Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on 21 April that Singapore⦥uro;"s circuit breaker will be extended until 1 June 2020.
The initial circuit breaker, which closed all schools and non-essential services to curb local transmission of COVID-19, was set for 7 April to 4 May. The new extended circuit breaker measures will also be tightened to reduce the number of essential services allowed to operate.
The Government will continue to help businesses through this distressing period by maintaining and increasing the scope of the Job Support Scheme. Here are some of the main points:
The enhanced Jobs Support Scheme remains for May
For the month of May, employers across all sectors will continue to receive a subsidy of 75% of each local employee⦥uro;"s gross monthly wages. This applies to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents only and is subject to a monthly wage cap of S$4,600 per employee. May⦥uro;"s payout will be made by the end of May.
To recap, payments under the Jobs Support Scheme are automatic, and there is no need for businesses to register or apply. Click here for more information.
The Jobs Support Scheme will now cover Shareholder-Directors
Previously, wages of business owners who are both shareholders and directors of their company (Shareholder-Directors) were excluded from the Job Support Scheme.
The Job Support Scheme will now be enhanced to include the wages of Shareholder-Directors. Only companies registered on or before 20 April 2020 will qualify. There is also a cap on the qualifying wages ⦥uro;" Shareholder-Directors are not eligible for the Job Support Scheme if their assessable income for the 2019 assessment year is more than S$100,000.
Qualifying Shareholder-Directors will have their wages included in the payments for April, May, June and July 2020, with their April and May payments made together, by the end of May.
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