The government has introduced changes to the JobKeeper payment.  The new rules have now been registered and are effective from 3 August 2020.

The changes to these rules include:

• Employees’ eligibility for the JobKeeper Payment can now be assessed from 1 July 2020, rather than 1 March 2020.  This will apply to the following employees:
  • newly employed between these dates;
  • casuals who now meet the definition of long term casual employee (>12months); or
  • other situations regarding employee age or residency/visa status.
• The “one in, all in” rules still applies therefore employers will need to advise employees of their participation in the scheme and provide an Employee Nomination Notice to the employee for completion.  Employees can now be nominated by new employers if their employment has changed since the JobKeeper Payment began, noting that employees can still only be nominated by one employer at any given time.
  
• Employers have until 31 August 2020 to meet the wage condition (i.e. pay employees $1,500 per payroll fortnight) for new eligible employees under the 1 July eligibility test for:
  • Fortnight 10 – commencing 3 August, and
  • Fortnight 11 – commencing 17 August 2020.

Businesses can claim reimbursement, for their new eligible employees between 1 and 14 September 2020, when they lodge their August monthly declaration.

Further announcements on the extension to JobKeeper are subject to the passage of legislation by the Australian Government.  We will update you in due course.