The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is ready to process claims for the new parental benefits to contributing and qualifying beneficiaries. Parental benefits are now applicable to individuals who enter parenthood through fatherhood, adoption or surrogacy. According to the UIF, payment for parental benefits is for a maximum of 10 days and calculated on a flat rate of 66% of the contributable remuneration.
New fathers would have to apply for leave through their employers. The qualifying UIF contributors can visit any Labour Centre in the country with the prescribed application form and the following supporting documents to submit for a parental benefit claim; Identity document of the applicant, birth certificate of the child with full details of parents and details of a valid bank account. The UIF said the extension of coverage for parental benefits is aligned to its mandate of providing social security to vulnerable workers, and delivering financial and social relief to the. right person, at the right time, every time.
Adoptive parents and surrogacy applications will be processed in April 20120. According to UIF Director of Communications, Makhosonke Buthelezi, the department only accommodated one adoptive parent but now we accommodate both parents. The UIF was not ready to accept application forms in the past because of regulations and the previous unemployment insurance act. President Cyril Ramaphosa, signed the Labour Laws Amendment Bill into Act, which affected amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act, effective from 1 November 2019. “The parental benefits had to be accommodated in terms of regulations and the parental benefit claim process will be similar to the unemployment claim process which takes up to 15 days,” says Buthelezi
UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping said the fund is ready and excited to receive claims for parental benefits and provide the necessary financial relief to UIF contributors while they spend time bonding and caring for their new children. “It is all systems go. We have finalized the new forms to process claims and payments. Our systems have been upgraded to enable us to process parental benefits,” he said.
