Men who are registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and make monthly contributions to the fund are eligible to claim paternity leave. The UIF offers benefits to biological fathers as well as adoptive fathers who meet the requirements. Payment for UIF paternity claims differs from other benefits you can get from the fund. Keep on reading to learn how much UIF pays
How Much Does UIF Pay For Paternity Leave
The contributors to the UIF are eligible to get payment for paternity leave if they qualify. Paternity leave consists of a maximum of 10 consecutive days and is calculated using a flat rate of 66% of your contributable basic salary. The maximum ceiling for UIF basic salary threshold is R17 712.
The UIF benefit is 66 % of your basic salary. For instance, a person with a basic salary of R5 000 gets the following:
R5000 (Basic salary) x 12 (Months in a year) / 365 (Days in a year) = R164.38 (per day)
66% of R164.38 = R108.49
Therefore, your UIF paternity payment for 10 days is R1084.90. The total amount you can get depends on your basic salary. However, a flat rate of 66% is applied across the board.
How Do I Claim Paternity Leave UIF?
Employers are not obliged to pay you while on paternity leave, but UIF does. Therefore, to claim UIF paternity leave payment, there are certain steps you should follow. You must have been contributing to UIF for at least 13 weeks before the date of applying for benefits from the fund.
You need to apply for paternity leave at least 30 days before the expected date of birth of the child or in case of an adoption order, the date the child below two years is placed in your care by the court.
If you are a UIF contributor, you need to visit your nearest Labour Center with the relevant application form you can obtain from www.labour.gov.za. You also need to have the birth certificate of the child with the full details of the parents and your banking details. To complete your UIF paternity claim, you must have the following documents.
- 13-digit bar-coded ID or passport
- Form UI-2.3 (Application form)
- Form UI-19 (Completed by your employer)
- Form UI-2.7 (Completed by the employer)
- Form UI2.9 (Application for parental benefits)
- Form UI-2.8 (Banking details)
- Birth certificate of the baby or medical certificate from the doctor
- Form UI-4 for follow-up
Make sure you complete all the documents and visit a Labour Center of your choice. The staff there will assist you with everything to complete the application for paternity leave. When your application is approved, you are only entitled to 10 consecutive days of paternal leave.
What Is the Rule for Paternity Leave?
The provision for paternity leave falls under the Labour Laws Amendment Act, which added three forms of leave to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), including the following:
- Parental leave for fathers
- Adoption leave
- Commissioning parental leave
The Labour Laws Amendment Act brought some changes to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Act to provide a fund that will pay for 10 consecutive days of parental leave. It also pays for 10 consecutive weeks of adoption and commissioning leave.
What Percentage of Your Salary Does UIF Pay For Maternity Leave
People registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund and have been contributing for the past four years qualify to get 121 days or four months of maternity leave. The fund pays between 38% and 58% of your gross salary up to the maximum ceiling of R17 712.
If your earnings exceed the maximum threshold, your UIF contributions will remain capped at R17 712. To calculate your maternity benefits using the maximum threshold, you need to work out your daily earnings as follows.
For example, if you earn R5000, you need to multiply it by 12, which represents each month of the year.
Therefore R5000 x 12 = R60 000. A year has 365 days, so you must divide the value of your annual earnings by the number of days: R60 000 / 365 = R164.38. It means R164.38 becomes your daily remuneration, and a rate of 58% will be applied. Thus, 58% of R164.34 =R95.31. For 121 days of your maternity leave, you will get (R95.31 x 121= R11,533.68).
The contributors with lower salaries usually get high percentages. Therefore, the money you earn determines your contributions to UIF and the benefits you will get for maternity.
Can I Claim Paternity Pay After the Baby is Born?
Yes, you can claim paternity pay after the birth of the baby. Make sure you file your claim within 12 months after the child is born or the date the child is placed in your care by a court awaiting finalisation of the adoption order. You can select the appropriate day to begin getting your paternity pay. Additionally, you can go on leave on any day of the week following the birth of the child once your application has been approved.
If the child is born early, you can still apply for paternity leave to be with your bundle of joy for a couple of days. However, you cannot start paternity leave before the child’s birth because the UIF wants the child’s birth certificate to process your application.
If the employer grants the 10-day parental leave without verifying the birth certificate of the child, they will carry the risk of non-compliance. If the father’s name is not on the birth certificate, the employer can treat it as unpaid leave, or they will pay for it. UIF does not pay for paternity leave if the father’s details are not on the birth certificate.
Most children are born without paternal details, and they can only be considered for adoption if you want paternal leave. The remuneration you get during your parental leave should not exceed the normal salary you get at your work.
Men who are registered with the UIF can apply for paternity leave when they are blessed with new babies. This leave grants them 10 consecutive days to bond with their kids. The paternity leave also extends to adoptive fathers, who can be granted 10 consecutive weeks of paternity leave. To qualify for UIF paternity leave, you must be a contributing member of the fund and have worked for at least 13 weeks before submitting your application.
