Use this UIF calculator to estimate your payout in three steps: choose your benefit type, enter your gross monthly salary, and enter how many months you worked in the last four years. The calculator applies the fund’s own formula, a daily income capped at R17 712 per month, a sliding replacement rate between 38% and 60%, and 1 credit day for every 4 days worked, up to a maximum of 365 days.
UIF Calculator
Estimate your daily benefit, credit days and total UIF payout on the official formula.
Quick facts: how UIF payouts work
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What UIF pays | 38% to 60% of your daily income, on a sliding scale |
| Salary cap | Benefits calculated on earnings up to R17 712 per month |
| Maximum daily income used | R582.31 (the ceiling converted to a daily figure) |
| Maximum daily benefit | R221.28, at the 38% rate on the capped income |
| How long it pays | 1 credit day per 4 days worked, up to 365 days |
| Flat-rate benefits | Maternity and adoption pay 66% for up to 121 days; parental pays 66% for 10 days |
| Tax on benefits | None, UIF benefits are not taxed |
How is UIF calculated? The formula behind the calculator
The fund works out every claim in the same three steps this calculator follows.
Step 1: your daily income. Your gross monthly salary is converted to a daily figure: salary x 12 / 365. If you earn more than the insurable earnings ceiling of R17 712 per month, the calculation uses R17 712, which produces the maximum daily income of R582.31.
Step 2: your replacement rate (IRR). UIF does not pay a single percentage of salary. It uses an Income Replacement Rate on a sliding scale: the less you earned, the higher the percentage, from 60% at the very bottom down to 38% at the ceiling. The published formula is IRR = 29.2 + 7 173.92 / (232.92 + daily income). Your daily benefit is your daily income multiplied by your IRR.
Step 3: your credit days. You accumulate 1 credit day for every 4 days you worked and contributed in the four years before claiming, capped at 365 days. Four full years of contributions gives you the full 365. Your total claim value is your daily benefit multiplied by your available credit days, paid while you remain unemployed and keep confirming your status.
Worked examples at real salary levels
Earning R12 000 per month with 4 years of contributions. Daily income is R394.52. The IRR works out to 40.6%, giving a daily benefit of R160.31. With the full 365 credit days, the total claim value is about R58 512, which lands at roughly R4 876 per month while the benefit runs.
Earning R25 000 per month, the maximum payout case. The salary is above the ceiling, so the calculation uses R17 712. Daily income is R582.31 at the minimum rate of 38%, giving the maximum daily benefit of R221.28. Over 365 days that is a total of about R80 766, roughly R6 731 per month. No one receives more than this, no matter how much they earned.
Earning R5 000 per month with 2 years of contributions. Daily income is R164.38 at an IRR of 47.3%, for a daily benefit of R77.68. Two years of work earns about 182 credit days, so the claim is worth about R14 138 in total, around R2 363 per month while it lasts.
Notice the pattern: lower earners get a higher percentage, but the rand ceiling means the maximum monthly benefit is fixed regardless of how high your salary was.
How many months does UIF pay?
UIF pays until your credit days run out or you find work, whichever comes first. Since a month is roughly 30 days of benefit, the full 365 credit days translate to about 12 months of payments. Two years of contributions gives you roughly 6 months, and one year gives you roughly 3 months. Payments are not automatic month to month: you must confirm roughly every 4 weeks that you are still unemployed, as covered in our guide on how to claim UIF.
Maternity works differently. Since the 2017 amendments it pays a flat 66% of your capped daily income for up to 121 days, without drawing down your unemployment credit days.
The six UIF benefit types and how each is calculated
The calculator covers every benefit the fund pays, and they fall into two calculation groups.
Sliding-scale, credit-day benefits (38% to 60%):
- Unemployment, when you lose your job through retrenchment, dismissal or contract expiry
- Illness, when you cannot work on medical grounds for more than 7 days, with a certificate
- Dependants (death), paid to a surviving spouse, life partner, child or nominee from a deceased contributor’s remaining credits, claimable within 18 months of the death
These three all use the same daily-income formula, the same sliding IRR, and the same credit days, which is why the calculator asks for your months worked when you choose them.
Flat-rate 66% benefits:
- Maternity, a flat 66% for up to 121 days, which does not touch your unemployment credits
- Adoption, a flat 66% for up to 121 days for the primary caregiver of a child under 2
- Parental (paternity), a flat 66% for a maximum of 10 days
For these three the payout depends only on your salary and the fixed day limit, so the calculator hides the months field and applies 66% automatically.
Why your real payout might differ from the estimate
The calculator uses the salary you type in. The fund uses the salary your employer declared on the UI-19 form, and those two numbers do not always match. An employer who under-declared your salary shrinks your benefit, which is why checking the UI-19 before you claim is the single best way to protect your payout. Your contribution record must also actually exist: an employer who never declared you produces a claim that cannot be assessed at all.
If your claim has been approved but the money is not arriving, the problem is usually administrative rather than a calculation issue. Work through our UIF payment delay guide to find the blocker, and if the claim was refused outright, our rejected UIF claim guide covers the UI-12 appeal.
FAQ
What percentage of my salary does UIF pay?
Between 38% and 60% of your daily income, on a sliding scale where lower earners receive the higher percentage. The exact rate comes from the formula IRR = 29.2 + 7 173.92 / (232.92 + daily income), calculated on earnings capped at R17 712 per month.
What is the maximum UIF payout in 2026?
The maximum daily benefit is R221.28, which is 38% of the capped daily income of R582.31. Over the full 365 credit days that comes to roughly R80 766 in total, or about R6 731 per month.
How do UIF credit days work?
You earn 1 credit day for every 4 days you worked and contributed, up to a maximum of 365 days built over four years. Each claim draws your credits down, and new employment builds them up again.
How many months of UIF will I get?
Roughly one month of benefit for every four months you worked, up to about 12 months if you contributed for the full four years. Maternity is separate: up to 121 days at a flat 66%.
Is UIF calculated on basic salary or gross salary?
On gross remuneration, meaning your actual salary including payment in kind as declared by your employer, capped at the R17 712 monthly ceiling.
Is a UIF payout taxable?
No. UIF benefits are not taxed, and they may not be set off against your debts, with maintenance orders being the main exception.
Methodology and sources: The calculator and examples apply the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s published benefit formula under the Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 as amended, the insurable earnings ceiling of R17 712 per month confirmed by SARS (sars.gov.za), and the Department of Employment and Labour’s benefit guidance, including the 2017 amendments to credit day accrual and maternity benefits. Figures were verified at the time of writing.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for general information only and is not financial or legal advice. The fund’s own assessment of your declared salary, contribution record and credit days is final. Confirm your position with the Department of Employment and Labour on 0800 030 007 before making decisions based on any estimate.
