FAQ

Healthcare FAQ
How do I select an option that is best suited to my family’s needs?
Firstly, it is important to understand your medical requirements and what you can afford. In consultation with an NMG Healthcare Consultant, you will be guided on which option is most appropriate. Ensure that you receive a detailed brochure of the benefits available to you.
Are monthly contributions based on your age?
No, member contributions may only be based upon a member’s income and/or the number of dependants.
May a medical scheme refuse to allow me membership?
No, in terms of the Medical Schemes Act, no medical scheme may decline membership. Underwriting may be imposed to reduce the risk to the scheme.
What restrictions may a medical scheme impose on a new member?
Members could be subject to waiting periods and/ or late joiner penalties.
What is a late joiner penalty?
Member joining a medical aid late in life may be subject to a penalty by way of additional contributions.
Can I join my ex-spouse onto my medical aid?
Medical benefits awarded to your ex-spouse in a divorce case will be allowed to join your medical aid. In the event you were to remarry, your new spouse would also be eligible to join your medical aid.
Can I belong to more than one medical aid at a time?
No, you may only belong to one medical aid.
What is a designated service provider? (DSP)
Medical schemes contract with a healthcare provider or group of providers to provide its members with diagnosis, treatment and care in respect of one or more prescribed minimum benefit conditions.
What is a prescribed minimum benefit? (PMB)
Prescribed Minimum Benefits are a set of defined benefits to ensure that all medical scheme members have access to certain minimum health services , regardless of the benefit option they have selected.
What is a co-payment?
A co-payment is a fixed amount that your medical aid scheme requires you to pay from your own pocket for specific medical treatment or procedure. Co-payments are typically for in-hospital procedures. Some schemes allow co-payments to be funded from available savings.
Retirement FAQ
The Claim Journey

Claims fall into different categories, such as retirement from the fund, death while in service and withdrawal from the fund following resignation, retrenchment, or dismissal from service at your employer. Each of those categories follow specific processes, which are discussed separately.

The below steps are followed by the fund administrator to finalize the claim:

  1. Check that all submitted documentation is in order, and that the claim form has been signed by an authorized representative of the employer, and that the employer stamp is also on the form, to verify the claim.
  2. The benefit values are calculated and verified.
  3. The administrator dis-invests the benefit from the investment portfolio/s and transfers it into the Fund’s bank account.
  4. The administrator applies for a tax directive electronically and waits for the South African Revenue Service to provide a tax directive.
  5. The final benefit is verified by the administration manager, and the payment is released.
Why am I not receiving any updates about my claim

You will receive SMS’s as your claim progresses through the claims process provided that your cell phone number was updated on the claim form.

How do I contact the administrator?

You can contact our interactive client contact center on 0861 222 588.

How do I get my tax certificate for tax return purposes?

The tax filing season for individuals typically runs from 1 July to 23 November each year.
If you need a tax certificate, please email queriesrfa@nmg.co.za with your request and the team will forward you the necessary documentation.

How do I retrieve my login details for the online portal?

Kindly send an email to queriesrfa@nmg.co.za or call our interactive client contact center on 0861 222 588 for assistance.

Struggling to access the online portal?

Please contact the administrator on email (queriesrfa@nmg.co.za) should you experience any problems with the web portal. Please include a screenshot of the issue for us to escalate the issue to our systems support department to resolve this issue.

Can I take out a loan from the fund?

The rules of your fund must allow for home loans. To get more information with regards to home loans, please contact your employer's resource department as they will be able to assist you with regards to any queries you may have.

How long does it take for my claim to be paid?

The administrator’s turnaround time to process and pay out the claim is 6-8 weeks from the date we have received the claim form and have allocated the last month's contribution to the member’s record.

Why is my tax directive declined and what are the possible causes?

SARS can reject tax directive applications due to the member’s information on SARS’ system not matching with the information supplied by the member on the claim withdrawal form. For example:

  • If you have more than one tax number
  • The ID or Passport Number differs from SARS’s record
  • The status of the supplied member tax number is suspended or de-registered at SARS.

If a tax directive is declined, the administrator will advise you to visit SARS to rectify the issue and provide the corrected information to the administrator to complete the processing of the claim.

Where are your offices located?

19 Ameshoff Street, 9th floor, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2001, South Africa.

 

How do I log a complaint?

You can log a complaint with the administrator’s interactive client contact centre by calling 0861 222 588.

How do I submit a divorce order claim?

A divorce order should be sent via email to queriesrfa@nmg.co.za. The fund administrator will obtain confirmation from the NMG legal team to confirm if the divorce order is enforceable against the fund. Once confirmation is received, a letter of intent is drafted for the non-member spouse to sign and return. Once all documentation is received, the claim will proceed.

What are my options at retirement?

You have some options to consider at retirement, life annuities and living annuities.

  • Life annuities also referred to as fixed annuities, which is where you invest your money and in return receive a guaranteed regular income for life, as you are protected from outliving your retirement savings.
  • Living annuities also referred to as linked annuities, which functions as an investment rather than as an insurance product.

You are welcome to contact an NMG financial advisor to assist you with your options at retirement, contact us on finplanning@nmg.co.za.

What are the tax implications on my claim on withdrawal?

The amount that will be taking in cash is subject to be taxed as a lump sum. The exit event or type of exit will determine how the lump sum will be taxed and the tax rates used during the calculation.
Lump sum is grouped as per the below:

  • Retirement benefits received, or which accrued on or after 1 October 2007.
  • Withdrawal benefits received, or which accrued on or after 1 March 2009.
  • Severance benefits received, or which accrued on or after 1 March 2011.

