Non-payment of pension contributions

In terms of the Financial Services Laws Amendment Act 2013, signed into law in January, convicted employers can face a fine of up to R10 million and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

According to Sanlam Umbrella Fund principal officer Kobus Hanekom, while the new legislation should be welcomed since it will better protect fund members, it does constitute a significant business risk for employers, especially the owners of smaller businesses.

The revised Act stipulates that "every director who is regularly involved in the management of the company's overall financial affairs" will now be personally liable for the payment of fund contributions. Retirement funds are required to request employers to identify such persons, failing which all the directors will be personally liable. In the case of a closed corporation (CC), liability will rest with the members who are regularly involved in the CC's financial affairs, and in other firms, with members of the governing body who are involved in the firm's finances.

"We agree that pension contributions should enjoy special protection. However, we believe that all the implications of the legislation have not yet been fully considered. For example, what will be the implications be for financial directors who cannot pay the contributions purely because there are insufficient funds in the company account? If inability to pay will constitute a legal excuse, under what circumstances will they be excused? We may speculate, but ultimately we'll have to wait and see how our courts will interpret these rules."

Hanekom says creative solutions are required by retirement funds to assist employers in managing the business risk posed by the new legislation, and the Sanlam Umbrella Fund has already taken measures in this regard. "In what may well be an industry first, we have amended our rules and introduced a temporary suspension of participation arrangement for participating employers. It offers finance officers a six-month window period to manage the situation a little better."

He says the fund rules previously only allowed for employers to terminate participation in the fund. "This is a final and drastic measure, especially if the employer believes the cash flow concerns are of a temporary nature. We also understand that smaller employers are more often exposed to temporary periods of cash flow constraint, and creative ways must be found to assist them."

If retirement fund contributions in respect of any month remain outstanding on the 15th of the second month following that month, the employe's participation in the fund will be suspended in terms of the fund's rules. The fund will communicate the temporary suspension to the employer, who will then have the option of either immediate termination if a financial recovery is unlikely, or a six-month suspension if the employer believes it will recover financially.

It is important to note, however, that if an employer is in arrears, group risk benefits such as death and disability cover may cease. Should a claim arise during this time, the fund will not be in a position to pay the insured benefits and members may sue the employer for any damages suffered. An unapproved policy will thus have to be secured during the suspension period.

"We introduced this new option to protect our members from loss, but also to assist employers to adjust to, and navigate the new risks. Temporary suspension will, however, still have a significant impact on members, and it will need to be managed very carefully,"Hanekom concludes.