UIF Claim Rejected: Section 13(6) “No Credit Days Accrued” Explained

Many South Africans are receiving UIF rejection messages that say: “Rejected due to Section 13(6) – No credit days accrued.” It’s confusing, especially when all recent UIF deductions appear correctly on the uFiling system.

Here’s what this message means — and how to get it fixed.

What Causes the Section 13(6) UIF Rejection This error usually appears when the UIF system hasn’t yet linked new contributions to your benefit record after a previous claim. The credits do exist, but the system hasn’t recalculated them yet.

This happens often when someone finishes one claim, works again for a few months, and then applies for benefits once more. Example Scenario An employee works from 2019 to 2024 and claims UIF from April 2024 to January 2025, using most of their available credits.

They then take on a new six-month contract from February to July 2025, with UIF correctly deducted each month. When applying again after July, the claim is rejected under Section 13(6), even though all employer declarations for those months appear on uFiling.

Why It Happens The previous claim may not have been properly closed off. The new contributions haven’t been processed into your credit total. UIF’s systems (uFiling and the main benefit system) can take weeks or even months to synchronise data.

How to Fix It

1. Check Your Employer Declarations Log in to uFiling and confirm that all months of employment (e.g., February–July 2025) are captured under your employer’s UIF reference number. If they’re visible, your credits are real — they just need to be recalculated.

2. Visit the Labour Centre Bring printed proof of those declarations and request a manual “credit rebuild” or credit recalculation in the UIMaster system. This refresh forces UIF to recognise your latest contributions.

3. Hold Off on an Appeal An appeal won’t fix a technical rejection. Start with the recalculation first. If it still shows zero credits after that, then consider a formal appeal.

4. Take Supporting Documents ID and bank confirmation letter Proof of contract termination (or UI-19 form) Payslips showing UIF deductions Printout or screenshot of uFiling declarations.

How UIF Credits Are Calculated UIF benefits are earned at a rate of one day of credit for every four days worked, up to a maximum of 365 credit days (12 months) within a four-year cycle.

So, a six-month contract (about 130 working days) would normally earn around 32–33 credit days — roughly five weeks of benefits.

Key Takeaway A UIF rejection under Section 13(6) doesn’t necessarily mean you have no benefits left. It usually means the system hasn’t yet updated your contribution record. By requesting a manual credit rebuild at your local Labour Centre and presenting proof of UIF deductions, the issue can usually be resolved and your claim processed correctly.