Fund begins Phase 3 payout

More than 13,000 Fiji National Provident Fund members will receive their first payment today for Phase 3 of the COVID-19 withdrawal, which is specifically for members who are still employed but on reduced pay.

A total of $3.3 million will be paid out to these members – $2.46 million paid by the Fund and $863,961 paid by Government.

Chief executive officer Jaoji Koroi said these members would be paid according to their current working arrangement.

“Phase 3 is aimed at supplementing these members’ income which would have decreased due to the reduction in their hours or wage rate.”

“We understand that for some members, both their wage rate and hours have been reduced, so it then becomes a matter of selecting the right option for them. These members and their employers will have to discuss and agree on the category that is applicable before submitting applications.”

“We continue to stress the importance of being honest with these withdrawals and ensuring that you are choosing the correct option,” said Mr. Koroi.

myFNPF mobile app temporarily unavailable

Due to recent policy changes by both Google and Apple, the Fund is encountering delays in updating the myFNPF mobile app that was recently enhanced to accommodate the new requirements for Phase 2 Round2.

This has also led to the temporary unavailability of the myFNPF app on Google Play Store for Android users.

Mr Koroi says that the Fund is corresponding with Google to rectify the situation and to hopefully have the mobile app back online on Play Store soon.

“We do apologize for this delay because we know that a lot of members would have been looking forward to submitting their applications this week on the mobile app.”

“We acknowledge that IT solutions are a great enabler to our core business but we always need to have contingency plans in place especially in this type of environment,” Mr Koroi added.

The Fund confirms that there are two other options currently available to members to lodge their Phase 2Round 2 applications:

1. Through their previous/current employer – to lodge their application on the Employer Portal

2. Lodge at the nearest FNPF office – FNPF staff will assist in the onboarding and application submission for members.

First-time applicants for Phase 2 Round 2, must ensure that they also provide a letter of unemployment (termination) from their most recent employer.

The first payment cycle for Phase 2 Round 2 is scheduled for Tuesday 1 September 2020. To be included in the cycle, members must submit their applications by Friday 28 August 2020.

With this minor setback, the Fund is once again urging employers to help members that are approaching them for lodgment on the portal as they also play a key role in the COVID-19 withdrawal process.

Members that qualify for Phase 4 will receive lump sump payments between $100 to $1,100, depending on their General Account balance. Applications can be submitted from 31 August.