Many employers have employees that potentially qualify for the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) but disqualify themselves from claiming the benefit by overscheduling employees, effectively pushing them over the maximum salary limit required by the ETI. These are lost ETI benefit opportunities and can run into millions of rands in unrealised benefits for large companies. PRP Solutions’ Honeycomb platform, with its employee scheduling and planning tool, identifies potential ETI candidates and assists planners to avoid the over-planning that results in the employee being disqualified from an ETI claim.

The ETI scheme allows South African employers to claim a PAYE tax rebate for employees between the ages of 18 and 29 years, earning a gross salary of less than   R6 500 per month. The scheme is aimed at boosting the employment of young work seekers. “Our Honeycomb management portal enables the employer to maximise their ETI benefit by ensuring that any employee who potentially qualifies for the ETI benefit is not disqualified from this through planning too many shifts or hours,” explains Kriya Govender, CEO, PRP Solutions.

The Honeycomb Management Enablement portal is a cloud-based solution that automates different personnel management and administrative tasks. It also integrates with the employer’s payroll and HR systems. It enables real-time, agile and highly efficient management of employees.

While an employer’s payroll system usually ensures tax compliance, the Honeycomb solution can provide an early warning if inefficient planning will disqualify a candidate from ETI later, when the payroll is run. “The rules in the Honeycomb system ensure that calculations for payroll are compliant with labour regulations, sectoral determinations, company policies and employment contracts. The platform’s planning tools also ensure that requirements are met in terms of rest periods and maximum hours of work,” elaborates Govender.

Noting the high level of unemployment among the youth, Govender reiterates the value of work experience – and the ETI scheme – as a contributor to future employment. PRP Solutions is playing its part, offering a number of learnership and graduate internship programmes for young entrants to the job market. And the company’s Honeycomb platform enables its customers to make the most of the ETI benefits.  “By enabling employers to maximise their benefit from the ETI, PRP Solutions maximises the value of the incentive and hence supports the overall scheme in maximising youth employment opportunities,” concludes Govender.