A Mobility Assistance Allowance Is Now Under the Employment Insurance System

A new benefit has been added to the Employment Insurance System with effect from 1 October 2026. Amendment regulations gazetted on 30 September 2026 set out how the mobility assistance allowance is claimed and paid, placing it alongside the allowances already available under the system.

The Employment Insurance System provides financial support to insured persons who lose their employment, through benefits such as the job search allowance, the reduced income allowance and the training allowance. The procedures for claiming and paying these benefits are contained in a set of regulations issued in 2018. The latest amendment updates those procedures to accommodate the new allowance.

The first key point concerns the claim form. The job search allowance and the reduced income allowance are claimed using Form SIPF 1, while the mobility assistance allowance has a dedicated form, Form SIPF 1A. Claims may be submitted to the Organization electronically or through other means, together with the supporting documents or information the Organization specifies.

The second, and perhaps the most notable, concerns the timing of payment. The allowance is paid only after the Organization has received Form SIPF 1A and is satisfied that the insured person has reported for duty for work. In practical terms, the payment is made once the person has started the new job.

Beyond this, the amendment extends the existing claim and payment rules to the mobility assistance allowance, placing the new benefit within the same framework as the other allowances. Details such as the amount of the allowance and who qualifies for it are set out in the parent law.

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