The following is the News flash 2023-02 published by the PAGSA on January 30, 2023 regarding the UIF E03 Specification Revision project

UIF E03 SPECIFICATION REVISION PROJECT

Background

Employers, payroll suppliers, and the Unemployment Isurance Fund experienced many problems during the TERS period of 2020 and 2021, followed rapidly by more problems resulting from the surprise introduction of the Electronic Compliance Certificate system in January 2021 that was then temporarily withdrawn in April 2022.

Despite many emails and attempts to discuss these problems during this period, communication with the Fund was not satisfactory.

However I am happy to say that towards the end of 2022, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and the PAGSA agreed to re-establish regular meetings, and in a meeting held on 1 December 2022 this process was formalised.

It was agreed that the regular meetings between the Fund and the PAGSA that we experienced over the past 25 years would be re-established and we have already had two meetings in January 2023.

Revision of the E03 Specification

The purpose of these meetings is to revise the E03 specification document so that payrolls can provide the Fund with the additional employee data that the Fund needsto be able to record employee remuneration accurately under certain circumstances, and to issue E-Compliance Certificates correctly in certain scenarios.

The Road Ahead

Two PAGSA task teams have been set up to research some problematic aspects of remuneration declaration, as well as investigating possible technical changes to Ufiling.

You will be advised of progress as the investigation proceeds.

In the meantime, it would be best to make provision in your payroll development schedule for the second half of 2023 for possible changes to the UIF E03 declaration specification.