Employers are required to submit monthly UIF declarations to the Department of Employment and Labour (DOEL).
This FAQ provides guidance on the eDecs process, submission requirements, setting up contact details, and how to ensure declarations are processed correctly.
What is 'eDecs'?
eDecs, short for e-Declarations, refers to the monthly process of submitting UIF-compliant payroll data to the Department of Employment and Labour.
The UIF Submission Report, generated by your payroll system, is aligned with all current UIF data and formatting requirements. This report produces both:
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A submission file (in the required electronic format)
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A PDF summary report for your records
The submission deadline is the 7th of each month.
How do I submit my monthly UIF declaration to the fund?
You can generate your monthly declaration file and submit your eDecs using the UIF Submit report in your payroll system.
This report is designed to meet the Department of Employment and Labour's requirements and ensures that your UIF data is accurately captured and formatted.
For step-by-step instructions refer to this article:
The report generates a submission file in the correct format.
This file is emailed to the UIF to update their Siyaya database (the UIF’s eDecs database) with current employee declaration data.
What is the correct email address to submit eDecs?
The UIF accepts emails to either [email protected] or [email protected].
It is important that the email subject line only reads “Declarations” or “Declaration”.
Take note: Do not include any other text in the subject line — any variation will not be recognized by the UIF’s automated system, and your submission may be ignored.
Can an employer submit multiple files in a single eDecs email?
No, only one declaration file may be submitted per email.
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Each email must contain a single file only.
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The file must be correctly named using your UIF reference number and the unique file number generated by your payroll system.
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Submitting multiple files in one email may result in the entire submission being rejected by the UIF’s automated system.
Will the employer receive a response from UIF confirming receipt of my file?
The UIF declaration email inbox does not send an automatic receipt to confirm that your email has been received.
Once your declaration file has been successfully processed by the Siyaya system (the UIF’s eDecs database), a confirmation email will be sent to the email address specified in your eDecs declaration file.
This confirmation email will include:
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The status of your submission
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The number of employee records that were successfully processed
It is very important that this email is reviewed to:
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Ensure the number of processed employee records matches your submission
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Address any errors or rejections promptly by correcting and resubmitting only the affected records
Refer to this article for step-by-step instructions:
How quickly are eDecs submissions processed by UIF?
The UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) begins processing eDecs submissions from the 7th of each month, once declaration files start arriving in their inbox. Due to the high volume of submissions, processing can take up to three (3) weeks to complete.
You'll receive feedback from the Fund on the email address within the file (Defined on the UIF Contact Person screen or during the export of the UIF Submit report).
Take note: If you use the system generate email function to submit the file, a copy of the submission email will be sent to UIF contact person email address at the time of submission.
I didn't receive any emails to confirm my declaration was processed, how can I solve this?
The email address used by the UIF to send correspondence—including confirmation of processing or requests for corrections—is stored in two separate areas within the eDecs declaration file.
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Verify the UIF contact person email address on the Basic Company Information before submission
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Ensure the email belongs to the person responsible for reviewing UIF correspondence.
The response email from UIF will come from the email address [email protected]. Be sure this email is not blocked by your mail servers or if the mails go to the Junk or Spam folders.
Can Foreign Nationals be declared via eDecs?
The Siyaya system, which the eDecs process feeds into, requires a valid 13-digit South African ID number to process employee declarations.
The UIF Submission Report includes a validation check that flags employees who do not have a valid 13-digit SA ID number.
Foreign National employees must be registered and declared separately via uFiling, the UIF's online platform (as this system has been designed to accept a passport or asylum-seeker numbers).
Take note: All Foreign National employees must be in possession of valid working permits. UIF reserves the right to request documentation to support authentication/verification.
Why do employers have to complete Salary Schedules?
Ideally, employers should not be required to submit additional documentation—such as a salary schedule—to the UIF.
Employers are encourage to:
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Ensure that all historical declarations (minimum of four years) are complete and accurate
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Submit any outstanding declarations as soon as possible to avoid future administrative requests
Maintaining a complete and up-to-date declaration history eliminates the need for manual intervention and helps streamline employee claims and UIF benefit processing.
How can an employer check their declaration records on Siyaya database?
Presently there is no way to check this as an employer.
This is currently under consideration/development by UIF, however no further details are available at this stage. The fund encourage employers to review their monthly submission return email from UIF and to verify that the employee records numbers tally.