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Delay in Jobs Support Scheme payout for 5,500 employers to end-April: MOF

Delay in Jobs Support Scheme payout for 5,500 employers to end-April: MOF

All affected employers will be notified via letters and emails. Employers with PayNow Corporate or GIRO can expect earlier payouts from 30 March 2021.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) have announced a delay in the March 2021 Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) payouts, for about 5,500 employers.

In a joint statement on Thursday (25 March 2021), IRAS and MOF said these payouts will be delayed to end-April 2021, pending a reconciliation by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on firms' re-opening dates used in the computation of JSS payouts.

All affected employers will be notified via letters and emails, and can check on the updates via this link. More information will be provided following the completion of the reconciliation.

Employers with PayNow Corporate or GIRO can expect earlier payouts from 30 March 2021

In a separate, but related update, the IRAS noted that employers whose company has an existing GIRO arrangement with IRAS, or is registered for PayNow Corporate as at 26 March 2021, will receive a payout titled 'Jobs Support Scheme' (GIRO) or 'GOVT' (PayNow Corporate) in their bank account from 30 March 2021.

If the company is not registered with the above as at 26 March 2021, the payout will be received via cheque from 5 April 2021, which will be mailed to the registered business address.

The IRAS also added that as part of checks for JSS eligibility, employers may also receive a letter from IRAS to conduct a self-review of their CPF contributions. If selected for a self-review, the employer's March 2021 payouts will be withheld pending the self-review and verifications by IRAS.

More information on eligibility can be found here.

Background on the JSS payouts

Over 150,000 employers are due to receive payouts totalling over S$3bn from 30 March 2021 under the JSS, to support the wages of over two million local employees. Employers who have made mandatory CPF contributions for their local employees for the months of September to December 2020 by the stipulated deadlines will qualify to receive the payout.

With this payout, over S$24.5bn of JSS support would have been disbursed since the introduction of the scheme in the Unity Budget in February 2020.

Through the upcoming March payouts, employers will receive up to 50% support for the first S$4,600 of gross monthly wages paid in September, October, November and December 2020.

Employers in the aviation, aerospace, and tourism sectors will receive 50% support, while those in food services, retail, arts and entertainment, land transport, and marine and offshore will receive 30% support.

At the same time, employers in the built environment sector will receive 50% support for wages paid in September and October 2020, and 30% for November and December 2020 wages.

Employers in all other sectors will receive 10% support.


 Photo / 123RF

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