Under the July Jobs Stimulus Package the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) has replaced the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from 1 September 2020. It will run until 31 March 2021.
Under the EWSS scheme, 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 TWSS finished on 31 August 2020 and no new applications can be accepted from that date. The two schemes ran in parallel from 1 July until the TWSS closed on 31 August 2020.
This page is a summary of the EWSS rules and operation. You can get more detailed guidance on the operation of the scheme from Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Rules for EWSS
How do I qualify?
To qualify for the scheme you must:
- Have valid tax clearance
- Meet the reduction in turnover or customer orders test
Tax clearance
In order to receive the EWSS payments, you must:
- Have a valid tax clearance certificate
- Continue to maintain tax clearance for the duration of the scheme
You can check your current tax clearance status online through ROS. More information on tax clearance is available from Revenue.
The July Stimulus Package included measures on ‘warehousing’ or deferral of unpaid VAT and Employers PAYE debt associated with COVID-19. You can get more information on the initiatives covering COVID-19 related tax debts in Revenue’s Information Booklet (pdf).
Reduction in turnover or customer orders test
You must self-declare to Revenue that you have experienced significant negative economic disruption due to COVID-19, with a minimum of 30% decline in turnover or customer orders (between July and December 2020 compared with the same period in 2019). The review of turnover or orders should look at the period as whole, not individual months. For new businesses, this is based on a projected forward test.
If you are a registered childcare provider, you do not need to meet the 30% reduction in turnover or customer orders test.
If you have a more complex business structure and need help determining your eligibility for the scheme, you can get further guidance in Appendix I of Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Eligible employees
The scheme is available for employers who keep staff on their payroll during the pandemic. Employees could be:
- Temporarily not working or
- On reduced hours or reduced pay (or both)
An eligible employer must be paying gross wages between €151.50 and €1,462 gross per week to qualify for EWSS (see Rates below).
If you have a new employee (new hire or a seasonal worker), they can start the EWSS from 1 July 2020. You can get more information on how to make applications for new hires and seasonal workers in Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Certain categories of employees are excluded from the EWSS. These are:
- Proprietary directors (with the exception of those who keep ‘ordinary’ employees on the payroll – see below)
- Connected parties who were not on the payroll and paid at any time between July 2019 and June 2020
Proprietary directors who keep ‘ordinary’ employees on the payroll are being reinstated to the EWSS from 1 September. Revenue will provide more guidance shortly and this document will be updated when more information becomes available.
You can read additional guidance on eligible employees and excluded categories in Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Proofs required
Applications for EWSS are based on self-assessment principles. This means you will not have to provide proof of eligibility to Revenue at the registration stage. Revenue will review eligibility in the future, based on risk criteria – see ‘Compliance checks’ below.
You should keep proof of your eligibility for the scheme (evidence of reduction in turnover and other evidence). You can read detailed information on the supporting proofs in Appendix I of Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Eligibility review
On the last day of every month, you must complete a review to make sure you continue to meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria (looking at the period as a whole rather than on a monthly basis). If you no longer qualify, you must:
- De-register for EWSS through ROS with effect from the 1st day of the next month
- Stop claiming the subsidy
The requirement to do an eligibility review does not apply for July 2020 and the final month of the scheme.
You can get more information on eligibility reviews in Revenue’s EWSS Guidance (pdf).
Compliance checks
Revenue will be contacting employers in the future to check records relating to the operation of the scheme including:
- Evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria, specifically the reduction in turnover or customer orders test
- Details of monthly eligibility reviews
More information on compliance checks will be made available by Revenue.
Rates
The subsidy amount paid to employers will depend on the gross income of each employee.
EWSS will give a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers, based on the number of qualifying employees on the payroll.
- For every employee paid between €203 and €1,462 gross per week, the subsidy is €203.
- For every employee paid between €151.50 and €202.99 gross per week, the subsidy is €151.50.
No subsidy is paid for employees paid less than €151.50 or more than €1,462 gross per week.
Income tax and PRSI deductions
Under the EWSS employers will have to resume the normal requirement to operate PAYE on all payments. This means you should resume the regular deduction of income tax, USC and employee PRSI from your employees’ pay.
If an employment is eligible for the subsidy, a 0.5% rate of employer’s PRSI will apply.
Backdating of subsidy
The subsidy can be backdated to 1 July in some cases. This includes:
- New hires or seasonal workers
- Employees who were not eligible for TWSS (excluding employees who were not eligible for any subsidy when their income was tapered under the rules for TWSS)
- New employers to the EWSS who were not claiming TWSS or were not eligible for TWSS
The payment will be made after 14 September. You can get more information on backdated payments in Revenue’s EWSS guidance (pdf).
How to apply
From 18 August, you, your agent or payroll provider will be able to register for the EWSS through Revenue’s Online Service (ROS).
Applications will only be processed if you:
- Are registered for Employer’s PAYE/PRSI (PREM)
- Have a bank account linked to the PREM registration
- Have tax clearance
Registration will be through the eRegistration system. You will have to make a self-declaration as part of this process.
You can get detailed instructions on the process you should follow to operate Revenue’s EWSS on your payroll in Revenue’s EWSS Guidelines (pdf).
Further information
You can get more help from Revenue’s National Employer Helpdesk through the myEnquiries system or by calling the National Employer helpline Tel: 01 738 3638 (Monday to Friday, from 9.00am to 5.00pm).
If you have a question about your situation during the COVID-19 emergency period, you can request a call back from the Citizens Information Service.
