You can expect to receive Covid Ters benefits from 26 July

Beneficiaries of the Covid Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) can expect to receive their money from next week.

The department of employment and labour confirmed in statement this past Friday that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) will start to process the Covid Ters claims on Monday.

Payments to successful claims will start on 26 July.

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This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the extension of the relief scheme during his nation address a week ago in effort to support people who have been affected by level 4 lockdown restrictions.

Ramaphosa indicated following negotiations between the UIF and social partners, it was decided to extend the Ters scheme for sectors affected by the lockdown measures

The Ters scheme has paid out more than R60 billion to protect the jobs of 5.5 million workers across the country to date.

Workers who can apply includes:

• Those who have not been able to work from 16 March 2021, due to level 1, 2 and 3 restrictions preventing gatherings of a certain number of people – such as in the entertainment industry;
• Those who were or are still impacted upon by the level 4 restrictions which started on 28 June 2021;
• Those who have not been able to work because they are over 60 or have co-morbidities and have not been able to work in the period as well as those who have had to isolate or go into quarantine.

Those affected by the recent rampant looting and violent unrest will not be eligible to apply according to IOL.

Money will be paid directly to workers

The UIF will now pay employees their money directly in their bank accounts, however, employers are still claim on their behalf.

 The Covid-19 Ters benefits was previously paid into the employer’s bank accounts.

The application process and the information or documents required to claim for the Covid Ters still remains the same, the department said.

READ MORE: More than R60bn in temporary Covid-19 relief paid out so far

Acting UIF commissioner Mzie Yawa said it was, therefore, crucial for employers to provide valid and accurate details of their employees – including identity document numbers and valid bank accounts.

“We have learnt the lesson from the previous phases that some unscrupulous employers did not advance the funds to their employees and it is for that reason that we have opted for this mode of payment.

“As a result of the non-payment of workers, the UIF and the entire department were inundated with a lot of complaints as workers could see in the system that funds had been released but had not been paid by their employers who kept the Covid Ters funds for themselves,” Yawa said.

The list of sectors expected to receive relief includes hospitality, liquor, restaurants, tourism, and venues hosting various activities such as concerts, social events and professional sports.

Click here to visit the Ters portal