NIS to train employers about online submissions

The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) will be hosting a two-day training exercise this week for employers or accounts personnel with the intent of teaching them to make submissions online.
The sessions will be conducted free of charge, between August 22 and 23, 2019, at NIS Brickdam, Georgetown Roof Garden.
In an interview with this publication on Monday the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dianne Baxter, explained, “We are encouraging the employers to submit contributions using the internet so it’s those persons who are involved in that process there we are doing training with and giving them a soft copy of whatever it is that is required for them to do the submission”.
She further noted that a soft copy of the schedule will be given to the trainees to guide them in uploading and preparing their documents for NIS contributions.
The introduction of this, Baxter said, will aid in reducing the amount of paper stored at the agency. It will also reduce time wastage and help in the data cleansing process. “It ensures that the information that they have on their system is in sync with what we have at NIS. That deals with correct names, matching of names, NIS numbers and so on, so once everything is okay there will be no rejection when they go to send the information via the internet”.
Although data will be shared with NIS through this process, Baxter was keen to note that actual payments will still be made at the office.
She informed that NIS is working on its online payment process and is, in fact, testing that system out.
For now, the PRO said employers still have the option of sharing information with the agency via flash drive or CD. “Those who haven’t attended the training, we will still accept paperwork but we are just trying to give several options,” she said. Baxter added that the focus is to have all businesses come on board with this venture, however, there still are a few persons, who prefer to do actual paperwork, that NIS is trying to convince.
Using this online system, employers would send NIS a copy of their schedule with their cheques so that it can be stamped. An electronic receipt or acknowledgement saying that they would have received the contributions will also be sent via the internet.
The PRO noted that they are hoping to introduce this system at local offices around the country and not just in Georgetown.
So far, she said, businesses have already begun responding to the training.
This would be the fourth round of training being conducted by NIS for the year in this regard.
Back in April, the electronic mode of data transfer for employers, which will reduce the long waiting time and resources, was launched.