About UIFCalculator — Who We Are & How We Keep UIF Info Accurate

UIFCalculator exists for one reason: to make the Unemployment Insurance Fund easy to understand for ordinary South Africans.

If you have ever tried to work out how much UIF comes off your payslip, or what you might receive if you are retrenched or go on maternity leave, you will know how confusing the official wording can be. Most online calculators are either out of date or only tell half the story — they show the contribution but not the payout, or they use a rough flat percentage instead of the real formula. I built this site to fix that.

What we do

We combine a free, accurate calculator with plain-English guides so you can answer two simple questions: how much UIF do I pay, and how much could I receive. Our calculator handles three things most others don’t cover together — your monthly contribution, your unemployment payout (using the official 38–60% income replacement sliding scale), and your maternity benefit. Around the calculator, our guides walk through claiming online, the documents you need, the UI-19 form, eligibility after resigning, and UIF for employers.

Founder & editor

Haroon is the founder of UIFCalculator. He spends his time reading the actual UIF and Department of Employment and Labour rules, the Unemployment Insurance Act, and SARS guidance, then rewriting them into guides that normal people can follow. Every calculator result and guide on this site is checked against the official 2026 figures before it is published.

How we keep things accurate

UIF rules and figures matter, so we take accuracy seriously:

We use official sources. Our figures are based on publicly available information from the Department of Employment and Labour and SARS, including the contribution rate, the R17,712 earnings ceiling, and the benefit calculation method.
We show our working. Where competitors give a vague estimate, we explain the actual formula — for example, the income replacement rate that slides from 60% for the lowest earners down to 38% at the ceiling.
We correct common myths. A good example: the R17,712 ceiling has applied since 1 June 2021 and did not increase in 2026, even though some sites claim it did.
We review and date our content. Each guide shows when it was last reviewed so you know it’s current.

What we are not

UIFCalculator is an independent informational website. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Department of Employment and Labour, the UIF, uFiling, or SARS. Our calculators produce estimates for guidance only, and nothing on the site is financial or legal advice. For your specific claim or contribution, always confirm with the relevant authority. You can read our full disclaimer and terms of use.

Get in touch

Found an error, have a question, or want to suggest a guide? I genuinely want to hear it — reader feedback is how this site improves. Head to the contact page and send a message.