One of the primary benefits offered to workers saving as participants of the Public Housing Savings (Tapera) is the refund of funds. The Tapera Fund Management Agency (BP Tapera) is tasked with returning the principal savings and any accrued interest when a participant’s membership ends. This occurs when a worker retires, an independent worker reaches 58 years of age, the participant dies, or the participant fails to meet the eligibility criteria for five consecutive years.
In 2021, however, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) identified several significant issues within BP Tapera concerning these refunds. Detailed in a report titled “Compliance Audit Report on the Management of Public Housing Savings Funds (Tapera) and Operational Costs for 2020 and 2021 at BP Tapera and Other Relevant Institutions in DKI Jakarta, North Sumatra, Lampung, Central Java, D.I. Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali,” the audit exposed considerable discrepancies.
The Specific Purpose Audit (DTT) report revealed that 124,960 Tapera participants had not received refunds amounting to Rp 567,457,735,810. This was identified after BPK’s team cross-checked data with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) and PT Taspen (Persero). Despite their membership having ended due to retirement or death by the third quarter of 2021, these participants were still listed as active. This included 25,764 deceased participants with total balances of Rp 91,035,338,854, and 99,196 retired participants with total balances of Rp 476,422,396,956. “Consequently, 124,960 retired civil servants or their heirs were unable to access refunds totaling Rp 567,457,735,810,” BPK stated. Verification with five employers through spot-checks confirmed the deceased or retired status of 191 participants, supported by retirement decrees or payment termination letters (SKPP). However, employers had not updated these statuses, preventing participants from receiving their refunds. Additionally, BP Tapera’s standard refund process requires participants to update their account numbers.
In an interview with the Director of Operational Mobilization, it was revealed that BP Tapera’s processes are reliant on data updates from employers through a portal to reflect status changes. Without these updates, participant data remains unchanged. BP Tapera stated that it had conducted outreach programs on data updates, including mechanisms for status changes. However, the sheer volume of data and the number of participants to be processed by employers, coupled with resource limitations, could lead to inaccuracies or delays.
In conclusion, the BPK audit underscores significant administrative shortcomings within BP Tapera, impacting numerous participants and emphasizing the need for enhanced data management and inter-agency coordination to ensure rightful and timely refunds are processed.