{"id":1991,"date":"2020-07-24T13:58:33","date_gmt":"2020-07-24T03:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/?p=1991"},"modified":"2024-02-01T20:29:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T09:29:05","slug":"jobkeeper-extended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/jobkeeper-extended\/","title":{"rendered":"JobKeeper extended to March 2021 with adjusted eligibility and reduced payments"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/compliance\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Compliance<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJobKeeper extended to March 2021 with adjusted eligibility and reduced payments\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-07-24T13:58:33+10:00\">July 24, 2020<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"JobKeeper extended to March 2021 with adjusted eligibility and reduced payments\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/jobkeeper-extended\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/author\/stephenduncan\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/Stephen-Duncan-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/Stephen-Duncan-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/02\/Stephen-Duncan.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Stephen Duncan<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">On 21 July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the JobKeeper wage subsidy will be extended by six months to March 2021, with lower payment rates and additional eligibility testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The extension will support eligible businesses \u2013 including sole-traders \u2013 and not-for-profits which continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19. It comes after a Treasury review found a \u201cstrong case\u201d to extend JobKeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Since launching on April 8, the $1500 per fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy is currently paid to 960,000 employers, who pass the payment onto 3.5 million employees. The Treasury estimates the number of employees covered will fall to 1.4 million by Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-will-the-jobkeeper-payment-rate-change\"><strong>How will the JobKeeper payment rate change?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There will be two extension periods, each introducing a lower payment rate for employees. The first will run from 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021 and the second from 4 January 2021 to 28 March 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Two tiers of JobKeeper will also be introduced for employees, based on hours worked in the four weeks before 1 March or 1 July 2020. The eligibility rules for employees remain unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">From 28 September 2020, employees who worked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>20 or more hours per week will receive $1,200 per fortnight, decreasing to $1,000 per fortnight from 4 January to 28 March 2021.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fewer than 20 hours per week will receive $750 per fortnight, decreasing to $650 per fortnight from 4 January to 28 March 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">eBook: Guide to payroll compliance 2021 <\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Download our ebook to get up to speed on the 3 biggest compliance obligations facing Australian businesses in the coming year. You'll also learn 5 tips to help stay on top of ever-changing compliance obligations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-28f5c7d8-ee3c-4114-8377-b9f746dea91e\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download eBook<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-842849562-1214x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-842849562-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-adjusted-eligibility-requirements\"><strong>What are the adjusted eligibility requirements?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Businesses (including sole-traders) and not-for-profits will need to reapply for JobKeeper at the end of September and again in January, proving that their turnover has significantly declined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To be eligible for JobKeeper from 28 September, you need to demonstrate a decline in turnover in the three months to the end of September 2020, compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To be eligible from 4 January to 28 March 2021, you need to demonstrate a decline in turnover in the three months to the end of December 2020,&nbsp;compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The decline in turnover required remains the same as existing rules, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>30 percent for those with an aggregated turnover of $1 billion or less; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15 percent for not-for-profits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Please visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ato.gov.au\/general\/jobkeeper-payment\/jobkeeper-extension-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Treasury site<\/a> for more information on JobKeeper extension eligibility requirements and payment rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-are-you-prepared-for-a-possible-jobkeeper-audit\"><strong>Are you prepared for a possible JobKeeper audit?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While the ATO has committed to taking an \u201cunderstanding and sympathetic\u201d approach to JobKeeper compliance, it has made it clear it will \u201cconduct compliance and audit activities to ensure the JobKeeper Payment is passed on to employees, as well as to swiftly and effectively address attempted fraud and any other abuse of the scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Tracking JobKeeper payments through Single Touch Payroll (STP) is one of the main ways the ATO will ensure employers are compliant. In addition to a range of data-matching tools, STP will allow the ATO to identify when an employer has made over or under payments, incorrectly declared how many employees they are applying for, or when they have not correctly nominated employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s therefore essential for every business to double check its eligibility for JobKeeper, as well as for its employees. It\u2019s also critical for businesses to maintain documentation and records substantiating information they provided to the ATO in their JobKeeper applications, and to have these documents available in the event of an audit by the ATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">According to the Treasury, businesses \u201care required to retain records to allow any information provided to the Tax Commissioner to be verified for five years after it is provided in relation to a payment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can find further guidance from the ATO on its Jobkeeper integrity measures <a href=\"https:\/\/treasury.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-04\/Fact_sheet_Protecting_integrity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">eBook: Guide to payroll compliance 2021 <\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Download our ebook to get up to speed on the 3 biggest compliance obligations facing Australian businesses in the coming year. You'll also learn 5 tips to help stay on top of ever-changing compliance obligations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-28f5c7d8-ee3c-4114-8377-b9f746dea91e\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download eBook<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-842849562-1214x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-842849562-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 21 July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the JobKeeper wage subsidy will be extended by six months to March 2021, with lower payment rates and additional eligibility testing. The extension will support eligible businesses \u2013 including sole-traders \u2013 and not-for-profits which continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19. It comes after a Treasury [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":971,"featured_media":3363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,75],"tags":[256,143,181,236],"business_type":[10,9],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[102,103,99],"imagine_tag":[255,65,40,48,31,24,39,38,44],"coauthors":[291],"class_list":["post-1991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-compliance","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-business-continuity","tag-compliance","tag-payroll","tag-payroll-compliance","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-au","author_name":"Stephen Duncan","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1329013231.jpg","imagine_tags":{"255":"Business continuity","65":"HR and Payroll","40":"Mid-sized business","48":"News","31":"Non profit","24":"Payroll software","39":"Small business","38":"Start up business","44":"Support"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Australia","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/3363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=1991"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}