What is a vested and a non-vested benefit?
Vested benefits are accrued rights as a result of any membership in a provident fund or provident preservation fund on 1 March 2021.
If you have been a member of these funds at the time, any amounts contributed or transferred to these funds, before 1 March 2021, are seen as your vested benefits. If you were 55 years or older on 1 March 2021, your vested benefits will also include any further contributions you made while you were a member of that provident fund, including fund returns.
A vested benefit right gives you the right to be able to withdraw the full benefit value as a lump sum upon retirement.
Non-vested benefits relate to any other benefits in a retirement fund, which gives you the right to be able to only withdraw up to a maximum of 1/3rd at retirement. The remaining portion of the non-vested benefit must be used to purchase an income for life (Living annuity or guaranteed annuity) at retirement.