“Signing” is the everyday word for the confirmation you give the UIF before each instalment of your benefit: a statement that your circumstances have not changed, meaning no new job (or hours that are still cut) and no earnings since the previous confirmation. For years people signed on uFiling. That option no longer exists for workers. The uFiling home page now redirects employees to UIF Online for every benefit application, and the old employee claims portal shut on 20 May 2026.
Why the UIF asks you to sign every cycle
The UIF releases benefits in instalments, each one triggered by an approved continuation request about four weeks after the last. Each signing carries the same weight as the paper UI-6A declaration: you confirm you have not worked or been paid in the period, and a false declaration is an offence. If you have started a job, even part-time, the honest answer ends or reduces your claim. Maternity, illness and adoption claims follow a similar monthly rhythm with their own continuation forms (UI-4, UI-3 and UI-5).
Confirming continued unemployment on UIF Online
The department has not published an official click-by-click guide for continuation on UIF Online, and the portal is still being developed, so the steps below describe what you do rather than exact button names:
- Enter the address uifonline.labour.gov.za by hand; do not trust links sent by SMS or social media.
- Log in with the account you used to claim. If the password or profile gives trouble, our UIF login help page covers resets.
- Open your existing, approved claim and choose the option to confirm continued unemployment or request the next payment.
- Answer the questions about work and income truthfully, and check that the bank account shown is still yours and still open.
- Submit, then save a screenshot or note of the confirmation and the date.
A changed bank account needs a new UI-2.8 authorisation; ticking a box does not move your payments. After submitting, the portal’s real-time tracking shows whether the request has moved forward. The department’s contact centre reads a “Sent to Paymaster” status on a continuation as approval for payment. Our guide to UIF payment dates covers when the money usually lands after that.
The cellphone shortcut
In 2023 the department launched a free USSD service, *134*843#, with continuation of payment as option 4, and restored it with the other online services in October 2024. No statement since the move to UIF Online confirms that it still works, so try it if you have no data, but fall back on the portal or a labour centre if it fails.
Missed a signing?
The UIF does not publish a rule on what happens to a skipped cycle, so be wary of anyone who quotes one. What is clear is that payments follow approved continuation requests: no confirmation, no instalment for that period. Submit as soon as you notice the gap. If the portal will not accept it, take a signed paper UI-6A to a labour centre, as explained on our page about the continuation of payment form, or ask the UIF call centre, 0800 030 007, how to get back on track.