The ATO have today released the JobKeeper Applications via the ATO website https://www.ato.gov.au/general/jobkeeper-payment/employers/enrol-for-the-jobkeeper-payment/

Access to the application will be via the ATO Business Portal and MyGov ID, hence please ensure you have first of all setup MyGov ID access to the ATO Business Portal.

https://bp.ato.gov.au/

If you haven’t yet set up a MyGov ID login, please see our past article for further information in that regard https://bit.ly/3ajrM2M

Further in detail steps around the JobKeeper application process can be found in our previous article here https://bit.ly/2VEyGKI

Once logged into the ATO JobKeeper Application, you will find the Enrolment Process under the Manage Employees menu, then click JobKeeper Enrol.

* Please note an enrolment form must be completed by each Employee, and returned to the Business for record-keeping purposes.

Next Click Enrol to commence the process. Please ensure you have read and understand the rules for applying for the JobKeeper Subsidy, and that your business meets the Eligibility Criteria.

PAYROLL SYSTEMS SETUP

The ATO have advised that the JobKeeper Subsidy will be run through and verified by the Single Touch Payroll system, digitally via your Payroll System. It will also work on set, pre-defined fortnight periods. It’s OK if your pay runs lapses these periods, as long you identify which period you began paying, and ended paying, the JobKeeper Allowance.

For this to work, a certain set of criteria have been established by the ATO, across all software payroll brands. You must label your payroll items specifically in sequence in order for the Subsidy (refund) to be triggered at the ATO end. Failure to do so, could result in lengthy phone calls to the ATO, or applications by your Accountant, to revise pay runs, and manually alter your Single Touch Payroll lodgements. This will delay your refunds.

The way the system has been designed is in fortnight numbers, these must be clearly labelled in your pay run, so that it corresponds with, and the ATO know, which pay run applies to which fortnight.

If you have an Employee end their relationship with you, then their pay run would be labelled JOBKEEPER-FINISH-FNXX where XX is the fortnight number they ended in.

This tells the ATO that this Employee no longer wishes to receive the JobKeeper Allowance from you.

Alternatively, where you are paying an Employee part wage, part JobKeeper Allowance, then that label would be JOBKEEPER-TOPUP. All Employees who are paid ONLY the JobKeeper Allowance will be paid as JOBKEEPER-TOPUP. After the initial payrun where you use JOBKEEPER-START-FNXX. Where XX is the fortnight number you have started in. 

Rather than go into full detail for each software Vendor, we have listed below the current guides for setup and management of JobKeeper Allowance, from each of the major software vendors in Australia.

Reckon Accounts: https://help.reckon.com/article/igzxmmgbru?fbclid=IwAR1kcY55qNLxdDL_DYht5RpTt4-TYAbaWKZVO_8dvbmx20fHJ5i592ZZIdA

MYOB AccountRight: https://help.myob.com/wiki/display/ar/COVID-19+wage+subsidy+%28JobKeeper%29+payments

MYOB Essentials: https://help.myob.com/wiki/display/ea/COVID-19+wage+subsidy+%28JobKeeper%29+payments

Intuit QuickBooks Online: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-au/payroll-and-stp/set-up-and-manage-jobkeeper-payments/01/538522?sf232881051=1

Xero: https://central.xero.com/s/article/Set-up-or-update-JobKeeper-pay-items

ASSISTANCE

If you are not sure about any aspect of the JobKeeper Allowance enrolment process, or your Business’ eligibility for the allowance, please seek the assistance of your Accountant prior to making the application process.

We can, of course, assist via remote access to assist with system setup.

In all instances please refer to the ATO websites for guidance.