JobKeeper 2.0

** The current JobKeeper scheme remains in place, as originally advised, until 27 September 2020. **

Legislation was passed on 3 September 2020 to extend the JobKeeper payment to 28 March 2021.  The eligibility and administration details of the JobKeeper extension were released, in part, by the ATO on 4 September 2020.

Rates of pay

 
From 28 September 2020, the rate of JobKeeper Payment will depend on the number of hours an eligible employee works or an eligible business participant is actively engaged in the business.  It will be split into two rates:

Tier 1 rate

This rate is expected to apply to:

  • Eligible employees who worked for 80 hours or more in the four pay periods before either 1 March 2020 or 1 July 2020; and
  • Eligible business participants who were actively engaged in the business for 80 hours or more in February and provide a declaration to that effect

Tier 2 rate

This rate is expected to apply to:

  • Any other eligible employees and eligible business participants.

Extension 1 - 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021

Eligibility

 
To be eligible to receive payments under the first JobKeeper extension period between 28 September 2020 and 3 January 2021, businesses need to show a decline in their actual turnover of 30% or more for the September 2020 quarter only (compared to the September 2019 quarter).  A business may be eligible for JobKeeper payments during this period even if they haven’t been eligible for earlier JobKeeper payments.
 

The decline in turnover is calculated by reference to the actual GST turnover for the relevant quarter.

Fortnightly payment rate

If your business meets the eligibility criteria for JobKeeper Extension 1, the payment rates are as follows:

  • Tier 1 employees: $1,200 per fortnight (before tax)
  • Tier 2 employees: $750 per fortnight (before tax)

Extension 2 - 4 January 2021 to 28 March 2021

Eligibility

 
To be eligible to receive payments under the second JobKeeper extension period between 4 January 2021 and 28 March 2021, businesses need to show a decline in their actual turnover of 30% or more for the December 2020 quarter only (compared to the December 2019 quarter).  A business may be eligible for JobKeeper payments during this period even if they haven’t been eligible for earlier JobKeeper payments.
 
The decline in turnover is calculated by reference to the actual GST turnover for the relevant quarters.
 

Fortnightly payment rate

If your business meets the eligibility criteria for JobKeeper Extension 2, the payment rates are as follows:

  • Tier 1 employees: $1,000 per fortnight (before tax)
  • Tier 2 employees: $650 per fortnight (before tax)

Employee eligibility

From 3 August 2020, the reference date for assessing which employees are eligible for the JobKeeper payment is now 1 July 2020. This will increase the employee eligibility for the existing scheme and the extended JobKeeper scheme.

The reference period for employees regarding their hours worked (to determine their tier of JobKeeper payment) will be the four weeks of pay periods prior to 1 March 2020 and 1 July 2020.  The period with the higher number of hours is used for employees who were eligible at 1 March 2020.

The Commissioner of Taxation will have discretion to set out alternative tests where an employee or business participant’s hours were not usual during the February and/or June 2020 reference period.

In summary, employees are eligible in the extension period if they satisfy all of the following conditions:

  • are currently employed by an eligible employer;
  • were either:
    • Full time, part-time or fixed-term employee as at 1 July 2020; or
    • A long-term casual employee (employed on a regular or systematic basis for at least 12 months) as at 1 July 2020 and not a permanent employee of any other employer.
  • were aged 18 years or older as at 1 July 2020 (if you were 16 or 17 you can also qualify if you are independent or not undertaking full time study);
  • were an Australian resident (within the meaning of the Social Security Act or the Income Tax Assessment Act) or a holder of a Subclass 444 (Special Category) visa as at 1 March 2020; and
  • did not receive any of the following payments during the JobKeeper fortnight:
    • Parental leave or Dad and partner pay under the Paid Parental Leave Act 2020
    • Workers compensation payment for total incapacity for work.

Decline in turnover calculation

For most businesses that are registered for GST, the “turnover” used to calculate the decline in turnover will be your sales reported at G1 on your BAS minus the GST payable reported at 1A on your BAS.

The Commissioner of Taxation may also set out alternative turnover tests where it is not appropriate to compare actual turnover in 2020 to actual turnover in 2019.

What do you need to do now?

If you are already registered for the current JobKeeper program, you will need to undertake the following steps:

  1. Ensure any outstanding activity statements are lodged prior to 30 September 2020.
  2. On 1 October 2020 and 1 January 2021, review the turnover for the September 2020/December 2020 quarter to see if you meet the 30% decline in turnover test (if you do not meet this test, you will not be eligible for the JobKeeper extension).
  3. Review your employees to determine:
    • Whether they are eligible for the JobKeeper payment; and
    • If they are eligible, whether they qualify for Tier 1 or Tier 2 payment.
  4. Notify the ATO what payment rate applies to each of your eligible employees and eligible business participants (this is likely to be via your STP system).
  5. Ensure the minimum fortnightly payments are made to your employees and declared to the ATO via Single Touch Payroll.
If you are not already registered for the current JobKeeper program but become eligible for one (or both) of the Extension periods, you will also need to register your business and eligible employees for JobKeeper.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, neither TJN Accountants nor any member or employee of TJN Accountants accepts any responsibility for any loss, however caused, as a result of reliance on this general information. We recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas. The article is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information. Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without our consent.