What is uFiling, And How it Works

By ED •  Updated: 10/01/22 •  7 min read

What is uFiling? 

Since April 2002, all South African employers and employees must declare their income and contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

The UIF, which was established in terms of Section 4(1) of the Unemployment Insurance Act No. 63 of 2001, gives short-term financial support to workers if they become unemployed or are unable to work because of maternity leave, adoption leave, commissioning parental leave, parental leave or long-term illness.  

All employers and employees in South Africa are legally required to make monthly UIF contributions to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) commissioner and the Unemployment Insurance Commissioner. The following people are exempt from UIF making contributions:

uFiling is a free online service that enables you to submit your UIF declarations and make monthly payments. Once registered, employers must declare and pay contributions to the UIF or SARS by the 7th​ ​ of every month. For the UIF contribution, 1% of the worker’s total earnings (excluding commission) is deducted. In addition, the employer also contributes 1% for every other worker they employ. The total contribution paid for UIF is, therefore 2%.  

How will you benefit from uFiling?

The system automatically issues monthly declarations for your employees and sends e-mail notifications on the 1st​ of each month. It also sends updates when there are legislative changes.  

Before activating a uFiling account online, you will need to register for UIF online or at​ the nearest Department of Labour branch. You will be issued a UIF reference number which will be used to activate your uFiling account.  

How to activate your uFiling account online

To activate your uFiling account online, visit https://www.ufiling.co.za/uif​     / ​ and click on “Activate my uFiling account”. The following activation options will appear on the screen. Select the option that applies to you:  

The activation process for domestic employers

To activate your domestic employer utilizing account, you will need the following information and supporting documents:  

Once you have these, proceed with the following steps:

The activation process for employees

To activate your employee filing account, you will need the following information and supporting documents:

Once you have these, proceed with the following steps:

Step 1: Read and accept the terms and conditions of the application.

Step 2: Enter your UIF reference number, a suitable user name, and a password that you will use for the login once the process is complete. 

Step 3: Enter the required details, such as your postal address and banking details.  

Step 4: Click on the “Finish” button to complete the activation process. After that, you have to log in to your e-mail for the confirmation message.  

Activation process for commercial employers

To activate your commercial employer utilising account, you will need the following information and supporting documents:  

Your company’s official registration name and details as provided by the Registrar of Companies (DTI)  

Once you have these, proceed with the following steps:

Activation for agents

You will be required to have the following information and supporting documents available to activate your commercial utilising account: 

Once you have these, proceed with the following steps:

Step 1: Read and accept the terms and conditions of the application  

Step 2: Enter your UIF reference number, a suitable user name, and a password that you will use for the login once the process is complete. 

Step 3: Enter the required commercial employer details.  

Step 4: Select your organization type from the options provided. Fill in the details of your contact person and their postal address.

Step 5: Click on the “Finish” button to complete the activation process. After that, you have to log in to your e-mail for the confirmation message.  

UIF application forms

What if you find yourself unemployed or unable to work and in need of UIF benefits? You can register and claim benefits online through uFiling or visit the nearest Department of Labour branch. You should receive your benefits within eight weeks, and they will be paid every month. For online applications, you will generally be required to submit the following:

If you apply for UIF benefits at a branch, you will be required to submit some of the following forms in addition to the ones listed above (depending on your reason for benefits). You can access them on the Labour Department’s website:​