Job Keeper

In this video I demonstrate Job Keeper. Or more correctly how to process your Single Touch Payroll (STP) payments so that the ATO knows the employee is getting Job Keeper.

IMPORTANT: There is more to the process than just the STP payroll processing, you need to enrol for it and need to complete a form to get authorsed to claim from the employee and need to lodge something at the end of the month. Please consult the ATO website for the full steps here: https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/employers/enrol-and-apply-for-the-jobkeeper-payment/#RegisterfortheJobKeeperpayment

Update: If you have processed pays since 30 Mar and of course you have then you just add the JOBKEEPER-START-FN01 code to your current pay (using the fortnight number of when they are first eligible). And you also top up the current pay so that the first 2 fortnights are a minimum of $3000 gross. For monthly pays see below (I'll put a message the the bottom of this page).

The allowance description for the job keeper top up allowance is: JOBKEEPER-TOPUP

These are the job keeper start fortnight codes. Note that you report the fortnight that the employee first get's Job Keeper so if you are doing the pay on 24 April but the employee is getting Job Keeper from the beginning your report JOBKEEPER-START-FN01.

Also note that when topping up to $1500 per fortnight the pay is considered to be in the fortnight based on the pay day.

If the employee's entitlement to Job Keeper ends, then specify the finish fortnight in the same way as the start fortnight but set up a tax code with the appropriate below allowance description.

Note that the employee does NOT get Job Keeper in the finish fortnight.

1. You need to enrol for Job Keeper. This is from 20 April and there is more information on the ATO here: https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/employers/enrol-and-apply-for-the-jobkeeper-payment/#RegisterfortheJobKeeperpayment

Important: You and the employee need to complete a form that records that the employee has agreed that you can claim the Job Keeper for them: https://www.ato.gov.au/Forms/JobKeeper-payment---employee-nomination-notice/

2. You need to repoort the information using STP as described in the video. Basically you set up an allowance with the description in the above table that indicates when the employee becomes entitled to Job Keeper. You pay $0 to this allowance so that it gets reported to the ATO.

If you pay less than $1500 in a fortnight you need to top up the payment. You do this by paying an allowance as described in the video and use the alllowance description JOBKEEPER-TOPUP

If the entitlement finishes you put through an allowance the same as the start allowance for $0 but use the allowance description JOBKEEPER-FINISH-FNXX where XX is the finish fortnight. The finish fortnight is the first fortnight that they don't get it.

3. At the end of the month you log into the business portal and put it the declaration.

The full steps are available here: https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/employers/enrol-and-apply-for-the-jobkeeper-payment/#RegisterfortheJobKeeperpayment

From the ATO:

Pay at least $1500 for each full Job Keeper fortnight within the month. This will be $3000 for each month except August. The employer may choose to pay $3250 each month, but reimbursements are based only upon complete fortnights per month.

Glen's recommendation:

I don't know exactly how this all works as it's brand new but, I'd make sure the monthly pay day is before the end of the last completed Job Keeper fortnight in the month. That should not be a problem as normlly monthly staff are paid for the month mid way through it. You can choose to pay the min $3000 each month and $4500 in August. The ATO has said you can stick to $3250 per month and if so the ATO will pay the Job Keeper based on completed fortnights including the 3 fortnights in August.

It should be noted that work out differently E.g. if you are normally paying $3200 per month, topping up to $3250 is cheaper than topping up by $1300 just in August. So work out which way you are going to go before 26 April and stick to that.