The short answer
No. While you can qualify for the SASSA pension if your income falls below the cut-off point, you cannot qualify for UIF if you are getting a SASSA pension.
The whole question
Dear Athalie
My 70-year-old mother has been getting a SASSA pension since she turned 60, but she was still working as a cleaner. Does she qualify for UIF for the 13 years she worked before taking the pension?
She was earning a salary of R4,400 when she was made to retire. She started with low wages and UIF was deducted every month. Her employer only added R100 or so every year, that's why she was still earning so little even after 23 years.
The long answer
As the income she earned from her last ten years’ work fell below the SASSA cut off point, she qualified to receive a SASSA pension as well as her wages. But as her employer said, a person does not qualify for UIF if they are already getting a SASSA pension.
And to answer your question of whether she would qualify for UIF for the 13 years that she worked there and contributed to UIF before taking the SASSA pension: No, she would not be able to get UIF payments for the 13 years before she went on pension. UIF benefits are paid for the last 48 months of employment, i.e. for the last four years.
UIF pays 38% to 58% of salary, capped at R14 872. A person who qualifies can claim for up to 238 consecutive days. This is equivalent to 1 day of benefits for every 6 days a person worked and contributed to UIF over the past four years.
But as she was already receiving the SASSA pension in her last four years of employment, she would not have qualified for UIF.
Wishing you the best,
Athalie
Answered on Dec. 4, 2024, 10:06 a.m.
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