How Long Does Maternity UIF Take to Pay Out?

How Long Does Maternity UIF Take to Pay Out? Find out the detail about the UIF Maternity waiting time before to cash out your Money.

UIF Maternity Benefits

When talking about the UIF maternity benefits, the list can go on and on. There are so many ways this fund could benefit you in your tough times.

As an expecting woman, you can expect endless support from this fund and need not worry about the hardships and sufferings that come in this critical period of time. So, the benefits are included as follows:

1. Maternity Leave

Being a pregnant woman, you don’t have to worry about earning yourself a living. If you are a working lady, you could apply for paid leave for a maximum of twenty-six weeks. It means that you won’t have to go to work or provide any kind of virtual assistance to your employers while still getting your paycheck on time.

The amount you receive from the UIF maternity might be a little reduced as per the regulations but rest assured, it will be sufficient to support you and the growing life within you.

Now, moving on to planning the duration of your paid maternity leave. You could apply for it any time during your pregnancy however, the most ideal period would be at least four weeks prior to your due date. This will give you ample time to rest after you have given birth to your child.

2. Adoption Benefits

UIF also provides you the benefit of arranging a foster family for your newborn child if you want to give it up for adoption. They could also look up a family for the adoption of your child permanently.

It means that if you are a young unwed mother, you could easily find a good stable family for your child for nourishment and protection.

However, to avail of this benefit you would have to apply for it in the early stages of your pregnancy to give them enough time to arrange a good family.

3. Maternity Benefits Extension

This is an upgraded version of maternity leave. It is specifically designed to target mothers who suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth. If you are one of those mothers, you could get UIF benefits for a maximum of six weeks.

How long do claims take to be processed?

• Provided that your employment records are up to date on the Department’s system for the past 48 months, a maternity claim takes on average 6-8 weeks to process. In order for your claim to be processed quickly and efficiently by the Department of Labour, it is important to make sure that all your employment records are up to date on their system. Incomplete records will cause delays, and you would be required to contact employers, past and current, if this is not complete.

• Once approved, they usually make an initial small payment of one credit into your account. On receipt of this payment, we can file a continuation for the balance to be paid out. Subsequent payments could either be made in up to four monthly increments, or they could decide to pay the full balance. This is up to their discretion.

Who can claim Maternity UIF benefits ?

• You can claim maternity benefits if you are on maternity leave and receiving less than 75% of your salary from your employer.

• You can claim maternity benefits even if you have resigned from your current employment or are not currently employed, provided you have contributed to the fund in the last 6 months and have credits available on the system.

• You can claim maternity benefits through us if you are a South African national and have a barcoded ID book.

How much can I expect to receive?

• The fund pays 38% ‐ 58 % of your gross salary, capped at a ceiling salary of R14 872.00.

• Payments are calculated as ‘credits’, and credits are calculated based on your last 48 months of employment.

• You may claim for up to 121 consecutive days (4 months) provided you have not returned to work in this time.

• If you miscarry or have a stillborn child in the third trimester, you may still claim for 6 weeks.

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