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COVID-19 Payment Update

July 22, 2020

VICTORIAN COVID-19 SUPPORT PAYMENT

To be eligible for the payment, people must have coronavirus or be a close contact and must have been instructed by the Department of Health and Human Services to self-isolate or quarantine at home.

You must be:

  • 17 years and over
  • Currently residing in Victoria (including people on Temporary Protection Visas and Temporary Working Visas 457 and 482)
  • In continuing employment, likely to have worked during the period of self-isolation or quarantine at home and unable to work as a result of the requirement to self-isolate or quarantine at home
  • Workers who are not receiving any income, earnings or salary maintenance from their work as a result of not being able to work during the period of self-isolation or quarantine at home
  • Workers that have exhausted sick leave entitlements including any special pandemic leave
  • Not receiving the JobKeeper payment or other forms of Australian Government income support
  • Workers include those that are permanent, casual, part-time, fixed term, and self-employed.

 

FEDERAL PAYMENTS

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the JobKeeper payment will be reduced from $1500 to $1200 per fortnight for full-time workers, and $750 for part-time. The payments will remain this way until March 2021 and it was also announced that casuals would be offered $550 a fortnight, the same figure as JobSeeker. In order to qualify for these new payments businesses will need to prove they have financial hardship in the last six months. Data from the ATO revealed that currently more than 960,000 organisations have already been processed with JobKeeper payments, covering around 3.5 million individuals.

In the press conference on Tuesday, the Prime Minister explained that there will be two turnover tests under JobKeeper 2.0. “The changes that we’re making, the first of those is to apply the JobKeeper test for the 30 per cent turnover reduction across the past two quarters and into the next quarter for the continuing eligibility out to the end of March of next year,” Mr Morrison said. “There’ll be the next quarter after September, and then there’ll be the March quarter. In both cases, businesses will have the test re-applied in relation to their turnover and will be looking at their performance over the first six-month period of the program, and that will provide, where it’s needed, the gateway into the next phase of the program.”

Key points:

  • You will not be paid the JobKeeper payment by the ATO. Payment comes from your employer who is reimbursed by the ATO.
  • Tax is withheld from payments at your marginal tax rate, so you may receive less than $1,500 in your bank account.
  • Talk to your employer if you are interested in the JobKeeper payment.
  • If you are receiving an income support payment, like JobSeeker, contact Services Australia and let them know that your employer has applied for the JobKeeper payment.
  • JobKeeper payments must be included as income in your tax return.

What you can do:

Here are five steps that you should take to help your employer claim the JobKeeper payment on your behalf:

  • Step 1 – Check you meet the eligibility requirements.
  • Step 2 – Talk to your employer and let them know if you want them to claim the JobKeeper payment for you.
  • Step 3 – If you have multiple jobs
  • Choose which employer you want to claim the JobKeeper payment for you. You can only choose one employer. If you are a long-term casual but also have a permanent employer, you can only choose a permanent employer.
  • Let your chosen employer know that you want them to claim the JobKeeper payment for you.
  • Let the other employers know you have nominated a different employer for the JobKeeper payment.
  • If you run a business, but are also a permanent employee, you cannot nominate to be an eligible business participant of that business. We will provide more information soon about the eligibility of business participants for the JobKeeper payment.
  • Step 4 – Complete the JobKeeper employee nomination notice provided by your chosen and agreed employer and return it to them as soon as possible. The form captures simple information to confirm who you are and that you choose to be nominated by them.
  • Step 5 – If you are receiving or in the process of applying for a Services Australia income support payment, like JobSeeker payment, contact Services Australia and let them know that your employer has applied for the JobKeeper payment. If you do not report the income or cancel your JobSeeker payment, you may incur a debt that you will be required to pay back.

Refer to fairwork.gov.au for information and advice about your workplace rights and obligations, including:

  • hours of work
  • stand downs from work
  • flexible work arrangements
  • pay and leave entitlements.

Work out if you are an eligible employee HERE

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