JobKeeper Payment Government Initiative in AU

Owned by Infinet Support
Last updated: Jun 03, 2020
9 min read

Update 02/06/2020 pm

In order to receive payment of the JobKeeper subsidy after you have completed all of the Steps within Infinet Cloud and reported via STP you must still make a monthly declaration to the ATO.  Step 2 in the ATO portal is to Identify and maintain your eligible employees so this still happens as part of the monthly declaration.  We have sent them the information however you must still confirm it is correct.  

They will also ask you to reconfirm your business participant details and your eligible employees. You will also need to provide information about your GST turnover for the reported month and projected GST turnover for the following month.

You must do this between the 1st to the 14th day of each month, to receive reimbursements for the JobKeeper payments you made to your eligible employees in the previous month.  Please see this link for full details in relation to the ATO Portal and their process.  https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/employers/enrol-for-the-jobkeeper-payment/?=redirected_URL#Step3Makeabusinessmonthlydeclaration

Update 7/05/2020 am

We have created two new pages to explain further how Start and Finish fortnights work and what to do if you need to make any corrections. 

AU JobKeeper Start and Finish Fortnights

AU JobKeeper Start and Finish Fortnight corrections

Please see this page for JobKeeper Processing Steps AU JobKeeper Automation Update

Update 28/04/2020 am

Last night, the ATO announced that employers now have until 8 May to ensure all eligible employees have been paid $1500 (before tax) for JobKeeper fortnights 1 and 2 (30 March – 12 April, 13 April – 26 April).
If employees are not paid by 8 May, employers will not be able to claim JobKeeper for the first two fortnights.
This extension date allows more time for employers to consider their circumstances and pay staff and still be eligible for those payments.
Employers have until 31 May 2020 to formally enrol to claim the JobKeeper payments for fortnights 1 and 2, however, the sooner an employer pays their staff for those April fortnights and enrols, the sooner the ATO can reimburse them the JobKeeper payments.

Update 27/4/2020 Midday

In case you missed it, Treasury have announced the following changes.....good luck!  https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/josh-frydenberg-2018/media-releases/jobkeeper-update

Up to you to read fully and action accordingly but the 2 major ones that may impact what you have done already are below.....if you have any questions on this please contact ATO or Treasury. 


‘One in, all in’ principle:  Once an employer decides to participate in the JobKeeper scheme and their eligible employees have agreed to be nominated by the employer, the employer must ensure that all of these eligible employees are covered by their participation in the scheme. This includes all eligible employees who are undertaking work for the employer or have been stood down. The employer cannot select which eligible employees will participate in the scheme.  As noted in the explanatory statement to the existing rules, this ‘one in, all in’ principle is already a key feature of the scheme and will be made clearer in the rules.


Full time students aged 16 and 17 years old:  As noted in the explanatory statement to the existing rules, the benefit of the JobKeeper payment to workers over the age of 16 is justified for those who are financially independent and who require the security provided by participation in the JobKeeper scheme and the maintenance of the working relationship that it affords.  The rules will provide that full time students who are 17 years old and younger, and who are not financially independent, are not eligible for the JobKeeper Payment.  This clarification will apply prospectively, which would mean an eligible employer that has already met the wage condition of paying such an employee $1,500 for a fortnight could be entitled to a JobKeeper Payment in arrears for that fortnight.

Update 20/4/2020 am

We are currently finalising our automation update and will have further information on this page later today. Thanks for your patience. 

Update 14/04/2020 am

The ATO's reporting requirements for this initiative can be reviewed in the PDF STP and JobKeeper DSP factsheet.pdf  As an employer it is your responsibility to understand and comply with legislation. It is very important you fully understand this measure and your responsibilities. Failure to register with ATO and apply for the subsidy or report correctly to ATO may result in delays or prevent you from being reimbursed. From Monday 4 May, eligible employers may apply for the JobKeeper payment on the ATO Business Portal or Online services for agents. 


We still intend trying to automate some of this but to do that properly we need time to design, develop, test and release. The ATO have complicated this matter significantly with the STP reporting requirements that were released late Wednesday.  The update we had planned is insufficient to do this at this time.


