Tax treatment of JobKeeper Payments Broadly, JobKeeper Payments received by an employer are assessable income to the employer. Likewise, the payments an employer subsequently makes to an employee that are funded (in whole or in part by the JobKeeper Payment) [...]

JobKeeper 2.0 - tweaks to the 'Decline in Turnover' Tests 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 [...]

Superannuation Guarantee Rate Increase Update Recently, arguments both for and against increasing the rate of compulsory superannuation guarantee ('SG') have continued to be tossed around! The SG is the compulsory amount of superannuation an employer must pay into an eligible [...]

Expanded eligible employee definition for JobKeeper Additional recently implemented JobKeeper changes mean more employees will qualify for JobKeeper payments from 3 August 2020. This is primarily because: the eligible employee test has been extended from 3 August 2020 to include [...]

80 cents per hour 'shortcut' method for home office expenses has been extended Back in April 2020 the ATO announced that a 'shortcut' method was to be made available to use from 1 March 2020 until 30 June 2020 for [...]

Extension of the JobKeeper Payment Sadly, many Australian businesses are a long way from trending back to 'normal' as we approach 27 September 2020, the original date that JobKeeper was set to end.  Thankfully the government has announced an extension [...]

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 [...]

ATO reminder for employers – Finalise STP data for 2020 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 [...]

Shortcut method to claim deductions if working from home As the situation around COVID-19 continues to develop, the ATO understands many employees are now working from home. To make it easier when claiming a deduction for additional running costs you [...]

Coronavirus: Government’s JobKeeper Payment A major part of the Government’s response to the Coronavirus (or 'COVID-19') pandemic is the ‘JobKeeper Payment’ Scheme. The JobKeeper Payment is a wage subsidy that will be paid through the tax system (i.e., it will [...]