Has anyone got experience with claimimg unemployment benefits from UIF?

[ouette]

Situation: unemployed claimant registered end November and was given a date in January (6 weeks after registration date) to come in person to 'sign'. Claimant wants to know when he can expect his first payment, and what period this first payment will cover since the gov sites say that the payments are aprox every 4 weeks, and the first will be made within eight weeks of registration.

Can anyone perhaps explain from personal experience what to expect please?

 

[mercurial]

Can't remember how soon they start paying. Rather follow up with them. They tend to not send letters or notify people. You'll get paid at the end of every month. I had to follow up with them to get the info I needed.

 

[noxibox]

They can take months to start paying. When they do though the first payment will be for everything from the date of unemployment until the current date. Thereafter it will be monthly until a total of six months have been paid or the person is again employed. I know people who have had to wait nearly six months to get paid, and then received the entire amount at once.

 

[rrh]

When the claimant registered he/she was given a form - a UI-6A "Declaration to Confirm Unemployment Status" - with a date on it.

On (or after) the date specified the claimant must go to a Department of Labour office to hand in the completed form:

• The claimant will be required to present their id book;
• The claimant will be given a new UI-6A with the date for next month's "visit".

Payment is normally within 72 hours of the form being handed in.

In my experience payment was from date of first registration, and has been very prompt thereafter.

 

[spiff]

maybe things have changed since 2005, but once registered I had to wait 6 weeks.
also had to go back every week and full in a form to confirm that I was still unemployed!

 

[AwTroN]

^^ As rrh said, that's how it worked for me earlier in this year.

 

[supersunbird]

Remember there is a maximum limit to UIF contributions and thus a limit the amount one gets out, something like R4500pm if your earned about R14 500 gross or more a month.

One can also get retrenchment cover with some life insurance companies, that will usually pay 75% of salary for up to six months. Mine cost me a premium of about R10pm for each per R1000 I'd get out. 3 months waiting period though once you start the cover.

 

[mercurial]

I didn't have to sign in every week. I also only got R4500 per month.