uFiling Basics for Employers: The System Half of You Forgot
Ask a room of employers what uFiling is and half will guess it is part of SARS eFiling. It is not — and that misconception is the single biggest cause of broken UIF compliance in the country. This is the primer: what uFiling does, how it relates to SARS, and the four things you actually do on it.
- ✔uFiling holds the employee records; SARS carries the payment. You need both.
- ✔Add every employee with ID, start date and remuneration.
- ✔Declare monthly by the 7th — including nil months.
- ✔The UI-19 on uFiling is what unlocks a leaver’s claim.
- ✔Twenty minutes a month on uFiling keeps employees claimable and records clean.
What uFiling is — and how it differs from SARS
uFiling is the UIF’s own portal, run under the Department of Employment & Labour. The cleanest way to think about the two systems: SARS collects the money; uFiling keeps the people. Your EMP201 payment travels through SARS, but the Fund’s record of who works for you, what they earn, and whether they can claim — that is uFiling. A payment with no uFiling record behind it is money into a void.
| uFiling | SARS (eFiling) | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Employee records and declarations | Payments and tax returns |
| Employees added/terminated | Yes | No |
| Monthly declaration | Yes | EMP201 carries the money |
| UI-19 for leavers | Yes | No |
| UIF reference | Linked to SARS-issued number | Issued via EMP101e |
The four things employers do on uFiling
The uFiling problems employers hit — and the fixes
- Login lost years ago: password recovery works with the registered email; no access means the profile must be recovered with the Fund’s help — do it before you need it.
- SARS number does not link: mismatched entity details between the systems; align the registered particulars on both.
- Declarations rejected: usually employee data errors — fix the record, not the declaration.
- Nothing matches the EMP201: reconcile monthly; annual reconciliation is archaeology (the catch-up fix).
Twenty minutes a month on uFiling is the entire maintenance cost of claimable employees and clean compliance certificates. The full UIF picture is in the UIF pillar guide.
Always confirm current requirements with the official source — rules and deadlines change.
- ✔UIF registration for companies — R750
- ✔Both SARS and Labour Department sides covered
- ✔Monthly UI-19 returns service available
Frequently asked questions
Is uFiling part of SARS eFiling?
No — uFiling is the Department of Employment & Labour's UIF portal. SARS handles UIF payments through the EMP201; uFiling holds employee records, declarations and UI-19 forms. Employers must maintain both.
How often must I use uFiling?
Monthly — declarations of actual remuneration are due by the 7th of each following month, including nil declarations for months with no payroll. Employee additions and terminations are captured as they happen.
I registered with SARS years ago but never used uFiling — what now?
Register on uFiling with your SARS-issued UIF reference, capture your employees, and bring declarations current. The catch-up process is in our never-registered fix guide.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · How we research our guides
EmployerGuide.online provides general information about South African employer obligations — not legal, tax or professional advice for your specific situation. Laws, rates and deadlines change; confirm current requirements with the official sources linked above, or ask Admin Boss. See our disclaimer.