In addition to the PDF above the key links we think you must minimally understand are below. 

https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-04/Fact_sheet_Info_for_Employers_2.pdf

https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-04/JobKeeper_frequently_asked_questions_2.pdf

https://www.ato.gov.au/general/gen/JobKeeper-payment/


So at this time you should take your own legal guidance if you feel you need to pay your employees the top up amount.  There is a possibility you will need to manually adjust anything you have done already or do prior to our automation if it does not meet the ATO requirements in the STP factsheet.

The ATO says :

"For the transition into the JobKeeper payment, the employer can retrospectively apply this payment for paydays on or after 30 March by the end of April."


Our intention is to automate the following in our update:

  • Automated creation of the relevant payroll sub types to be used in the STP reporting. 
    • AU Stand Down Leave
    • AU JobKeeper Payment with Super
    • AU JobKeeper Payment no Super
    • JOBKEEPER-START-FNxx
    • JOBKEEPER-FINISH-FNxx
  • Automated top up during payroll processing of taxable income to $1,500 Per fortnight equivalent for employees who are below the threshold based on the Payment type you select for each employee. (Essentially superable or not) It will be up to the employer if they want to pay superannuation on any additional wage paid because of the JobKeeper Payment.
  • Automated summary reporting via STP to use the correct description for either of the Jobkeeper Payment types regardless which one you choose to use.  (JOBKEEPER-TOPUP)
  • Automated creation of the STP reporting lines for JOBKEEPER-START-FNxx
  • Automatically include any employees who are eligible in the pay run initiate screen even if they don't have timesheets to process. Eg. Casuals who are set as "Pay from NetSuite time" wouldn't normally show. 


After the update you will need to:

  • Run a mass update on your eligible employees to set the required JobKeeper payment type to be used for that employee.  (Essentially superable or not)
  • Ensure any employees are on Stand down leave requests if appropriate. Stand Down Leave Setup
  • Process payroll for all eligible employees. 
  • Manually adjust termination pays to top-up as required. (There is no guidance on applying this to termination payouts)
  • Manually adjust anyone with a Salary Sacrifice whose taxable income is impacted. (There is no guidance on applying this to Sal Sacrifice at this time)
  • Manually add a Payslip detail line (JOBKEEPER-FINISH-FNxx) for any eligible employees who terminate or are no longer eligible within the 13 fortnights. 


So, how do you apply those requirements currently? Well they are news to all of us and we are still digesting so if possible we would suggest you wait for us to update our Knowledge base further or wait for our automation update to be released towards the end of this week....(We hope)



Until our automation update is ready, customers who choose to pay their employees the top up will need to do so manually. 

We can still push an update with the Stand down leave and JobKeeper payment sub types ONLY. Please email support@infinetcloud.com to request update 20.1.02-JK.  NB: There is no automation other than creating the sub types. The STP reporting will be incorrect but once we have done the full automation update, if customers use our sub types, then we can correct the descriptions and complete the other requirements.   

After the update, firstly ensure any employees are on Stand down leave requests if appropriate. Stand Down Leave Setup

The allowance top up can be added at "one-offs" during payroll processing or as a pay component. Payroll can use "show all employees" check box when they initiate a pay run to see casuals who wouldn't normally show if they don't have timesheets.  

Employees over $1500 per fortnight taxable income are processed as normal, the full automation update will ensure the ATO is notified of the JOBKEEPER-START-FNxx when their next pay is run. 



As I'm sure you can appreciate this is out of our control and we are doing our best to keep up with this as much as possible. Please be patient with our support staff, we are doing our best but are unable to respond fully to all queries, so you will likely be directed to our Knowledge base links when available. 




Update 10/4/2020 am

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you are able to spend some time with your close ones over this time and stay safe. 


WOW!!! The ATO dropped a bombshell on us yesterday with the STP reporting requirements for this legislation. See below for some light reading. This renders any attempt by us to get something out quickly pointless. So at this time we are reviewing and will likely post another update Tuesday am. 


STP and JobKeeper DSP factsheet.pdf



Update 9/4/2020 am

For those who need to process this today, Infinet Cloud Payroll update bundle now contains automated creation of the AU Stand Down Leave sub type and sub types for JobKeeper payments (with and without Super). The update will take about 10 minutes and can be pushed at any time. Please email support@infinetcloud.com to request update 20.1.02-JK . Further updates to follow as the legislation has now passed although no additional guidance from ATO or Treasury or FWA as yet. 

