More than $400 million to be disbursed from 31 December 2021 under the Jobs Support Scheme

Over $28 billion of Jobs Support Scheme disbursed since February 2020

1.    About 24,400 employers, in sectors facing significant safe management restrictions, will receive payouts totalling over $400 million from 31 December 2021 under the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) to support the wages of over 380,000 local employees. 

2.    With this payout, more than $28 billion of JSS support would have been disbursed since the introduction of the scheme at the Unity Budget in February 2020. 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. 

3.    The December payout will cover wages from August to October 2021 and include the enhanced JSS payout for the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) and Stabilisation Phase periods (refer to details in Annex A). More information on the JSS support for sectors from 1 November 2021 can be found in Annex B. The payout for wages paid from 1 November 2021 will be disbursed in March 2022. Eligible employers will be notified of their payout amount later this month. They can also log in to myTax Portal to view the electronic copy of their letter.

Earlier payouts for employers with PayNow Corporate or GIRO

4.    Employers who have registered for PayNow Corporate as at 27 December 2021 or have existing GIRO arrangements with IRAS can expect to receive the JSS payouts from 31 December 2021. Other employers will receive their cheques from 14 January 2022. 

$12 million in payouts withheld from employers for review

5.    As part of IRAS’ anti-gaming efforts to ensure that payouts are fairly and correctly disbursed, about $12 million in payouts for December 2021 are withheld from 443 employers, pending their review and submission of supporting documents to IRAS to substantiate their eligibility. These 443 employers make up about 1.8% of all qualifying employers for the payouts. 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. 

Review of mandatory CPF contributions and penalties for abusing the JSS

6.    It is vital that employers contribute the right amount of CPF for their employees, based on actual wages paid.  

7.    Employers’ CPF contributions are used to determine the amount of JSS payout. The penalties for any attempt to abuse the JSS are severe. Other than having their JSS payouts denied, offenders can be charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code, where they may face up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine. Businesses or individuals who wish to report any malpractices or potential abuses of the JSS may do so via email to jssreport@iras.gov.sg or online at go.gov.sg/jssreport.

8.    For more information, please visit go.gov.sg/jss.

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
Ministry of Finance
21 December 2021