MARCH 2026 – SOUTH AFRICA
UIF UI-19 DECLARATION CLARIFICATION
It is important that employers note the following:
UI-19 Declaration – Clarification on non-contribution reason codes
Recent engagements between the Payroll Authors’ Group of South Africa (PAGSA) and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) have highlighted ongoing challenges experienced by employers and payroll providers when completing the UI-19 Declaration. These challenges stem from the existence of two different versions of the UI-19 form currently circulating.
Background
For several years, employers have had access to two UI-19 declaration forms on the Department of Labour’s website. The most visible difference between these forms lies in the “reason for non-contribution” codes:
- The older UI-19 form uses the same set of codes found in
- The eDec specification; and
- The uFiling bulk upload templates.
- A newer UI-19 form was formally gazetted in Government Gazette 42821 (November 2019), which
- Reduced the number of codes; and
- Redefined certain codes.
This resulted in misalignment across submission channels, as the eDec and uFiling specifications were never updated to match the gazetted UI-19 format.
Key differences
According to the gazetted UI-19, the valid codes are:
- 01 – Temporary employees (less than 24 hours per month)
- 02 – Employees earning commission only
- 03 – No income paid for the period
In contrast, the older specification (still used by eDec and uFiling) lists six codes, including different code numbers for commission-only employees and no-income months.
Outcome of discussions
In the recent PAGSA-UIF meeting, the UIF confirmed that:
- The UI-19 form published in Gazette 42821 is the official version. Since this is the last form legally gazetted, the UIF prefers employers to use this format when submitting printed UI-19 forms.
- Printed UI-19s may use either the old or new codes if the codes and descriptions appear on the form.
This flexibility is intended to help payroll systems that generate UI-19s programmatically. Labour office staff will rely on the descriptions to map the correct codes into their internal systems. - Electronic submissions (eDec and uFiling bulk uploads) must continue using the OLD codes until those specifications are formally updated.
To view Gazette No. 42821 dated 4 November 2019, follow the link.
(This communication is based on information shared by the PAGSA and is used with their permission.)
