Revenue to withhold EWSS from firms who fail to file on time
Revenue to withhold EWSS from firms who fail to file on time.
As we are all aware, the emergency funds set up by the Government at the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency have seen many changes and adaptations over the last 18 months, both the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) have continued to change and adapt to suit the current needs of the pandemic. Following on from the recent announcement of a move for Ireland from a period of continued restrictions to an easing into personal accountability and no further requirement to work remotely after late October, there are certain to be more changes and the likely phasing out of these schemes ahead.
We have often discussed in recent years, the many ways in which Revenue have automated their processes and functions to facilitate increasingly efficient compliance reviews, and in line with this, they have begun to increase checks on these schemes to ensure continued eligibility. As Covid restrictions begin to be lifted, new measures are required to ensure the smooth and fair operation of the scheme.
Revenue’s latest figures have shown that almost 41,000 employers were registered for the EWSS at the end of August 2021 and eligibility review forms have been issued to all. With only 70% of businesses having returned these forms, it is important to ensure that all business and financial information is up to date and presented to Revenue on time as Revenue will withhold all support payments from employers who fail to file their forms on time.
These previous deadlines had been amended on two occasions. Access to the EWSS will be effectively paused until forms are submitted. This system of pausing is in place from Sept 1st, once eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume. Revenue have clarified this by saying;
“Where such businesses subsequently complete and submit the outstanding EWSS eligibility review forms, and thereby confirm they continue to meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme, they can resume claiming EWSS support […] Any subsidies claimed but not paid while EWSS eligibility review forms were outstanding will then also be processed for payment.”
We would advise getting eligibility forms submitted before the deadline each month for the previous month to avoid any delays or disruptions to your payments, which could financially damage your business. Should you have any concerns or queries on any business or financial matters please do not hesitate to contact us here at EcovisDCA where we will be happy to help.
