If you are searching for COVID-19 TERS in 2026, you deserve a straight answer rather than a page pretending the scheme is still running. Here it is.
TERS — the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme — was a special UIF benefit created during the COVID-19 pandemic. When lockdowns forced businesses to close or cut wages, TERS paid affected workers through their employers, using UIF funds, so people could survive periods when they could not work or were paid less.
Be cautious of any website or message promising “TERS payments 2026” or “reopened TERS applications” — unless it comes from the official Department of Employment and Labour, treat it as misinformation or a scam.
That is a separate issue. If you believe you were entitled to a TERS payment during the lockdown period that was never paid, historical TERS disputes and outstanding payments have been handled through the UIF/Department processes and audits. Your route is to contact the Department directly with your reference and employer details — not to lodge a new claim.
Ordinary UIF is fully available and is what you should focus on:
TERS did its job during an emergency and has closed. The permanent safety net — ordinary UIF — is what protects you now. If your hours were cut rather than ended, the reduced work-time benefit is the modern stand-in. Estimate any UIF benefit on our calculator, and verify anything TERS-related only through the Department of Employment and Labour.
No. COVID-19 TERS was a temporary emergency scheme tied to the national state of disaster. It has ended, and you cannot lodge a new COVID-19 TERS claim in 2026.
Outstanding historical TERS payments are handled through the Department and UIF audit processes. Contact the Department directly with your reference and employer details rather than lodging a new claim.
There is no permanent replacement, but the ordinary UIF reduced work-time benefit covers cut hours and income, and normal unemployment benefits cover job loss.
Be very cautious. Unless an announcement comes from the official Department of Employment and Labour, claims of reopened or new TERS payments in 2026 should be treated as misinformation or scams.
General information, not financial or legal advice. Phone numbers and processes can change — always confirm with the Department of Employment and Labour.