and contribute, up to 365 days in four years. Using the published formula, the first 238 credit days are paid on the sliding scale and the rest at a flat 20%.
Do domestic workers get UIF?
Yes. Employers of domestic workers must register and pay UIF for workers who work more than 24 hours a month.
Where do I claim?
Claims are made through the Department of Employment and Labour, online via uFiling or at a labour centre. Your employer must give you a UI-19 form when your employment ends.