To understand this, we first need to define what UIF TERS is. UIF refers to the unemployment Insurance Fund whereas TERS refers to the temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme introduced during the Covid 19 period to help support people and businesses affected by lockdowns. Therefore, it is a relief or supports only given to people whose employers declared to the Unemployment Insurance Find. Also, note that the UIF TERS is not dependent on the UIF credit system standards. This means that your current credits will not be affected even when you receive this kind of relief. Knowing how to check your TERS status is thus important.
Follow-up After Application
Once you have applied for this relief, you must go back to the system and check if it has been approved. Note that the status update is faster when employees’ details are captured manually instead of a CSV.
Checking Your Status
- First visit the UIF TERS Payment Status Page
- Enter the unique captcha code provided to you
- Select the lockdown period for which you are meant to receive benefits for
- Enter your official ID number
- Click GET STATUS
The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid out more than R63 billion in TERS benefits to employers and employees, and the UIF hopes to finalize all TERS-related claims by the end of the year.
The same UIF benefits were also extended to include workers who have lost income due to the social unrest in some parts of KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng. However, this falls under the WABU (Workers Affected by Unrest) benefits system.
However, before you can check your status as described above, you have to start from the basics. Know how to log into the website first. You first have to log onto your profile and enter your username and password. This will give you access, and then you can proceed to check your payment status as described above. Clicking on Status on the menu bar will show the amount paid and the date that it was processed.
It is important to know what processed means in this case. It refers to the cat of the system picking up the application. The results of this processing can either go in two ways. The first one is when the rand value indicates zero. This means that the system picked the application, but it was denied. You will need to pull up the payment reports to understand the causes of the rejection.
Getting the Breakdown Report – Whether Paid or Rejected
The payment button will be green. You have to click on the Successful Payment button to download a letter that you need to sign automatically. Once signed, you should send it to covid19UIFemployerpaymentreturns@labour.gov.za with additional proof that the funds have been distributed to employees. Pay attention to the details that come up once you click the button. You will see a list of all employees paid and how much they have been paid. Then, you should click on the excel button to download the said list.
For the declined payments, you need to click the red button. The declined button and just like the accepted list; you will also get a list of employees whose payments were declined. The good thing is that there will be explanations attached to the rejection and you nat have to guess or wonder what could have happened. Some of the most common reasons for rejections icnldue|:
- “Employee failed to be declared by the Employer” – The employer must declare the employee. To rectify this, you urgently need to visit the UFI website, https://www.ufiling.co.za/uif/ and declare the said employees (This will only work if you have also been submitting/paying your UIF contributions)
- “Application Not Processed yet” – Your application will not be processed instantly. Reasonably, you have to wait a few days before seeing any progress made. Most of the time, you will be asked to wait for 3 to 5 days before you can expect any positive feedback after the application. In such a case, you need to exercise patience and wait for the outcome before you can make any move.
- You may be dealing with the issue of failed Branch code validation” For this, one is advised to go to their profile and quickly update their branch code. The best move is to use universal branch code as this minimizes the possibilities of any issues resulting from the wrong branch code.
What Happens When Employees Miss on Both the Paid and Declined Lists
It happens that employees’ names may be exempted from both lists. One thing could have happened in such instances: failure to have captured the right details. All you have to do is enter the details, this time with direct capture instead of using the CSV. Direct entry will have fewer mistakes and will likely be processed faster.
Challenges with Payment
Sometimes you may face several unique challenges that have to do with this payment. For example, it is possible to receive payment and not know how much to pay each employee. In such cases, refer to the downloaded list since it stipulates the exact amounts warded to each employee.
It is also possible that you received fewer amounts than you expected. This could be because you entered incorrect details. Therefore, you need to reset the CSV and ensure the remuneration is set at zero. It could also be because you have not received the complete payment for the lockdown period. After all, you applied for payment in the first three weeks of the lockdown, which means you miss out on the entire 35 days of payment. The good news is that you do not have to do anything about this. The system will automatically payout the remaining two weeks’ payment to update the entire period’s pay.
Final Thoughts
It is a good idea that employers and employees were paid remuneration for the lost days during the lockdown. Just make sure that you are up to date with the requirements and apply for the relief, as it will go a long way in boosting your employees’ lifestyle.
READ ALSO:
- How to Claim UIF Online – Step by Step Guide
- uFiling Login Portal Online
- Understanding Insurance for Small Businesses in South Africa
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