HEART/NSTA Trust, in plain English.

Three percent. That is the entire rate. And yet payroll teams across Jamaica get this levy wrong every month, in both directions, because the threshold is the real rule, not the percentage.

The HEART/NSTA Trust is not due unless total monthly payroll clears approximately J$292,300. Below that, the employer owes nothing for the period. No partial contribution. Nothing.

What the levy actually funds.

The Human Employment and Resource Training Trust finances vocational training and workforce development across Jamaica. The levy is employer-only. Nothing appears on an employee pay stub, no deduction, no withholding, no worker contribution of any kind.

When total monthly payroll does exceed J$292,300, the employer owes 3 percent of the full payroll amount. Not just the excess above the floor. The full amount. And the obligation is entirely the employer's.

How the numbers work.

Take a Jamaica payroll of J$600,000 in a given month. That is J$18,000 owed to the Trust by the 14th on the S01 return. Run the same company at J$280,000 in a quieter month. Below the threshold. The employer owes nothing.

That swing matters for any business with seasonal headcount, casual workers, or a variable month. The payroll engine has to check the threshold before it does anything else.

How remittance is filed.

Employers remit monthly on the S01 return, due by the 14th. When payroll clears the threshold, the 3 percent is applied to total payroll and the return is submitted by the employer directly to the Trust.

Where audits find errors.

• Paying when the threshold is not met. Applying 3 percent to a J$250,000 payroll month is a real overpayment. Small operations with variable headcount overpay regularly because their system never checks the floor before calculating.
• Deducting from employees. HEART/NSTA is an employer cost. Any deduction from employee net pay is incorrect and not consistent with the statute.
• Applying the rate to a partial payroll figure. HEART/NSTA is assessed on total payroll for the period. Narrowing the base understates the correct amount owed.
• Missing the 14th. The S01 is due on the 14th. Late submission creates a compliance gap, regardless of how small the underlying levy is.

How Workzoom handles the calculation.

Full Jamaica payroll, including HEART/NSTA, is on our roadmap, and we are scoping it now with launch partners; contact us about Jamaica payroll and your timelines. The rule is to test total monthly payroll against the J$292,300 threshold before applying the 3 percent rate. Below the floor, the levy is zero. Above it, 3 percent is calculated on total payroll.

The employer owns the submission. That is the right division of responsibility.