Our last blog post explored the extension of the EWSS to 31 December 2021. As you know, to qualify for the EWSS employers must show a 30% reduction in turnover in comparison to the same period in 2019. Employers are required to review their eligibility on a monthly basis, but this was an internal check.

On 1 July 2021 Revenue introduced an important change to this review process, where now employers need to submit reports directly to ROS. The purpose of today’s post is to provide an overview of this change and outline the steps you need to take to remain compliant.

EWSS eligibility review from 1 July 2021

From 1 July onwards, to be able to continue benefiting from the EWSS employers are required to complete an “Eligibility Review Form” on ROS. Forms are completed on a monthly basis and must be completed:

• Between 21st and 30th July for your July submission; and
• By the 15th of the month for each subsequent submission.

The first time you complete the form you’ll be required to provide details of actual turnover (excluding VAT) for the first 6 months of 2019 and 2021, as well as monthly projections for the remaining 6 months of 2021. Then, on the 15th of each following month, you will need to update the projections with the actual turnover value for the previous month.

Having completed the form, if you are calculated to no longer qualify for EWSS a warning message will appear on ROS, instructing you to cease claiming the subsidy and de-register. Equally, if you fail to complete the form for a given month, your subsidy payment will be suspended until the review form has been completed.

More information on the changes mentioned above can be found in Revenue’s “Guidelines on eligibility for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme from 1 July 2021”, released on 9 July 2021. If you have any technical queries about the Eligibility Review Form, you can contact the ROS technical help desk on 01 738 3699, or email them at roshelp@revenue.ie.

If you found the above information useful but are not yet a client of SimplePay, you can get in touch with us at info@simplepay.ie, browse our website or sign up for a free 30-day trial to get an idea of how we can save you time and effort on your payroll!

Keep well and stay safe.

Team SimplePay