The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) in South Africa provides financial support to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
Understanding the different statuses assigned to UIF claims is important to go through the claims process effectively.
What Does Completed by Autoclose UIF Mean?
“Completed by Autoclose UIF” is a status update you might see on your UIF claim on the Department of Labour (DOL) website.
It indicates that the Unemployment Insurance Fund has automatically closed your claim after a specific period of inactivity.
There are two main reasons why this might happen:
- Claim inactivity: If you don’t register for re-employment services or update your claim within a specific timeframe (usually 6 months), the UIF will automatically close your claim and mark it “Completed by Autoclose UIF.” This is to ensure that benefits are only paid to actively unemployed individuals seeking new employment.
- Reaching benefit exhaustion: The UIF provides benefits for a maximum duration, which depends on your contribution history. Once you’ve reached the end of your benefit period, your claim will be automatically closed and marked “Completed by Autoclose UIF.”
What to do when Completed by Autoclose UIF
If you see “Completed by Autoclose UIF” on your claim, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t receive any further benefits.
There are steps you can take to reopen your claim, depending on the reason for the closure:
- Re-register for re-employment services: You can re-register for re-employment services at your nearest DOL office or online through the UIF self-service portal (https://ufiling.labour.gov.za/). Re-registering demonstrates your active job search and helps reopen your claim.
- Contact the UIF: If you’ve experienced technical difficulties preventing you from re-registering online or have a valid reason for not registering within the timeframe, contact the UIF directly. You can call the UIF contact centre at 0800 030 007 or email them at [email protected] Explain your situation and request them to manually reopen your claim.