JobKeeper audits underway
First reports of ATO audits lands one small business in debt Imagine going through all the rigmarole to apply for JobKeeper when COVID-19 restrictions were rife, only to have your application rejected months later by Tax Office auditors? That is what has now happened to one small business owner in Melbourne who took a DIY […]
SG amnesty ends 7 September 2020
Time running out for employers to apply for superannuation guarantee (SG) amnesty Catch up on past unpaid super without incurring a penalty or paying administration fees. The ATO is encouraging employers to apply for the amnesty and make payments as early as they can. Any amnesty amounts paid before 7 September 2020 are tax-deductible. For […]
JobKeeper 3.0
JobKeeper extension On 21 July 2020, the Government announced that the JobKeeper Payment (‘JKP’) would be extended until 28 March 2021 (i.e., for a further six months beyond its original end date of 27 September 2020). As a result, JKPs would now be made over two separate extension periods, being: Extension period 1 – which […]
Extension of the JobKeeper Payment
The Government is extending the JobKeeper Payment by a further 6 months to March 2021 Support will be targeted to businesses and not-for-profits that continue to be significantly impacted by the Coronavirus. The payment rate will be reduced and a lower payment rate will be introduced for those who work fewer hours. Other eligibility rules […]
Guidance on JobKeeper reporting via STP
The ATO has issued guidance to help employers reporting eligible employees and JobKeeper top-up payments through Single Touch Payroll (STP). For each eligible employee, employers must notify the ATO: when an eligible employee started being paid JobKeeper payments; top-up payments to employees earning less than $1500 per fortnight; and when an employee is no longer […]
ATO reminder for employers – Finalise STP data for 2020
Single Touch Payroll 2020 data The ATO has issued a reminder to employers who report through Single Touch Payroll (STP) – which should be all employers, unless an exemption or deferral applies – that they will need to finalise payroll information for the 2020 income year by making a declaration. The due date for making […]
JobKeeper declaration due 14 June
June JobKeeper deadline Businesses that have enrolled in the JobKeeper Scheme and identified their eligible employees are reminded that they will need to make a monthly declaration to the ATO to ensure they continue to receive JobKeeper payments. The monthly declaration must be made by the 14th day of each month to claim JobKeeper payments […]
ATO reminder about salary packaged super
The ATO has provided information for employers, payroll software providers and intermediaries who may need to change the way they calculate SG The ATO has provided employers with a recent reminder that, from 1 January 2020, there has been a legislative change to ensure that when an employee sacrifices pre-tax salary in return for an […]
Single Touch Payroll developments
Further STP developments In an indication of the far-reaching changes that Single Touch Payroll (STP) will be bringing, Treasury has recently finished consulting on draft legislation that expands the data that may be collected through STP by the ATO (as announced in the 2019/20 Budget). The legislation, if enacted, will broaden the amounts that employers […]
COVID-19 Government’s JobKeeper Payment
A major part of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the JobKeeper payment scheme The JobKeeper Payment is a wage subsidy that will be paid through the tax system and administered by the ATO to eligible businesses impacted by COVID-19. Under the scheme, eligible businesses receive a payment of $1,500 per fortnight per […]
