How soon after termination must the UI19 be submitted?

Within seven days of the date the employee stops working, per the UI Contributions Act. Late submissions delay the employee's UIF claim.

Is the UI19 the same as the UI2.7?

No. The UI19 is the declaration of employment; the UI2.7 is the salary schedule for the last six months. Both are usually submitted together for benefit claims.

Do I need a UI19 for domestic workers?

Yes. Since 2003 domestic workers are covered by UIF, so an employer must submit a UI19 whenever employment ends or qualifying leave begins.

Does Payroll Africa handle this automatically?

Yes. Every calculation covered here runs automatically inside Payroll Africa — from the monthly payslip through EMP201, EMP501 and IRP5 exports for SARS e@syFile.

Is this SARS 2026/27 compliant?

Yes. Payroll Africa uses the current SARS tax tables, UIF ceilings and BCEA thresholds. Rates update automatically each tax year without changing historical payslips.

How much does Payroll Africa cost?

From R90 per month for 2 employees, R401 for 10, R1,712 for 50 and R4,182 for 200. No setup fees, cancel anytime, free migration from Sage, SimplePay or PaySpace.

UI19

UI19 form South Africa — how to complete and submit it

The UI19 is the Department of Employment and Labour form employers must submit whenever an employee's service ends, hours change, or they go on maternity, illness or adoption leave. Correct UI19 submissions are what unlock UIF benefits for the former employee at the nearest Labour Centre or on uFiling.

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SARS-aligned 2026/27 No credit card Free migration

Payroll Africa Editorial · SARS Payroll Compliance Team

The Payroll Africa editorial team is composed of registered tax practitioners, payroll administrators and BCEA specialists who maintain the SARS PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI engines that power the platform. Every article is reviewed against the current SARS BRS and Basic Conditions of Employment Act before publication.

SARS registered tax practitioners
SAPA-affiliated payroll administrators
BCEA and LRA compliance reviewers

Last updated 30 Sept 2026

What is a UI19 form?

The UI19 (formally 'Declaration of Information of Commercial Employees') is prescribed under the Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act. It tells the UIF who the employee was, how much they earned, and why they stopped working — so the fund can assess a claim for unemployment, illness, maternity, adoption or dependant's benefits.

Every employer registered for UIF must submit a UI19 for each employee whose employment is terminated, whose remuneration changes materially, or who starts a qualifying leave period.

When must you submit a UI19?

A UI19 is required whenever an employee's status with your company changes in a way that could trigger a UIF benefit claim.

Termination — resignation, dismissal, retrenchment, end of contract, retirement or death
Maternity, adoption, commissioning parental or parental leave
Illness leave longer than 14 days
Reduced working time under Section 12(1B) of the UI Act
Change of employer details (transfer under Section 197)

How to complete the UI19 — field by field

The UI19 has three parts: employer details, employee details, and monthly remuneration for the last six months of employment.

Employer UIF reference number (starts with U…) and PAYE reference where applicable
Trade name, physical address and contact number of the employer
Employee ID number or passport, full names and initials
Date employment started and date it ended
Reason-for-termination code (01 resigned, 02 contract expired, 03 dismissed, 04 retrenched, 05 deceased, 06 retired, 07 constructive dismissal, 08 illness/injury, 09 absconded, 10 maternity, 11 adoption, 12 transfer, 13 illness leave, 14 reduced time)
Gross monthly remuneration for the last six calendar months of service
Employer signature, capacity and date

How to submit the UI19 to the Department of Labour

Employers have three submission channels — pick whichever the employee can act on fastest:

uFiling (ufiling.co.za) — declare online; the UI19 is generated for you from monthly UI-8 declarations
Email the signed UI19 to the local Labour Centre together with the employee's ID copy and UI2.7 salary schedule
Hand-deliver at any Department of Employment and Labour office — the employee needs the stamped copy to claim

Common UI19 mistakes

Most rejected UIF claims trace back to a handful of avoidable UI19 errors — check for these before you submit.

Using the wrong reason-for-termination code — this is the #1 reason UIF claims are rejected
Leaving the last six months of remuneration blank or entering net instead of gross
Forgetting to sign and stamp the form
Not submitting for employees on unpaid maternity leave — they cannot claim without it
Missing the seven-day deadline after termination (regulation 5 of the UI Contributions Act)

How Payroll Africa generates the UI19 automatically

When you terminate an employee inside Payroll Africa, the system pre-fills the UI19 with the employer UIF reference, the employee's ID, dates of service, termination code and the last six months of UIF remuneration straight from the payroll runs. Download, sign, submit — no re-typing.

Frequently asked questions

Stop looking this up. Let payroll do it.

Payroll Africa applies UI19 rules automatically every month — SARS PAYE, UIF and SDL, payslips, EMP201 and IRP5. From R90/month.

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