On 08 May 2024 the UIF implemented a number of enhancements to the process of uploading bulk employee declaration information to the uFiling online portal using the UIF’s predefined bulk upload spreadsheet. These enhancements may affect how you export your employees’ UIF declaration information from Intercode Payroll at the end of each month.

BACKGROUND

Employers are required to provide the UIF with details of all their employees every month, by not later
than the 7th of every month, as defined by the Unemployment Insurance Act 63, 2001. These details are added to the UIF Employee Database in order to maintain a record of each employee’s employment history, which will form the basis for the payment of benefits in terms of section 57 (2) of the Unemployment Insurance Act 63, 2001.

Employers can provide the monthly declaration details to the UIF in a variety of ways:

• By completing the UI-19 Employers Declaration form and then faxing the form to the UIF. UI-19 forms can contain the declaration details of both SA citizens and foreign nationals.
• By completing the relevant information on the UIF’s uFiling portal, either manually or via a bulk upload file. Bulk upload files can contain the declaration details of either SA citizens or foreign nationals.
• By generating an electronic declaration (or eDec) file in the format prescribed by the UIF and then emailing that file to the UIF. eDec files should contain the declaration details of SA citizens only.

The easiest way of submitting monthly declaration information to the UIF is to generate an electronic declaration (or eDec) file from your payroll system and then email that file to the UIF. This has long been the preferred method for submitting monthly declarations to the UIF. This method has its limitations however, since it can only be used to declare the information of South African citizens (i.e.: employees who are in possession of a South African ID document). The declaration information of foreign nationals cannot be declared using eDec files. The declaration information of foreign nationals can therefore only be submitted to the UIF by completing a UI-19 declaration form or by capturing the declaration information of those employees on uFiling (either manually or by using a bulk upload spreadsheet).

WHAT’S CHANGING ON UFILING?

In an effort to improve the user experience and the quality of data on uFiling, the UIF has recently implemented a number of enhancements to the uFiling system.

These enhancements include:

• The separation of bulk upload files in respect of SA citizens and foreign nationals.
• The removal of the 100-employee limit on bulk upload files (for both SA citizens and foreign nationals).
• The addition of a bulk upload history showing the file type, file name, upload date and time and processing status of each bulk upload file.
• The addition of an error reporting system showing the processing results of each bulk upload file, including details of any errors or warnings that were found in the declaration data.

The most important of these changes is the separation of bulk upload files in respect of SA citizens and foreign nationals. In future, when uploading bulk upload files on uFiling you will be required to indicate whether the file you are uploading contains information in respect of SA Citizens Only or Foreign Nationals Only – the file cannot contain both.

The following is a screenshot from the new uFiling bulk upload screen:

Once a selection has been made you will then be required to select the bulk upload file which contains the information in respect of either the SA citizens or the foreign nationals on your payroll, as is applicable. Going forward, payroll systems will therefore have to export the information in respect of the SA citizens and the foreign nationals on the payroll to two separate files.

WHAT’S CHANGING ON INTERCODE PAYROLL?

To accommodate these new requirements, Intercode Payroll (V6.1.1 or later) will now export the UIF declaration information in respect of SA citizens and foreign nationals to two separate files. The types of files that will be generated will depend on whether you prefer to submit your declaration information to the UIF via email or via uFiling.

When generating an electronic UI-19 declaration file from Intercode Payroll you will now have the option to select whether you want to submit the declaration information in respect of SA citizens to the UIF via email (using the eDec file format) or via uFiling (using the bulk upload Excel spreadsheet).

• If you choose to submit the declaration information in respect of SA citizens to the UIF via email using the eDec format, Intercode Payroll will generate an eDec file containing the declaration information of the SA citizens on your payroll, and a uFiling bulk upload file containing the declaration information of the foreign nationals on your payroll (if any). The eDec file can then be email to the UIF, and the uFiling bulk upload file can be submitted to the UIF via uFiling.
• If you choose to submit the declaration information of both SA citizens and foreign nationals to the UIF via uFiling however, Intercode Payroll will generate two uFiling bulk upload files – one containing the declaration information of only the SA citizens on your payroll and another containing the declaration information of only the foreign nationals on your payroll (if any). Both files can then be submitted to the UIF via uFiling (they must be uploaded one at a time).

Regardless of the declaration channel selected for SA citizens, Intercode Payroll will automatically generate a separate bulk upload file containing the declaration information of only the foreign nationals on your payroll (if any). This file will always be in the uFiling bulk upload file format (i.e.: an Excel spreadsheet) which can only be submitted to the UIF via uFiling.

WHO NEEDS TO REGISTER FOR UFILING?

Employers who have foreign nationals on their payrolls but who are not currently registered for uFiling will have to register for uFiling in order to submit the declaration information of their foreign nationals to the UIF at the end of each month (unless they choose to make use of manual UI-19 forms to declare their foreign nationals instead). Foreign nationals cannot be included in eDec files that are email to the UIF – they can only be declared on uFiling (either manually or by uploading a bulk upload spreadsheet), or by using manual UI-19 forms.

Employers who do not have any foreign nationals on their payrolls but who still want to submit the declaration information of the SA citizens on their payrolls to the UIF via uFiling will have to register for uFiling (if they are not already registered) in order to make use of the bulk upload functionality in respect of SA citizens.

Employers who do not have any foreign nationals on their payrolls and who do not want to submit the declaration information of the SA citizens on their payrolls to the UIF via uFiling but choose to email this information to the UIF using eDec files instead, do not have to register for uFiling.

Please feel free contact the Intercode support desk if you need more information.

Sincerely,
The Intercode Team