COVID-19: TERS Application update

COVID-19

TERS APPLICATION UPDATE

Dear employer

There are still many anomalies surrounding the TERS claims process.

Although there are no clear answers on some of the issues, some guidance has been received in respect of the following:

• employers who have applied online but who have received no confirmation as to whether the claim has been approved or rejected, should log into the system and use the “Payment Breakdown Report” to determine if the claim has been processed, approved or declined, and if declined, for what reason. This “Payment Breakdown Report” serves as the payment schedule;

• the Minister of Employment and Labour issued an amended directive indicating that, where employers placed employees on leave, such employers can apply for TERS benefits and credit the proportionate amount to the leave taken by the employees. A concern in this regard that has been raised, is that where employees have already been paid by the employer at the time when the TERS benefits were received, such TERS payment will not be reflected on the payslip or payroll. This is especially problematic as there is a requirement to pay these benefits over to employees within 48 hours and to provide proof to the DEL. The suggestion is that the employer should provide UIF with an affidavit setting out the process followed and confirming that the leave credits will be processed with the next pay run; and

• there is an acknowledgment from DEL that there is an error on the calculator, which awarded zero benefits to employees where such employees received more than the maximum benefit amount of R6730 as a salary from the employer. We are awaiting a directive in this regard and, according to DEL, these errors will be corrected automatically.

We will keep members abreast of further developments.

NEASA 24/7 NATIONAL HOTLINE: 086 016 3272
legalhotline@neasa.co.za

Regards

We are all in this together.
Privileged and challenged to be South African.