Once you log in to your Sage Business Cloud Payroll (SBCP) on the 15^th of April 2020 you will have a new Report option available, COVID-19 TERS.  As there are some information that the system cannot provide, you need to manually capture this in the excel file before it can be converted to CSV.  Please reach out to your Tax Practitioner if you need guidance on what these amounts should be.

Section 1: What to do in SBCP:

1. Click on Reports
2. Click on COVID-19 TERS Export
3. Click on UIF – Temporary Employer / Employee Relief Scheme:
   
4. Enter a Shutdown From date
5. Enter a Shutdown To date
6. Select which employees you wish to include
7. Click on the drop down for your Preferred payment medium and select either:
   • Payment to Employee (Please refer to our detailed guide here)
   • Payment to Employer (Please refer to our detailed guide here)
   • Payment to Council (Please refer to our detailed guide here)
8. Once you have made your selection click on Preview:
   
9. As with any report in SBCP, you can now select to print this report to excel by selecting Xlsx from the drop down and then pressing the save Icon:
   
10. You will now be able to save your TERS file as an Excel sheet to your Downloads folder or any preferred directory:
    

Note: This file needs to be generated in every cycle within your company and will display for all employees except for independent contractor, labour broker and Personal Service Providers.

Section 2: What to do on your Computer

Make sure ALL other programs are currently closed on your machine.

1. Click on Start
2. Type in Control Panel
3. Click on Region (Windows 8 and Windows 10) or Region and Language (Windows 7)
4. Click on Additional Settings:
   
5. In the Numbers tab, change the List Separator to | (Pipe)
6. Click on Apply
   
7. Click on OK
8. You can now close the Region Screen

Section 3: What to do on the Excel Sheet:

You can now locate and open the Excel Sheet that you just saved.  You will have to enter the missing information on the Excel Sheet, it is important to note that all fields marked with a * is mandatory and needs to be completed:

1. The Excel sheet will open in a protected view, please click on Enable editing to gain access to make changes to the sheet:
   
2. Change the Remuneration column (Column K) to display as a general input.
   1. Right click on column K and select Format Cells
   2. Click on General
   3. Click on OK
3. Check that the Monthly Remuneration (Column K) for all employees and adjust if necessary – Do not enter a currency identifier or use any space or comma separators (Example: 26000.90 is acceptable, 26 000.90, 26,000.90, 26000,90 or R26000.90 is NOT acceptable).
4. Complete the Sector Minimum Wage (Column N) for all employees – Do not enter a currency identifier or use any space or comma separators (Example: 26000.90 is acceptable, 26 000.90, 26,000.90, 26000,90 or R26000.90 is NOT acceptable).
5. Complete the Remuneration during Shut Down (Column O) for all employees – Do not enter a currency identifier or use any space or comma separators (Example: 26000.90 is acceptable, 26 000.90, 26,000.90, 26000,90 or R26000.90 is NOT acceptable).
6. If you have selected ‘Payment to Council’ or ‘Payment to Employer’ as your preferred payment method, you will have to fill in the Bank Name, Branch Code, Account Type and Account Number fields as well. Please refer to the detailed guides for more information.
7. Confirm all information is correct, all columns marked with * is mandatory and should be accurately completed.
8. Confirm that all the employees have been exported.
9. Don’t remove any columns from this file – if the information required for a specific field is not available to you, leave the field blank.
10. Once you are satisfied that all is correct, remove line 2 in your excel sheet by right clicking on the line identifier and selecting delete:
    
11. Once the headings have been removed you can click on File, Save As and select a directory where to save the file to.
12. It is important that you save the file with the correct Name and as the correct type:
    1. File Name
       The format for the file name is set by the department of labour as Example: Ex- if the uifregistrationnumber is 00000001/2 and date of sending file is 15-04-2020 and this is the first file you are sending then use 1 as unique file number then your file name will read: 000000012_15Apr2020_01:
       
    2. File Type: The file type needs to be set as CSV (Comma delimited):
       
13. Once your File name is in the correct format you have selected your file type as CSV (Comma Delimited) you can click on Save.

Section 4: Submit your application:

Please note that employers must apply for TERS online at: https://uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19/

Employers can no longer apply for TERS via email.

Application procedure:

• The employers shall apply by reporting their closure to email box [email protected] and there shall be an automatic response outlining the application process.
• Employers must then register and apply online.
• The employer shall be required to furnish the Fund with the following documents (all documents submitted will be subject to verification):
  • Confirmation of bank account details in the form of a latest bank statement which must be uploaded by the employer.
  • Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) – the online system will automatically provide the latest MOA, which must be accepted by the employer.
  • Letter of undertaking – the online system will automatically provide the latest letter of undertaking which must be accepted by the employer.
  • CSV file in the prescribed format that will require critical information from the employer- when the employer submits online, the employer has the option to upload the CSV file or manually load employees by completing the required fields.

Other Resources:

• A guide specific to generating the TERS file for payment to employee can be found here.
• A guide specific to generating the TERS file for payment to employer can be found here.
• A guide specific to generating the TERS file for payment to the council can be found here.
• For more information regarding the COVID TERS Benefits Easy AID for employers, click here to be redirected to the department of labours website.
• The Labour department’s guide on how to create a pipe Csv and other documents can be found here:
• View Sage’s FAQ regarding the COVID-19 Tax Relief Measures affecting Payroll here:
  COVID-19_Relief_Measures_Affecting_Payroll_V3.pdf

Disclaimer:

The DoEL (Department of Employment and Labour) has not provided final clarity on all the fields in the C19-TERS (referred to as TERS) submission file, and therefore this file is subject to change. Explanations are based on our current interpretation and the latest information received from the DoEL.

This export report will give you flexibility with regards to the content that will be exported to your TERS file and will create the TERS file according to the sample provided by DoEL as on 11 April 2020.

It is your responsibility to confirm the correctness of the data to be submitted to the DoEL (Department of Employment and Labour). Ensure all relevant documentation is completed as per the autoreply email from UIF: [email protected]