Update 06/04/2020 am

  • This measure is not yet law and the Federal Government is sitting Weds 8th to pass the law. It is expected to be unopposed. You should consult your own legal advice if you are wondering if you should enact this measure before the legislation is passed. 
  • Things are changing regularly in this difficult situation. The criteria on who this applies to appears to be being reviewed and may be expanded. https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-04/Fact_sheet_Info_for_Employers_0.pdf
  • The ATO has not provided guidance on how this should be processed although they indicated in a webinar the payment may be an Allowance with an STP category of Other. 
  • We are considering if we can automate the most basic requirement to simply top up an employees pay to $1500 per fortnight (Equivalent). If possible we will notify customers and we are likely to require that customers request this update via an online form. Additional complexities or other variations will need to be manually managed by customer. Customer will be responsible for updating impacted employees prior to processing payroll. 
  • Many variations and scenarios may exist which impact exactly how this is applied in the system which we may have never encountered before and currently have no guidance from ATO or FWA. Eg. (Salary Sacrifice, Leave, Part period and pro rata payments, Stand down leave)
  • Please be patient with our support staff who are doing their best to get their heads around this measure and the numerous other variations in payments we are now encountering. Support is experiencing higher than usual volumes of requests so non-urgent responses may be delayed. 
  • We are in the process of creating a new KB article on how we think this could be applied manually in the system based off what we know currently. Once that is available we will link to it here. 
  • If you read everything below you will be just as informed as us!


https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/jobkeeper

https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-04/JobKeeper_frequently_asked_questions_0.pdf



Webinar below from TAPS. www.payroll.com.au 



Under the JobKeeper Payment, businesses impacted by the coronavirus will be able to access a subsidy from the Government to continue paying their employees. Affected employers will be able to claim a fortnightly payment of $1,500 per eligible employee from 30 March 2020, for a maximum period of 6 months.


Please see links below for more information regarding this. As an employer it is your responsibility to understand and comply with legislation. Please ensure you read below to understand elegibility critieria for your company and your employees. 

Employer Obligations

To receive the JobKeeper Payment, employers must:

  • Apply at ato.gov.au and assess that they have or will likely experience the required turnover decline.
  • Provide information to the ATO on all eligible employees. This includes information on the eligible employees engaged as at 1 March 2020 and those currently employed by the business or not-for-profit (including those stood down or re-hired). For most businesses or not-for-profits, the ATO will use Single Touch Payroll data to pre-populate the employee details for the business or not-for-profit.
  • Ensure that each eligible employee receives at least $1,500 per fortnight (before tax). Employees who receive $1,500 per fortnight or more from their employer will continue to receive their regular income according to their prevailing workplace arrangements. For employees that have been receiving less than this amount, the employer will now need to pay them, at a minimum, $1,500 per fortnight before tax.
  • Notify all eligible employees that they are receiving the JobKeeper Payment.
  • Continue to provide information to the ATO on a monthly basis, including the number of eligible employees employed by the business.



What do we need to do?

Please read and understand the above. As we review this requirement in more detail we will update this page with further information on the possible solutions available within our software. Customers will be responsible for any updates to employee settings or pay components that may be required to process this payment. 


Here is what TAPS have to say on the matter at this time.: https://www.payroll.com.au/


Yesterday the ATO announced a new JobKeeper payment for employers.

Under the JobKeeper Payment, businesses impacted by the Coronavirus will be able to access a subsidy from the Government to continue paying their employees. Affected employers will be able to claim a fortnightly payment of $1,500 per eligible employee from 30 March 2020, for a maximum period of 6 months.

For now, there are three things you need to know.

1.      At this stage it is just an announcement. The legislation still needs to be passed.
2.      If your business has been affected by COVID-19 you can register your interest with the ATO at https://www.ato.gov.au/general/gen/JobKeeper-payment/
3.      Information on how to apply and pay your employees will be available soon.

TAPS is meeting with the ATO today to provide consultation and to gather more information.

We know you have lots of questions, but this announcement was only made yesterday by the PM, it is still not law, and there are still things that need to be worked out.


Stay tuned for more information