19,500 Singapore employers to receive final JSS payouts from 31 March 2022

Totalling S$145mn, the March 2022 payouts will cover wages from November to December 2021.

Over 19,500 employers in Singapore will receive the final set of payouts under the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) from 31 March 2022. Totalling over S$145mn, the payouts will support nearly 300,000 local workers, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said on Tuesday (29 March 2022). 

These March 2022 payouts will cover wages from November to December 2021. Employers who have made mandatory CPF contributions for their local employees for the months of November and December 2021, by the stipulated deadlines, will qualify to receive the payout. It is vital that the right amount of contributions is made, based on actual wages paid, as employers’ contributions are used to determine the amount of JSS payout, IRAS highlighted.

Eligible employers will be notified by post of their payout amount later this month, and can also log in to myTax Portal to view the electronic copy of their letter. IRAS added that employers who have registered for PayNow Corporate as at 27 March 2022, or have existing GIRO arrangements with IRAS, can expect to receive the JSS payouts earlier, from 31 March, while the rest of the employers will receive their cheques from 22 April 2022.

To ensure the payouts are fairly and correctly disbursed, about S$5mn in payouts for March 2022 are withheld from 292 employers, pending their review and submission of supporting documents to IRAS to substantiate their eligibility, the statutory board shared. Employers will receive their payouts once IRAS has verified the authenticity and accuracy of the information submitted. Their payouts would be adjusted or denied if issues are found during the review.

There are also "severe penalties" for any attempt to abuse the JSS, including a charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code, where employers who do so may face up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine.

In a Facebook post following the IRAS' announcement, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong shared: "Our Jobs Support Scheme has helped our businesses to safeguard livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing wage support for employers."

Since its introduction in the February 2020 Unity Budget, more than S$28.1bn in JSS payouts would have been disbursed, inclusive of this latest payout. The JSS has provided wage support for employers and helped them retain local employees during the pandemic. These employers are in sectors such as food and beverage services, which were affected by safe management measures instituted in the second half of 2021. The JSS is estimated to have saved 165,000 local jobs from March to December 2020, and helped support local wages.

Lead photo / 123rf.com

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