Difference Between The UIF and SASSA

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The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) both provide relief to people living in South Africa. However, their mandates are different.


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The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) both provide relief to people living in South Africa. However, their mandates are different.
UIF
The UIF provides short-term financial relief to people who are unable to work for a period of time. To qualify for funding from the UIF, you must have contributed to the fund whilst you were working.
Every month, both you and your employer contribute 1% of your monthly remuneration to the fund. The UIF also works on a credit system where for every four days you work, you will receive a credit for one day. The credit is used when you claim UIF benefits, and once you exhaust the credits you have accumulated, you will no longer receive relief. 
The UIF distributes relief for a number of different personal circumstances that would force you to stop working. They provide benefits for maternity leave, adoption leave and parental leave as well as illness. The UIF also pays death benefits to the family of a deceased contributor.
In 2020, the UIF established the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) to assist workers who were unable to work or lost their jobs due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns.
SASSA
SASSA is tasked with distributing financial relief to South Africans, refugees and permanent residents on behalf of the government.
The relief provided by SASSA can cover a range of different population groups. SASSA distributes the disability grant, child support grant, foster care grant, older persons grant and the war veterans grants.
In 2020, the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant was introduced to assist unemployed South Africans in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The SRD grant is colloquially known as the R350 grant.
Unlike the UIF, you did not have to contribute to the organisation in order to benefit from their relief. You just need to meet the eligibility requirements for the specific grant that you need.

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