At some point in the not too distant past, JobKeeper 2.0 changed its name to JobKeeper Extension. Why? No idea. But whatever the name, now is time to get our first monthly business declaration in.
The key dates post the scheme formally know as JobKeeper 1.0 were(are):
- 28 September 2020 – the start of the JobKeeper Extension.
- 31 October 2020 – new entities enrolling in JobKeeper will need to enrol and submit their “check decline in turnover”.
- 31 October 2020 – wage condition for fortnights ending 11 October 2020 and 25 October 2020 must be met.
- Between 1 and 14 November 2020 – complete monthly declaration and advice ATO of payment tiers.
Here's how we do it...
STEP 0 – DID NOT QUALIFY FOR EXTENSION
Nothing to do here, nothing to see, get back to smashing it.
STEP 1
Log into your Business Portal (or if you are a sole trader – My Gov).
STEP 2
Click into the COVID-19 section.
STEP 3 (which is step 3 in the portal)
Click on Declare.
I have included a screenshot of the section below this; JobKeeper Extension. In this section, you should have already provided the relevant details to demonstrate your eligibility for the JobKeeper Extension. For new entities, this closed 31 October 2020, for existing, this must be completed before you are able to declare.
STEP 4 – MAINTAIN EMPLOYEES & BUSINESS PARTICIPANTS
Once you have fully completed STEP 3, you should revisit (maintain) your employees.
Information relating to your employees should have automatically been updated from your payroll system (e.g. Xero) but is always a good idea to double-check.
If you are or have an eligible business participant, you will need to click on Maintain Employees and complete STEP 5 otherwise, you can jump to STEP 6.
STEP 5 – BUSINESS PARTICIPANT DETAILS
Under this step, if you are or have an eligible business participant, you will need to provide your JobKeeper Status, Payment Tier and declare that you have met all the conditions of claiming.
The ATO has indicated that they will be monitoring individuals claiming the higher Tier 1; this being a key area of focus. If you are claiming Tier 1, we strongly recommend that you fully document your calculations and have this hand.
STEP 6
Similar to previous months, in this section, you will need to provide details on your current GST turnover and projected GST turnover.
As always if you're not sure, drop us a line or shoot me an email jason@illumin8.com.au