An important notice for all employers.
Under the July Jobs Stimulus Package a new Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) will replace the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1st September 2020. It will run until 31 March 2021.
Under this new scheme, certain employers and new firms in sectors impacted by COVID-19 whose turnover has fallen 30% will get a flat-rate subsidy per week based on the number of qualifying employees on the payroll, including seasonal staff and new employees.
If an employee has more than one job, each employer can make a claim under the EWSS, ignoring any other employments the employee may have.
The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) will finish on 31 August 2020 and no new applications can be accepted from that date. If an employee is already on the TWSS, they must stay on it until 31 August 2020. The two schemes will run in parallel from 1 July until the TWSS closes at the end of August.
To qualify for the scheme you must:
- Have valid tax clearance
- Meet the 30% reduction in turnover or customer orders test. However, if you are a registered childcare provider, you do not need to meet the 30% reduction in turnover or customer orders
Certain categories of employees are excluded from the new EWSS. These are:
- Proprietary directors (with the exception of those who keep ‘ordinary’ employees on the payroll)
- Connected parties who were not on the payroll and paid at any time between July 2019 and June 2020 .
If you wish to apply for this scheme, please firstly familiarise yourself with the Revenue’s guidance document to ensure eligibility by clicking on Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
You should keep proof of your eligibility for the scheme (evidence of reduction in turnover and other evidence).
As always, if you if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
