Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Dubai: If you are a private or public sector employee in the UAE, you can now sign up for the Unemployment Insurance Scheme.
Subscription to the scheme is mandatory and was opened on January 1, 2023, by the UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Depending on your basic salary, you will have to pay a premium of Dh5 or Dh10 per month to be eligible for unemployment insurance.
The scheme is called the Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) and you can subscribe for it online, or through a total of seven different platforms, mentioned below. To be eligible to receive compensation under the insurance scheme, you must complete a minimum of 12 consecutive months in your previous job, calculated from the day you subscribed to the insurance scheme. Once you are eligible, you will receive 60 per cent of your basic salary for three months if you lose your job due to reasons beyond your control. If you want to know more about the details of the scheme, you can read our guide here.
Seven platforms you can use to subscribe to the scheme
Here are all the subscription channels you will be able to use, according to MOHRE:
1. Insurance Pool website – www.iloe.ae
2. Al Ansari Exchange
3. Kiosk machines
4. Telecommunication bill payment channels (through du and etisalat)
5. Insurance Pool smartphone application – ‘iloe’
6. Bank ATMs and smartphone applications
7. Businessmen service centers
How to apply for the scheme online
Here is how you can subscribe to the ILOE scheme through their website:
1. Visit the website www.iloe.ae
2. Click on the red button titled, ‘Subscribe Here’, which you can spot at the centre of the screen.
3. You will then be transferred to the ILOE application portal. Next, under the ‘Individual’ category select if you are a private or federal government employee.
4. Next, sign in using your Emirates ID or UID number (Unified Identification Number). To do this, you will have to enter either of these two details and your mobile number to receive a one-time password (OTP) to complete the registration.
5. Once you have entered your Emirates ID number or UID number and your mobile number, tap on the ‘Request OTP’ button.
6. Enter the OTP you receive, after which you will be redirected your ILOE dashboard.
7. The dashboard will show you whether you fall under Category A or Category B, under the scheme.
The two categories for enrolling in the scheme
Category A:
• Employees who are earning a basic salary of Dh16,000 or less.
• Insurance cost: Dh5 per month (or Dh60 annually)
• Monthly compensation: 60 per cent of your basic salary, up to Dh10,000
Category B:
• Employees earning Dh16,000 and above
• Insurance cost: Dh10 (or Dh120 annually)
• Monthly compensation: 60 per cent of your basic salary, up to Dh20,000
8. On top of your dashboard, you will receive a summary of your personal details, which you need to review. Then check the box which says ‘I confirm my personal details are correct’.
9. After that, you can choose your ILOE plan – you will have the option to enrol for it for one year or two years. If you choose to subscribe to the scheme for one year, you will then also have the option to pay the premium on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis.
10. Once the plan has been made, you will see the inception date, expiry, insurance cost and the ‘total premium payable’ you will need to pay per month, quarterly, or annually.
11. Once you have selected your preferred option, check the ‘terms and conditions’ box, after going through the document.
12. Click on ‘Pay now’.
13. You will first be asked to enter your email address (optional) to receive the insurance certificate via email.
14. Next, you will be transferred to the online payment channel, where you will need to enter your credit card details.
15. After that, an OTP will be sent to the number registered with your card. Enter the OTP for the payment to go through.
16. Once you have received the payment confirmation, you will also receive an insurance certificate via email. Alternative, you can log in to your ILOE dashboard, to download the pdf version of your insurance certificate.
Deadline to subscribe – June 30, 2023
As per the Ministerial Resolution No. 604 of 2022 regarding the Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) , eligible employees have a grace period of six months – till June 30, 2023 – to subscribe in the ILOE. If the insured worker was employed at a date later than Jan 1, 2023, he or she will have a grace period of four months to subscribe, starting from the day he or she landed in the UAE or the day the ‘Visa Change Status’ was completed.
June 30 2023
The deadline to subscribe to the scheme
Fine for failing to subscribe
If you fail to subscribe to the scheme once the deadline has passed, a fine of Dh400 will be imposed (unless the deadline is extended).
Fine for missing premium installment
According to Article 9 (2) of Ministerial Resolution No. 604 of 2022 concerning Unemployment Insurance Scheme: “In the event that the insured [individual] fails to pay the insurance premiums according to the selected payment frequency for a period exceeding three months from the due date, the insurance certificate will be canceled and a penalty of Dh200 will be imposed.”
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