UIF registration for employers
If you pay anyone for more than 24 hours a month you are an employer, and the law gives you 14 days to register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund. That includes households with a domestic worker, a gardener or a nanny. We do the registration and hand you your UIF reference number.
Who this is for
Households with staff
A domestic worker, gardener or nanny working more than 24 hours a month makes you an employer with the same duties as any business.
Your five duties →New employers
You have just hired your first person and need the registration done before the 14 days run out.
Company registration →Already behind
You have employed someone for a while and never registered. Late registration is normal and we handle it the same way.
COIDA too →What you get for R690
- UI-8 employer registrationYour registration as an employer with the Fund, prepared from the details you give us and submitted for you.
- First UI-19 declarationThe employee declaration listing who works for you, what they earn and when they started.
- Your UIF reference numberConfirmed back to you in writing and stored in your client portal, so you can find it again months later.
- A contribution worked exampleWhat the two percent actually comes to on your worker's pay, so the first payment is not a guess.
- What to do every monthA plain English sheet on declaring and paying, and what changes when someone joins or leaves.
How it works
- 1Order and answer a short formYour details, your worker's details and their start date. It takes a few minutes and the form is in your portal.
- 2We prepare and submitWe complete the UI-8 and UI-19 and submit them to the Department of Employment and Labour.
- 3You get your reference numberWe confirm your UIF reference number and the monthly routine in writing. Everything stays in your portal.
Where UIF is registered, and why it matters
There are two routes and people get them confused. If you are registered for PAYE with SARS, your UIF is normally declared on the monthly EMP201 alongside PAYE and SDL, and our PAYE, UIF and SDL registration is the right service. If you are not a PAYE employer, which is the case for most households and many very small employers, you register directly with the Fund through uFiling. That is what this service does.
You can do it yourself at no cost. The Department charges nothing and ufiling.co.za is open to anyone. People use us because the forms ask for things in an order that does not match how you hold the information, and because a rejected submission costs another two weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Who has to register for UIF as an employer?
Every employer who pays someone for more than 24 hours a month, including households employing a domestic worker, gardener or nanny. There is no minimum salary and no minimum number of staff. One employee makes you an employer.
How long do I have to register for UIF?
Within 14 days of employing your first worker, under the Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001. Registering late is common and the Fund will normally accept a late registration, but contributions are still owed from the date employment started.
How much are UIF contributions?
Two percent of the worker's remuneration in total: one percent deducted from the worker and one percent paid by you as the employer. Contributions are calculated up to an earnings ceiling that the Minister updates from time to time, so check the current ceiling on the Department of Employment and Labour site before your first payment.
Do I register UIF with SARS or the Department of Labour?
It depends. If you are registered for PAYE, UIF is usually declared to SARS on your monthly EMP201. If you are not a PAYE employer, which is the case for most households and very small employers, you register directly with the Fund through uFiling. This service covers the Department of Employment and Labour route.
What does UIF registration cost at the Department of Labour?
The Department charges nothing to register. Our R690 covers preparing the UI-8 employer registration, your first UI-19 employee declaration, submitting it and confirming your UIF reference number back to you.
What happens if I never register for UIF?
Your worker cannot claim if they lose the job, go on maternity leave or fall ill, and the Fund can recover unpaid contributions with interest and penalties. It also surfaces at the CCMA, where an unregistered employer starts a dispute badly.
While you are registering
Registration duties and the 14 day period are set by the Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 and the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 4 of 2002. The contribution rate of one percent each is set by those Acts; the earnings ceiling is adjusted by the Minister from time to time, so confirm the current figure with the Department of Employment and Labour before your first payment. This is administrative assistance, not legal or tax advice.