How To Get Your Due

Here’s everything you need to know about claiming for UIF and TERS

- Lesego Seokwang

Long before Covid-19 entered our vocabulary, the unemployment rate in South Africa was already devastatingly high.

And now during a lockdown that’s decimated the country’s economy, many have lost their jobs or are waiting to hear their fate, or they know someone who’s lost their livelihood.

But there’s a lifeline in the form of the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS).

We fill you in on everything you need to know about claiming both from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and TERS.

WHO QUALIFIES FOR UIF AND TERS?

UIF

All workers who’ve contributed to the UIF qualify for UIF benefits if they lose their job, provided they’ve worked more than 24 hours a month, labour lawyer Craig Berkowitz says.

You must also register with the department of labour as a job seeker and you must apply for UIF benefits within six months of the termination of your employment.

“The only people who aren’t entitled to UIF include members of parliament, cabinet ministers, members of provincial legislatures and municipal councillors,” Berkowitz says.

TERS

All contributors to the UIF whose jobs have been affected as a direct result of Covid-19 are entitled to claim from TERS, says Caleb Asiedu of labour law experts Maphosa Attorneys.

Once your office is up and running and you’re able to earn your full salary, your TERS benefits fall away.

Freelancers and commission earners don’t qualify for TERS, says Makhosonke Buthelezi, the UIF’s director of communication.