Money, tax and work benefits
Plain guides to UIF, SARS tax, retirement savings, registering a company and everyday money: your credit record, bank fees and data costs. We explain how fees and deadlines work and link to the official page for the amounts and dates. We are an independent guide, not a government department or a bank.
Start here
- Lost your job, or going on maternity leave? Claim UIF on UIF Online. The law gives you 12 months to claim after your job ends, but apply as soon as you can. Estimate what you could get with our UIF calculator.
- Need a tax number? Get or find your SARS tax number for free on eFiling, WhatsApp or by SMS.
- Tax season? See who must file a tax return and how. SARS announces the filing season dates every year, and provisional taxpayers have a later deadline.
- Need money from your retirement fund? A two-pot savings withdrawal lets you take part of your savings once every tax year, taxed by SARS. Apply to your fund, and register for tax first. Lost track of an old fund? Search for unclaimed pension money.
- Starting a business? Register a private company with CIPC online from R125.
- Checking your money? Get your free credit report with your ID number, compare low-cost bank accounts, and pay less for mobile data.
- Thinking of a small loan? Check its interest and fees against the limits in the National Credit Act with our loan cost check.
Official places to go
Official channels only. We don't run any of them.
- Online · UIFUIF Online: uifonline.labour.gov.zaApply for UIF benefits and follow your claim. The old uFiling site no longer takes claims from workers.
- Call · UIFUIF call centre: 0800 030 007Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 16:00.
- Online · SARSSARS eFiling: www.sarsefiling.co.zaRegister for tax, file your return and update your details. The SARS MobiApp does the same on a phone.
- WhatsApp · SARSSARS WhatsApp: 0800 11 7277Save the number and send "Hi". Register, get your tax number, check your auto-assessment or refund, and get your notice of assessment.
- Online · CIPCBizPortal: www.bizportal.gov.zaReserve a name and register a company in one step. Log in with your ID number and your CIPC password.
- Call · NCRNCR call centre: 0860 627 627
Free or official, and how to tell
| What | Official cost |
|---|---|
| Claiming UIF | Free |
| Registering for a SARS tax number and filing a return | Free |
| A credit report from each credit bureau, once a year | Free |
| Registering a private company with a standard MOI and a name | R175 in total |
Anyone who charges you to “fast-track” these, or asks for a fee upfront, is not the official service.
Stay safe
Pay only official fees, to the official office or website. Don’t share passwords or one-time PINs, and type official website addresses yourself instead of following links in SMSes or emails. Read our guide to avoiding scams.
UIF benefits
- How to claim UIF benefits online
Claim UIF on UIF Online: who qualifies, the forms your employer must give you, the deadlines for each benefit, and how much UIF pays.
Retirement savings
- How to make a two-pot savings withdrawal
How a two-pot savings withdrawal works: who can withdraw, the minimum and once-a-year rule, how to apply through your fund, and the tax SARS takes.
- How to find and claim unclaimed pension money
Find out if a retirement fund owes you or a late family member money: what unclaimed benefits are, the FSCA search, the GEPF lists, and how to claim.
SARS tax
- How to get or find your SARS tax number
Register for a SARS income tax number for free on eFiling, WhatsApp, USSD or through your employer, or find the tax number you already have by SMS.
- How to file your SARS tax return
File your SARS income tax return: how the filing season works, who must file, auto-assessment, the documents to keep, and how to file on eFiling or the MobiApp.
Start a business
- How to register a private company with CIPC
Register a private company (Pty) Ltd with CIPC on BizPortal or CIPC e-Services: who can register, the name, the fees, and what you must file every year.
Banking, credit and data
- How to find a low-cost bank account
Find the cheapest bank account for how you bank: the fees to check in each bank's pricing guide, and how to add up what an account costs you each month.
- How to pay less for mobile data
How to compare data bundle prices, and what ICASA's rules say about usage alerts, expiry, roll-over and out-of-bundle charges on your network.
- How to do a free credit check with your ID number
Check your credit record with your ID number for free once a year at each credit bureau, see what is listed against you, and fix wrong information for free.