The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has issued guidance on the COVID-19 temporary employer/employee relief scheme (TERS) payment status error codes.
The guidance, which the Fund issued on Tuesday (12 October), also contains advice on what the employer should do to rectify the error.
UIF TERS payment status error codes
The COVID-19 UIF TERS payment status error codes, their meanings and possible employer actions are summarised below.
The entity is not registered with SARS under a qualified sector category for TERS payment
Definition: The company is not registered under the qualified sector category. The error is only for October-December and January-March 2021 period.
Action: Follow the sector appeals process.
Employee does not qualify for TERS payment. No contribution received by SARS
Definition: This error is only for payment period after 15 October. The system verifies contribution paid by the employer to SARS as well. If no contribution is found from SARS, then the employee is disqualified with this error message.
Action: Employer should finalise arrears contributions and a new data set will be obtained from SARS or UIF. Please make sure that the PAYE at SARS is the same at UIF.
Employee does not qualify for TERS payments. No declaration is made to the UIF after Feb 2019
Definition: Calculation of average salary from 16th Oct onwards checks for contributing salaries between March 2019-March 2020 and also from system date going backwards. No salary for the employee found during this period. Hence raised this error.
Action: Employer to declare all missing period or indicate the start of employment date of the employee. Please make sure that the PAYE at SARS is the same at UIF.
Deceased employee
Definition: Received a date of death before making payment.
Action: Verify with Home Affairs and correct under saved employees if different. If correct, please engage with Home Affairs to correct.
Applicant has active claim
Definition: A qualified “normal benefits” claim, for the same/overlapping period, is found for the applicant in Siyaya. This avoids double dipping.
Action: Will remain a rejection – dates on TERS overlaps with dates on Siyaya. Dates on TERS can be changed via a discrepancy on TERS. If the problem is on Siyaya, then the date on UI19 must be changed or the refund process must be followed.
DPSA employees cannot claim TERS benefits
Definition: These are individuals who work for DPSA and hence cannot claim TERS benefits. Action: Will remain a rejection – no payment due to client.
Overpayment recorded
Definition: Overpayment of TERS benefit has been made by UIF. Employer has been informed to refund, but no Refund Template, stipulating details of individual and refund, has been submitted to UIF for settlement.
Action: Refund payment into the UIF account. Complete Refund Template and send to Dorothy.Boikhutso@labour.gov.za with POP.
Applicant already received TERS benefits from LAP – TERS
Definition: The applicant received benefits from LAP – TERS (for the same/overlapping period) and hence cannot claim benefit from UIF TERS.
Action: Will remain a rejection – no payment due to client.
ID No. is on hold on the UIF database
Definition: The ID has been placed on hold on UIF due to suspect activities on the ID. Action: No action by the employer.
Applicant is younger than 15 years at the time of application
Definition: The applicant is younger than 15 years (and below legal working age) when calculated on the shutdown start date of the payment period.
Action: Will remain a rejection – no payment due to client.
Inmates are not eligible for TERS benefits
Definition: The employee was reported to be in prison during the period of TERS claim and cannot claim TERS benefits. Action: Will remain a rejection – no payment due to client.
Failed bank verification
This means that the automatic bank verification process failed. The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Invalid branch code
This means that the branch code provided is incorrect. The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Bank name not found
The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Account number not found
UIF did not find the employee’s account number. The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Account type not found
This is mandatory information. The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Branch code not found
The employer needs to contact the call centre to start the manual bank verification.
Not declared (SA 232 206 plus FN 212 121)
This means that individuals have not been declared with UIF. Action: SA declaration processes and FN declaration process. The declaration period under consideration is March 2020 backwards to February 2019.
Applicant is not verified by U filing (SARS or Home Affairs)
Definition: This error message is for foreigners who are not verified with either SARS or Home Affairs and is also not on U filing.
Action: Employer must ensure employee is on SARS/Home Affairs and then also declare the employee on U filing. Further, the employer must also look at PAYE number as well as the asylum number versus the passport number at Home Affairs.
1 Comment
Applied for TERS and the error message no contributions received by SARS. The employees earn below tax threshold therefore not registered for PAYE and do UIF contribution via UFILING.
Sent UIF the TAX Compliance showing the employer is only registered for individual tax.
It is a year now that TERS was applied for and still no payment received. WHAT MORE MUST WE DO