Job Keeper

​The Australian government has announced a $1,500 per fortnight wage subsidy to eligible employers amid the coronavirus. Check your eligibility, how much you’ll get and how it works with the jobkeeper payment.

The federal government will pay eligible employers $1,500 per fortnight for each eligible worker, about 70% of the national median wage. Jobkeeper is about $400 a fortnight more than the $1,100 JobSeeker payment with the coronavirus supplement for those out of work.

In order to receive a payment, both the employer and employee must meet eligibility criteria. Weslo does meet the criteria and is registered to pay eligible staff the Jobkeeper payments.

Eligible employees:

• are currently employed by the eligible employer (including those stood down or re-hired)
• were employed by the employer at 1 March 2020
• are full-time, part-time, or long-term casuals (a casual employed on a regular basis for longer than 12 months as at 1 March 2020)
• are at least 16 years of age
• are an Australian citizen, the holder of a permanent visa, a Protected Special Category Visa Holder, a non-protected Special Category Visa Holder who has been residing continually in Australia for 10 years or more, or a Special Category (Subclass 444) Visa Holder
• are not in receipt of a JobKeeper Payment from another employer

Eligible employers will be paid $1,500 per fortnight per eligible employee from 30 March 2020, for a maximum of six months. Eligible employees will receive from their employers a minimum of $1,500 per fortnight, before tax. Employers are able to top up the payment.

Employers will pay employees as usual and payments will be made to the employer monthly in arrears by the Australian Tax Office.

If an employee ordinarily receives less than $1,500 in income per fortnight before tax, their employer must pay them, at a minimum, $1,500 per fortnight, before tax. It is therefore possible for a long-term casual or part-time worker to receive more than their ordinary pay.

If an employee has been stood down, their employer must pay their employee, at a minimum, $1,500 per fortnight, before tax. This means that employees of businesses that shut down due to various restrictions – such as cafes, restaurants, theatres, casino workers and the like – will continue to be paid even if they are not working.

If an employee was employed on 1 March 2020, subsequently ceased employment with their employer, and then has been re-engaged by the same eligible employer, the employee will also receive, at a minimum, $1,500 per fortnight, before tax.

The subsidy will start on 30 March, with the first payments to be received by employers in the first week of May. In the meantime, employers must continue paying their employees and then claim the money from the first week of May.

A person receiving the jobkeeper payment cannot also receive the jobseeker payment (formerly Newstart). People who have already applied for jobseeker can withdraw and shift to jobkeeper payments if they are re-engaged by their employer.

​A person cannot be in receipt of jobkeeper payments from two or more employers.

Further information on Jobkeeper:

https://www.business.gov.au/risk-management/emergency-management/coronavirus-information-and-support-for-business/jobkeeper-payment