How do I calculate UIF for a domestic worker?

What is UIF?

UIF is a safety net that protects your worker when they face unexpected life events. It provides income when they:

> Lose their job

> Take maternity leave

> Are sick after using all sick leave

> Experience other qualifying life events

Registering and paying UIF is simple, and it's one of the most important things you can do to protect your worker - and yourself. UIF payments must be made by the 7th of each month, in arrears.

When do I need to register?

You need to register if your worker:

> Works for 24 or more hours per month

> Is paid daily, weekly, or monthly

> Works part-time or full-time

Most domestic workers qualify for UIF, even if they work only once a week.

Some months have 5 working days, others have 4 working days.

E.g.

-- Your domestic works once a week for 4 hours a day - total working days in a long month is 20 working hours; a short month is 16 hours. You DO NOT need to pay UIF.

-- Your domestic works once a week for 5 hours a day -  total working days in a long month is 25 working hours; a short month is 20 hours.  You DO need to pay UIF, because some months exceed 24 working hours.

How UIF works

UIF is paid monthly as a small percentage of your worker's salary:

> 1% from you (the employer)

> 1% from deducted from your worker's pay

> Total: 2%

Example: If your worker earns R5,000 per month, you pay R50 and your worker contributes R50, for a total of R100 to UIF. This must be paid by the 7th of each month, through the UIF Portal, or directly to one of the UIF bank accounts

> To make working out the payments easy in the MyDomestic App, all the correct amounts are already set out for you from the Payslips menu. This is a Premium feature.

How to register (step-by-step)

Option 1: Online (recommended)

> Visit the official UIF portal:

> Register as an employer

> Add your worker's details - This step may need a bucket load of patience

> Receive your UIF reference number

> Submit and pay contributions monthly

Option 2: In person

> Visit your nearest Labour Centre

> Ask to register as a domestic employer for UIF

Documents/Info needed

To register your Domestic uFiling account you need to have the following documents and information available. You should have all this saved in your MyDomestic App.

> The Domestic employers valid 13 Digit South African ID.

> Your e-mail address where all correspondence will be emailed.

> Your banking details and valid branch code that you will nominate to be used to securely pay your UIF contributions.

> The employees valid 13 Digit South African ID number.

> The employee's employment details:    

- First name    

- Surname    

- SA ID / Passport number    

- Date of birth (can be derived from SA ID, but useful)    

- Employment start date    

- Job title (Domestic worker, gardener, nanny, caregiver, driver, etc.)    

- Monthly salary    

- Mobile number    

- Physical address (this may be challenging to enter in UIF registration - do the best you can)

> (Recommended to have- not required for UIF):    

- Email address    

- Emergency contact    

- Banking details (useful for payroll)

> If a practitioner is registering your staff on your behalf, they will need all the details listed above.

You only need to do this ONCE !

UIF works on two levels:

A. Employer UIF reference (one per employer)

> When you register, you receive one UIF employer reference number> This stays with you as long as you employ anyone

B. Employee UIF registration (per worker)

Each employee is registered under your UIF account, using:

> Their ID / passport number

> Their employment details

Employees do not always get a separate visible UIF "number", but they are:

> Individually identifiable in UIF records

> Able to claim UIF benefits later using their ID

What happens when a worker leaves?

> You stop submitting UIF for that worker

> Their UIF history stays attached to their ID

> Your employer UIF registration remains active

💡 Helpful tip: UIF is a monthly task.

Set a reminder on your phone to stay on track and compliant.

Alternative UIF Payment Method:

If you experience issues paying through the uFiling portal, you can make payment via your banking app. Add the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) as a beneficiary using your bank's Public/Approved Recipients option, then use your UIF reference number (as saved on your Compliance page in your MyDomestic App), as the payment reference. This ensures your payment is correctly allocated.

Quick Checklist

• ✓Worker works 24 or more hours per month

• ✓Registered on UIF Online

• ✓UIF reference number saved

• ✓Monthly contributions paid

• ✓Contributions shown on payslips

What does a worker actually get if they claim?

UIF doesn't pay 100% of salary — it uses a sliding scale.

Lower earners get up to 60% of their wage; higher earners as little as 38%.

For every four days worked, the employee earns one credit day, and after four years of contributions they qualify for up to 365 days of benefits — though the maximum consecutive claim period is 238 days.

Time paid doesn't work the same across all leave and termination types. Each claim type has its own rules on who qualifies, how many days they get, and the payment rate. Here's the full picture:

The sliding scale (38%–60%) applies to all claim types — that part is consistent. What changes is the duration and eligibility rules.

The Resignation Trap

A worker cannot claim unemployment benefits if they resigned — only if dismissed, retrenched, or the contract expired. This catches a lot of domestic workers out. They resign to go work for someone else, then things fall through, and they discover they've forfeited their UIF entitlement.

The Maternity Exception

Employees who resign while pregnant or during maternity leave can still claim maternity benefits — so resignation doesn't block that specific claim.

For Unemployment

If a worker has contributed for four years or more they can claim for up to 238 days. If they've contributed for less, they earn 1 day for every 6 days worked while contributing.

Maternity and adoption are fixed at 121 days regardless of contribution history — the credit day rule does not apply.

So in a nutshell - if you employ domestic staff, and they work for 24 or more hours a month, then you are required, by law, to register for UIF as a domestic employer.

app.my-domestic.co.za helps you navigate all this admin, quickly and easily.