UIF Calculator 2024 How Do I Calculate My UIF Payout

The UIF calculator is the means of calculating the UIF payment; which is the money paid to workers who are out of work, or unable to work. The reason why the UIF calculator becomes important is that the payout to which each individual is due is different and unique.

Therefore the UIF calculator is something that each person should become familiar with, so that one can know how much he is expecting from the UIF, and so plan his expenses accordingly.

It is important to note that while the UIF scheme is not intended to be a long term source of income, it can at least provide necessary cover for the worker for a period of time.

UIF Calculator 2023 How Do I Calculate My UIF Payout

You can calculate your UIF payout by looking at the amount you have earned as salary on the average, over the last 6 months. 2% of that money is contributed to the UIF scheme; 1% by you, and 1% by your employer.

Of course, everybody’s earnings are different; the amount of money we earn determines the amount of money we will be paid by the UIF program. However, there is a minimum and maximum salary that is allowed. While the minimum salary is R3500, the maximum is R17,712 per month. That is because it is not the job of the UIF program to make you rich.

Therefore those who earn far above the maximum will only get R17,712 registered against their names; which means that is what will be used to calculate their UIF payout.

Most people are somewhere between the minimum and the maximum; which is why they need to know how to calculate their UIF payout. Below is a guide on how to do that.

How The Payout Is Calculated

As mentioned earlier; the UIF calculates your average monthly salary over the last 6 months before you claimed your benefits. Remember that the UIF caps salary at R17 712. Therefore, this is the formula to calculate your average monthly salary:

To get your daily earnings: (Average monthly salary x 12 months) / 356 days. For example; if your average monthly salary is R17 712; your daily earning is (R17 712 x 12) / 365. The answer is R582.312.

Now, as per law, the scheme is going to pay you 38% of your daily earnings, which is what is due to those who are among the top earners. Those who earn less; that is near to the bottom will see their UIF payout calculated to around 60%.

However, for most people the payout is 38% which is what will be used to calculate the UIF earnings using what is called the Income Replacement Rate.

Now, what you need to look for is the Daily Benefits due to you. This is how to get the daily benefit.

Daily Benefit Amount

Daily Benefit Amount (DBA) is calculated using daily earning (calculated above) and your Income Replacement Rate which is often 38%

(DBA) = Daily Earning x 38%.

For example; if your monthly salary was R17 712, and your daily earnings amount to R582.312; then your Daily Benefit Amount is R582.312 x 38%. In this particular calculation; the Daily Benefit Amount is R221.28 per day. However, the money will be paid monthly, which amounts to about 5753.28 per month.

As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs; that is just a guide; it is a template that one can use to get his own due UIF payout. In the calculations above, just replace the average salary R17 712 with whatever you have earned over the last 6 months, and then work your way down.

However, as you may know, UIF is not for Unemployment alone; these are the other payments that one can receive from the UIF, as well as the calculations.

Maternity, Illness, Parental And Adoption

Sometimes, one may not be available for work, even when he has not lost his job. The most common reasons for this (also the most acceptable) are when one has just had a child, or when one is ill or has had an accident, or when a new member of the family has been adopted.

In this case one should still get some money from his employer; but many- a-times it is not what he has been earning prior to that. In such a case the UIF could step in, and make up the difference so that one can continue with his normal lifestyle without interruption, as if nothing changed, and he was earning his normal salary.

The UIF calls this a Top Up. This is how the Top Up is calculated.

In this particular case; the Daily Benefit Amount (DBA) is calculated at 66% of income; and once again the UIF only recognizes R17,712 per month as the highest possible figure. That means no matter how high a person may be earning, only R17,712 per month will be registered against his name.

Daily Benefit of a salary of R17,712 will be; (R17,712 x 12) /365

That is R582.3. So you need 66% of that which is R384.318 per day. Hold on to that figure for a few seconds.

Daily Benefit is R384.318 per day.

But please hold on, there may be some confusion; which is quite avoidable. Take note that the above is for Daily Benefit. There is another important factor involved.

Daily income (DI)

Daily Income (DI) is the other factor involved in calculating how much your UIF Payout is in the event of any of the circumstances described above, which would mean that one is unavailable to work.

So this is how Daily Income is calculated: It is your monthly income for last 6 months, multiplied by 12 months, and then divided by 365 days which makes 1 year. Please keep in mind that there is no maximum for the Daily Income; it can keep going as high as possible.

For example; let’s say you earn R30000 per month. The calculation for that would therefore be R30000 x12/365 = R986.30 per day.

That is the calculation for the amount you have been earning every day for the last 6 months. But when you are on sick or maternity leave your employer may not be able to afford that amount; your employer may be able to pay something smaller.

This amount may vary from employer to employer; let us take for example your employer is only able to pay R20,000 per month. Your daily income while on leave would therefore be R20000 x12/365 = R657.534 per day.

Again, please remember that this is just a template; to get your daily income just replace R20,000 with the actual amount you earn; and work out the calculation.

So at this point you may be wondering how much exactly you are going to get from the UIF because we have elaborated Daily Benefit Amount, and also Daily Income. At this point one may be a little bit confused as to how much the UIF will pay.

Remember the UIF calls this the Top Up amount.

The Top Up amount is the difference between Daily Income and Leave Income. That is Daily Income minus Leave Income.

Let us make examples of the figures we have calculated above. Remember we will always use the daily figures.

Daily Income (R657.534) – Daily Benefit (R384.318) = Top Up Amount. In this particular case the Top Up Amount will be R273.216 per day. As mentioned before; the money will be paid monthly; which brings us to R8196.6.

In addition to what you get from your employer, this figure can go a long way. It can help one continue his normal lifestyle just like when he was working.

Please note that this money is designed to be a stipend just to boost your pockets; as long as it remains smaller than the daily benefit amount, it will be paid. But when it becomes too big; bigger than the daily benefit amount, the claim is denied.

Reduced Work Time

Especially in this time of economic uncertainty; it is important to have some form of cover for when the employer is struggling to stay in business. Especially at times when business is slow; the employer may decide to scale back employee working hours, rather than fire them outrightly.

In such a case, the UIF can cover the loss to the employee, so that he can continue to enjoy his normal quality of life, until when normal working conditions resume.

Daily benefit amount for Reduced Work Time has a slightly different calculation though:

Top-up for Reduced Work Time will be the difference between Reduced Work Time income (per day) and the daily benefit amount (DBA). Let us continue to use the Daily Benefit Amount of R384.318 per day as used above.

DBA= R384.318 per day

Let us assume that Reduced Work Time salary is R3000 per month which is R98,63 per day- which when you minus it from the Daily Benefit; you get R384.318- R98,63 = 285.6. As always, the money will be paid every month. Therefore what you get is R8570.68 per month.

Related:

• Does UIF Pay The Same Amount Every Month?
• Causes Of Unemployment In South Africa
• How To Check My Housing Waiting List

Closing

Please remember that this UIF calculator is just a template designed to help you calculate your UIF. Remember to do the calculations yourself, using your actual salary in place of the figures given as examples. Furthermore, you can request help at the UIF office; they will be more than happy to help.