NHT urges businesses to utilise amnesty programme

Eligible entities are being encouraged to utilise the third window of the National Housing Trust (NHT) Employer Arrears Amnesty Programme to clear up outstanding contributions and become compliant.

This phase of the programme runs up to March 31, and is aimed at assisting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and registered charitable organisations that have fallen behind on their payments. Speaking to JIS News recently, Assistant General Manager for Compliance Management at the NHT, Dameon McNally, said businesses must have no more than 50 employees and an annual sales turnover not exceeding $425 million to be eligible for the programme.

"The requirements for you are that you have to file all your annual returns that are outstanding, pay up all principal contributions, employee and employer contributions, and remit interest and penalties calculated on the outstanding employee's contribution," McNally explained. Successful applicants will receive a waiver of penalty interest on employers' contributions.

The amnesty programme, which was introduced to support employers struggling with arrears, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen significant participation so far. As of December 2024, the NHT had processed just under 400 applications, approving approximately 325 of them. The programme has facilitated the collection of nearly $100 million in contributions. McNally noted that while the programme helps recover outstanding contributions, its primary goal is to benefit employees by ensuring their contributions are up to date.