Yes, in South Africa, your Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) benefits do expire after a set period.
Under the UIF Act, any UIF money that remains unclaimed will expire 12 months after you become eligible to receive it. This means if you don’t apply for your UIF benefits within one year of qualifying, you forfeit your right to those funds.
For instance, if you lost your job in January 2024 and became eligible for UIF payments, but you didn’t submit your claim by January 2025, your entitlement would lapse, and you won’t be able to claim that UIF money anymore.
It’s also important to remember that UIF benefits can only be claimed for up to 238 days, which is roughly eight months. Even if you haven’t used your full entitlement, you cannot claim the unused portion later. For example, if you claimed UIF benefits for four months and then secured a new job, the remaining four months of benefits become inaccessible.