Sunday, October 25, 2026
The National Housing Trust’s 2026 refund instructions say contributors can receive their money only through direct bank deposits. Applications for refunds of 2018 contributions opened on January 1, must go through the Trust’s official online channels, and correctly completed claims carry a processing standard of 15 working days.
The catch is for Jamaicans abroad. As recently as January 2025, NHT guidance reported by JIS said refunds could also be collected through a remittance agency, including by overseas contributors without active Jamaican accounts. That option no longer appears, the Trust has not said why it was dropped, and its refund information does not say whether any arrangement exists for exceptional overseas cases. The entitlement has not been cancelled, but if the only road home runs through a Jamaican bank account, how does a contributor without one collect money already due?
On a rainy night among brick terraced houses abroad, an older Jamaican couple squint at a phone map whose screen reads “NO JA BANK”. Beside them a signpost bristles with arrows pointing every which way: “BANK ONLY” one way, “NO REMITTANCE” the other, and “2018 REFUND” up towards somewhere they cannot reach.
Read more: NHT Refunds Go Bank-Only as Overseas Jamaicans Seek Clarity
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