JobKeeper Payment Extended

The federal government has announced that the JobKeeper Payment will be extended to 28 March 2021.

The JobKeeper Payment, which was originally due to end after 27 September 2020, will continue to be available to eligible businesses (including the self-employed) and not-for-profit organisations until 28 March 2021. The following changes will apply from 28 September 2020 unless reviewed by the Treasury due to current developments in Victoria.

• reduced JobKeeper Payment rates

• lower rate for employees and business participants working less than 20 hours a week

• additional turnover tests.

Reduced Jobkeeper Payment Rate

The JobKeeper Payment rate will be reduced on 28 September 2020 and 4 January 2021. From 28 September 2020, a lower payment rate will apply to eligible employees and business participants working less than 20 hours per week on average.

The following payment rates per fortnight (currently $1,500) will apply for eligible employees and business participants:

- 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021 (full rate $1,200 and lower rate $750)

- 4 January 2021 to 28 March 2021 (full rate $1,000 and lower rate $650).

Working fewer than 20 hours per week

From 28 September 2020, a lower payment rate will apply for:

• • eligible employees who, in the four weeks of pay periods before 1 March 2020, were working less than 20 hours a week on average
• • eligible business participants who were actively engaged in the business for less than 20 hours per week on average in the month of February 2020.

Employers will be required to nominate the payment rate claimed for each of their eligible employees or business participants.

Additional turnover tests from 28 September 2020

From 28 September 2020, employers will be required to meet additional decline in turnover tests.

To be eligible for the first JobKeeper Payment extension period of 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021, employers need to demonstrate that their actual GST turnover has declined significantly in both the June 2020 quarter and the September 2020 quarter relative to comparable periods (generally the corresponding quarter in 2019).

To be eligible for the second JobKeeper Payment extension period of 4 January 2021 to 28 March 2021, employers need to demonstrate that their actual GST turnover has declined significantly in each of the June 2020, September 2020 and December 2020 quarters relative to comparable periods (generally the corresponding quarter in 2019).

Source: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/jobkeeper-payment-and-income-support-extended