Employers to receive more than S$400 million in Jobs Support Scheme payouts from Dec 31
Office workers cross a road in Singapore's financial district of Raffles Place on Sep 6, 2021. (File photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
SINGAPORE: More than S$400 million in Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) payouts will be disbursed to employers from Dec 31.
The payouts will be given to about 24,400 employers, in sectors facing significant safe management restrictions, to support the wages of more than 380,000 local employees, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) in a press release on Tuesday (Dec 21).
"With this payout, more than S$28 billion of JSS support would have been disbursed since the introduction of the scheme at the Unity Budget in February 2020," said the statement.
The JSS subsidises the salaries of Singaporeans and permanent residents to help companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employers who have made mandatory CPF contributions for their local employees for the months of August to October 2021 by the stipulated deadlines will qualify to receive the payout.
The December payout will cover wages from August to October, including the enhanced JSS payout during the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) and Stabilisation Phase period.
Eligible employers will be notified by post of their payout amount this month. They can also log in to myTax Portal to view the electronic copy of their letter.
Employers who have registered for PayNow Corporate as of Dec 27 or have existing GIRO arrangements with IRAS can expect to receive the payouts from Dec 31. Others can expect to receive their cheques from Jan 14, 2022.
S$12 MILLION IN PAYOUTS WITHHELD FOR REVIEW
About S$12 million in JSS payouts for December 2021 are being withheld from 443 employers, as part of IRAS' anti-gaming efforts to ensure that payouts are fairly and correctly disbursed. This is pending their review and submission of supporting documents to IRAS to substantiate their eligibility.
These 443 employers make up about 1.8 per cent of all qualifying employers for the payouts.
Employers will receive the JSS 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.
MOF and IRAS have reminded employers to contribute the right amount of CPF for their employees, based on actual wages paid.
Employers' CPF contributions are used to determine the amount of JSS payout.
"The penalties for any attempt to abuse the JSS are severe," said the authorities.
Other than having their JSS payouts denied, offenders can be charged with aggravated cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, where they may face a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.
Businesses or individuals who wish to report any malpractice related to the JSS may do so online or via email to jssreport [at] iras.gov.sg.