The methodology followed when calculating the tax payable on a lump sum is based on the wording of the legislation contained in section 5(1), read with the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Act, 2017.

The relevant Tax rates applicable for 1 March 2024 or the 2024 year of assessment are quoted in the Annexure below and are different for each type of lump sum. The current lump sum payable determines which tax rate must be used.

Its important to note that all lump sum amounts taken from the dates mentioned above will be taking into account when SARS determine the tax payable amount for the current amount. The actual tax paid on previous lump sums does not form part of the calculation.

Annexure – Tax tables

Tax table for withdrawal benefits

2024 tax year (1 March 2023 – 29 February 2024)

Taxable income                    (R)​          Rate of tax

1 – 27 500                                               0% of taxable income

27 501 – 726 000                  18% of taxable income above 27 500

726 001 – 1 089 000            125 730 + 27% of taxable income above 726 000

1 089 001 and above         223 740 + 36% of taxable income above 1 089 000

 

Tax table for retirement benefits

Taxable income                    (R)          ​Rate of tax

1 – 550 000                                             0% of taxable income

550 001 – 770 000                               18% of taxable income above 550 000

770 001 – 1 155 000            39 600 + 27% of taxable income above 770 000

1 155 001 and above         143 550 + 36% of taxable income above 1 155 000

 

Tax table for severance benefits

Taxable income                    (R)          ​Rate of tax

1 – 550 000                                             0% of taxable income

550 001 – 770 000                               18% of taxable income above 550 000

770 001 – 1 155 000            39 600 + 27% of taxable income above 770 000

1 155 001 and above         143 550 + 36% of taxable income above 1 155 000

Is it possible to withdraw my entire pension at retirement?

When you retire, you can choose to receive a portion of your savings as a lump sum from a pension, pension preservation, or retirement annuity fund. The maximum lump sum you can take is one-third of the total. If your savings are R247,500 or less, you can take the full amount as a lump sum.

For provident funds, the default is usually a lump sum payment unless annuity payments are allowed. If you’re already retired with a living annuity, you can convert the remaining assets into a lump sum if they fall below R125,000. The tax on the lump sum is calculated on the gross amount, considering contributions that were not previously deductible or exempt from tax.

Contributions can be claimed as a deduction, but there may be limits. Unused deductions can be carried forward to future years. Lump sums received from retirement funds, whether from retirement or other reasons, are taxed cumulatively, taking into account all lump sum benefits received since October 1, 2007.

Provident and Provident Preservation Fund Annuitisation

Since March 1, 2021, provident and provident preservation funds have been aligned with pension, pension preservation, and retirement annuity funds. Upon retirement, members must use two-thirds of their savings to purchase an annuity and can take one-third as a cash lump sum. Contributions made before March 1, 2021, and per-existing transfers can still be taken as a lump sum, including growth.

Simplified rules based on age and membership status on March 1, 2021:

  1. Members aged 55 or older on March 1, 2021, who were already members of a provident fund can take their entire retirement savings as a lump sum in cash, including both pre- and post-March 1, 2021, contributions and growth. However, if they transfer to another fund after that date, new contributions and growth will be subject to compulsory annuitisation.
  2. Members younger than 55 on March 1, 2021, who were already members of a provident fund have protection for contributions made before that date and the value of benefits in the preservation fund, including growth. They are not required to use these protected benefits for annuity purchase. Contributions made from March 1, 2021, and transfers unrelated to protected benefits will be subject to compulsory annuitization. If they transfer to another fund after March 1, 2021, contributions and growth made after that date, as well as new contributions and growth in the new fund, will be subject to compulsory annuitisation.
  3. Transfers made after March 1, 2021, not related to membership in a provident fund as of that date will be subject to compulsory annuitisation.

If the total value of provident fund contributions or the value in a provident preservation fund, including growth, is R247,500 or less at retirement, regardless of age, the entire accumulated retirement savings can be taken as a lump sum in cash.

General FAQ
Can I view my NMG Benefits online?

Yes, you can login through the NMG Benefits portals here

How do I complete the Application Form / Transfer Form / Switch Form / Repurchase Form etc

Contact you can request assistance here or contact your consultant for direct assistance

How do I change my personal details?

You can change your personal details in the following ways:

  • Contact your consultant directly and they’ll gladly assist you.
  • Send an email to our Client Contact Centre with your ID number and other personal details, indicating clearly which ones have changed.
Can I visit NMG Benefits offices?

You are welcome to visit our offices which, you can find an office closes to you here. Please first call to make an appointment.

What is FICA?

South Africa has implemented a law that is designed to combat money laundering, which is the abuse of financial systems to hide and/or disguise the proceeds of crime. This law is known as the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 28 of 2001, also referred to as FICA. In terms of FICA, all accountable institutions (such as banks and ourselves) have specific duties to help prevent money laundering. One of these duties is to perform a “Know your client” (KYC) check on all clients. What this means for new and existing investors is that they will need to provide us with proof of:

  • Identity - we will need a copy of your South African green bar-coded ID book. If you do not possess a green bar-coded ID book, we will need a copy of your passport to verify your identification number and full name;
  • Address - please send a copy of a utility bill to verify your residential address;
  • Copy of correspondence from SARS to verify your income tax number.

Please refer to our FICA requirements document included in the application form.

Will my personal information remain confidential?

We aim to keep all our clients’ details and personal information confidential and handle every instruction with complete privacy

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