Government benefits & financial support after a death (South Africa): UIF, COIDA Compensation Fund, RAF, public-sector benefits, retirement funds, employer cover, banks & insurance

For the full action checklist, use what to do after a death (South Africa).

This guide is most useful if the deceased had a job (employee), UIF contributions, a retirement fund, death-in-service/group life through work, bank accounts/loans, or insurance policies — or if the death was work-related (COIDA) or caused by a road accident (RAF).

If your case is simple, prioritise just three lanes first: employer death-in-service / group life + UIF dependant benefits + bank stop-loss (debit orders/loans).

Who this is NOT for: If the deceased had no employment history, no UIF/retirement fund, and no bank accounts, focus first on urgent household/community support while you confirm whether any overlooked lanes exist (employer welfare, unions, faith/community, stokvels, policy add-ons).

1. Build your “identity + death proof” pack: death certificate / proof of death + your ID + proof of relationship / authority (requirements vary by lane).
2. If the person was employed, open employer lanes first: death-in-service/group life + workplace payouts + ask for a written checklist and reference.
3. Confirm UIF lane (if UIF contributor): request UIF dependant-benefit checklist and route.
4. If the death may be work-related, open the Compensation Fund (COIDA) lane early (evidence + timelines matter).
5. If the death was caused by a road accident, open the RAF lane early (documents + invoices/receipts + dates matter).
6. Stop bank leakages, then map accounts/loans and open bank deceased processes.
7. Run a quick insurance and retirement-fund search and open claim files.
8. If you suspect an unknown retirement fund/administrator, use the FSCA unclaimed benefits search.

• Was the deceased employed at the time of death?
• Do you see UIF deductions on payslips (or HR confirms UIF contributor)?
• Was there a retirement fund (pension/provident/RA via employer or private)?
• Is there death-in-service / group life cover through the employer?
• Did the death happen at work or may it be occupational/work-related?
• Was the death caused by a road accident (potential RAF lane)?
• Are there debit orders / subscriptions that will keep charging?
• Are there loans (home loan, vehicle finance, credit) that might become overdue?
• Do you have access to the main phone/email used for bank/insurance OTPs and alerts?
• Could there be an unknown/unclaimed benefit from an older job or fund?

If the deceased contributed to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), qualifying dependants may be able to claim dependant benefits. Start by confirming UIF contribution (payslips, HR confirmation), then request the official UIF dependant-benefit route and checklist.

Quick clarity: Most formally employed workers contribute to UIF unless specifically exempt (some categories and arrangements can be excluded). If you’re unsure, confirm via payslips or HR rather than guessing.

If an employee dies in the course of employment (or from an occupational disease), qualifying dependants may claim via the Compensation Fund under COIDA. The Compensation Fund is also commonly referred to by its governing act, COIDA (Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act).

In practice, the employer is usually central to reporting and claim submission — don’t assume “someone else will do it”.

If a breadwinner dies due to negligent driving, dependants may have a Road Accident Fund (RAF) “loss of support” lane, and there may also be a funeral-expenses lane. These are evidence-heavy: dates, reports, invoices, and proof of dependency matter.

Public-sector benefits depend on the exact employer and fund membership. A common example is the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). If applicable, ask the employer/pension administrator for the claim checklist and open the file with a reference number.

Small but helpful: Public-sector benefit routes can differ across departments and entities. If you’re unsure, ask the employer/pension office to confirm the exact fund/administrator for this case (in writing).

If the deceased belonged to a pension fund, provident fund, preservation fund, or retirement annuity, there may be a death benefit administered by the fund/administrator. Practically, this is a separate lane: you open a claim with the fund, submit their checklist, and track a reference like every other claim.

If you don’t know which fund/admin applies (especially for older jobs), start with the FSCA unclaimed benefits search to identify likely matches and contact details.

Many employers provide death-in-service or group life cover (often through an insurer or a retirement-fund risk benefit). This can be one of the fastest large payments when processed cleanly — but delays are common when families don’t ask early, or HR doesn’t open the claim promptly.

Many families discover a benefit months later: an old employer fund, a preserved benefit, or an administrator change. If you don’t know where to start, search for unclaimed benefits to get the relevant contact details, then follow the fund’s claims process.

Employers can be a major source of money and documents: last salary, unused leave, bonuses, reimbursements, and letters that unlock other processes (UIF, funds, insurers, banks).

The standard bank question (copy/paste)

“Please confirm all products held by the deceased with your bank (accounts, deposits, cards, loans, debit orders). What is your deceased-account process, what documents are required, and can you provide a reference/acknowledgement and expected timeline?”

Your job is to confirm 4 things quickly: whether there is a policy, who the beneficiary is, the document checklist, and the claim reference and timeline.

South Africa’s support landscape can be fragmented across government/community/employer lanes. If the household is in immediate distress, don’t wait for longer processes to finish. Ask for help while you run UIF/COIDA/RAF/employer/retirement-fund/insurance lanes in parallel.

• Week 1–2: open employer lanes (death-in-service + payouts), confirm UIF, open COIDA if work-related, open RAF if road accident, bank stop-loss + product map, insurance search, identify retirement funds.
• Week 3–4: submit remaining documents, respond quickly to missing-item lists, confirm next dates and references.
• Month 2: weekly follow-ups per lane, always referencing your case/claim number.
• Month 3: escalate formally if there is no movement (with evidence pack).

• UIF: claim outcome and payment/status is documented with a reference.
• Employer: all salary/leave/benefit payouts are settled and documentation is complete.
• Death-in-service / group life: claim is filed with a reference and final outcome received.
• Retirement fund benefits: claim is opened with the fund/admin and you have a documented outcome/status with references.
• COIDA (if applicable): claim decision and payment/next steps are documented.
• RAF (if applicable): claim status and outcomes are documented with references.
• Banks & insurance: accounts/loans mapped, leakages stopped, claims completed with written outcomes.

• Death certificate / proof of death (and supporting medical documentation if relevant)
• Your identification and contact details
• Proof of relationship / dependency / authority (as required per lane)
• Employment proof (payslips, employer letter, HR contacts)
• UIF packet: contributor proof, submission reference, missing-item lists
• COIDA packet (if applicable): incident timeline, medical documents, employer letters, claim reference
• RAF packet (if applicable): accident evidence, invoices/receipts, claim reference, timeline
• Retirement fund packet: fund/admin contacts, claim references, checklists
• Bank packet: account/loan map, debit orders list, case refs
• Insurance packet: policy clues, claim references, document checklists
• Tracking log: date, channel, person, reference, missing items, next step, follow-up date

• Letting debit orders/subscriptions keep running for weeks
• Not getting written checklists and submission references (cases “disappear”)
• Assuming the employer will handle death-in-service/group life without confirmation
• Delaying COIDA/RAF evidence collection (timelines matter)
• Not separating retirement-fund benefits from estate/bank assumptions (causes confusion and delays)
• Mixing benefits admin with inheritance decisions (creates conflict and slows progress)

1. Full checklist: what to do after a death (South Africa)
2. Funeral logistics: planning a funeral (South Africa)
3. Estate/inheritance: legal guide (South Africa)
4. Emotional support: grief support (South Africa)