If your business has experienced or is likely to experience a turnover drop of at least 30 per cent, you may be able to access the $1500 per fortnight subsidy, per each eligible employee who was employed by the business as of 1 March 2020.

Eligible employees include full-time and part-time employees and casual employees who have been employed by the business on a regular and systematic basis for longer than 12 months. This includes employees who have been stood down and employees who have been terminated after 1 March 2020 and re-hired by the business. Only one employer can claim the JobKeeper payment for any employee. Click here for information for employers.

A sole trader, a partner in the partnership, an adult beneficiary of the trust or a shareholder may also be eligible for the JobKeeper payment if they were actively engaged by the business as of 1 March 2020. Click here for information for sole traders.

The JobKeeper payment will be available to businesses for six months from 30 March 2020 to 27 September 2020. The first payments to businesses will be made from 1 May 2020.

In order to receive the JobKeeper payments, the employer will have to:

  • Enrol for the JobKeeper Payment Scheme through the ATO’s website. Enrolments will be open from 20 April. Click here to enrol.
  • Assess whether you have or will likely experience the required turnover decrease (based on the GST turnover comparisons for at least a month for the same period last year, for example, turnover in March 2020 compared to turnover in March 2019)
  • Notify all eligible employees and ensure all eligible employees receive at least $1500 per fortnight (before tax).

Businesses without employees, such as sole traders, will need to provide an ABN for their business, nominate an owner to receive the payment and provide that owner’s Tax File Number and provide a declaration as to recent business activity.

As part of the JobKeeper scheme, the government has introduced temporary changes that will end on 28 September 2020 to the Fair Work Act. These changes apply only to the employers who qualify to receive JobKeeper payments. The changes allow employers to temporarily:

  • Stand down an employee who can’t be usefully employed because of the changes to the business attributable to the coronavirus pandemic or because of the government initiatives and directives to slow down the coronavirus
  • Reduce an employee’s hours or days of work
  • Change an employee’s usual duties
  • Change an employee’s location of work

There are important steps that need to be taken before employers implement any of the above temporary changes.

Directions to stand down, reduce hours or days of work or change usual duties or location of work must be in writing. The employers also need to notify employees in writing and consult employees (or their representatives) at least 3 days before issuing the direction (unless the employee genuinely agrees to a shorter timeframe). Employers need keep a written record of the consultation. Employers can also request an employee to take paid annual leave (providing they keep a balance of at least 2 weeks). The employee has to consider the request and can’t unreasonably refuse it.

For more information you can read the Master Builders Victoria FAQ sheet or the fact sheets produced by the Treasury Further information is available on the Fair Work website. We also encourage you to call our industrial relations team (03) 9411 4555 before implementing any of the above measures.