Jobkeeper 2.0 – Important Information
ATO Requirements for Ongoing Eligibility
Jobkeeper 2.0 commences on the 28th of September 2020 and as such the ATO have requested information confirming ongoing eligibility in the scheme. If you have not already done so, can you please forward the following (when available) in anticipation of the opening of the declaration submission.
1. Actual GST income for the quarter ending 30 September 2019 and 30 September 2020. Please note that you must report your actual figures for Jobkeeper 2.0 program and not estimates. Your turnover must be provided as reported in your Business Activity Statements (BAS). If you report on a cash basis for BAS purposes then turnover for Jobkeeper must also be on a cash basis, and likewise if you use accrual accounting for your BAS. If you do not lodge a BAS, you can choose either cash or accrual reporting however you must remain consistent for both the September and December quarters.
2. Number of hours actively engaged in working for the business for each employee and business participant (including sole traders) that was worked for the 28-day period prior to 1 March 2020. For example, is you pay weekly, please use the four pay periods closest but not including 1 March 2020. If you pay on a fortnightly basis, use the 2 pay periods closest but no including 1 March 2020. This is to work out which rate tier to pay. If hours actively engaged are greater than 80 hours for the test period, each employee/business participant will be eligible to receive the higher payment of $1,200 per fortnight, however if under 80 hours, then a rate of $750 will be paid. If this period is not reflective of usual work practices, alternative test maybe applied, however the ATO have not released these test as yet.
Important – once you have notified the ATO of the number of hours worked for each employee and business participant, and the appropriate tier is established you must notify all employees and business participants of the Jobkeeper tier that they are on. The ATO have not released a pro forma of this yet, however as soon as they do, we will forward a copy.
The ATO are yet to release guidelines as to how the information will be reported, however we would like to be on the front foot and make the lodgements as soon as possible.
The fee for ongoing compliance with Jobkeeper 2.0 phase 1 (Sept – Dec) will be $200+gst for sole traders and $300+gst for business entities (based on 5 staff and one business participant). For larger businesses, our time will be invoiced at the end each month. If you do not want PJA Accountants to manage your lodgments, please email our office.
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate in contacting our office and one of our team will assistant you.
