• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation

Grant Thornton Australia

Grant Thornton uses cookies to monitor the performance of this website and improve user experience.

If you are happy to accept cookies from this site, please check the box.

To find out more about cookies, what they are and how we use them, please see our privacy notice, which also provides information on how to delete cookies from your hard drive.

How to be COVIDSafe when visiting Grant Thornton offices. Find out how

Global site
  • Global site
  • Algeria
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Libya
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Nigeria
  • Namibia
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua
  • Argentina
  • Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Maarten
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada LLP
  • Canada RCGT
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Montserrat
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Turks & Caicos
  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Myanmar
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Channel Islands
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy - Bernoni
  • Italy - Ria
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macedonia
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • UK
  • Uzbekistan
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen
  • Lebanon
Grant Thorton Logo

Grant Thornton Logo Grant Thornton Logo

Contact us
  • Insights
  • Services
  • Industries
  • Meet our people
  • Careers
  • News centre
  • Locations
  • About us
  • Audit
  • Tax
  • Private Advisory
  • Financial Advisory
  • Grant Thornton Consulting
  • Asia
Audit Home
  • Audit methodology
  • Audit technology
  • Financial reporting advisory
Tax Home
  • Corporate tax
  • Employee equity reward schemes
  • Fringe benefits tax
  • Global mobility services
  • GST & indirect tax
  • International tax
  • Payroll assurance
  • Research & development
  • Tax compliance
  • Tax governance & risk management
  • Tax in mergers & acquisitions
  • Tax lawyers
  • Transfer pricing
Private Advisory Home
  • Family Business Consulting
  • Family office services
  • Private wealth
  • Superannuation
Financial Advisory Home
  • Corporate finance
  • Debt advisory
  • Forensic consulting
  • Payments advisory
  • Restructuring advisory
Grant Thornton Consulting Home
  • Business risk
  • Human capital
  • Performance improvement
  • Strategy & growth
  • Technology consulting
  • GNC Group Consulting
Asia Home
  • China practice
  • India practice
  • Japan practice
  • Agribusiness, food & beverage
  • Automotive dealers
  • Education
  • Energy & resources
  • Financial services
  • Health & aged care
  • Life sciences
  • Manufacturing
  • Not for Profit
  • Professional services
  • Public sector
  • Real estate & construction
  • Retail & consumer products
  • Technology & media
Agribusiness, food & beverage Home
Bite Size Dealtracker Food, Beverage & Agribusiness industry insights
Key insights for the Australian Food, Beverage & Agribusiness industry.
Financial services Home
  • Banking
  • Fintech
  • Private Health Insurance
  • Superannuation
  • Asset management
  • BEAR FAQs
  • Open banking
Royal Commission wrap up Top 10 things for Financial Services providers
Eleven months on from the first round of hearings for the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, Commissioner Hayne’s final report has been released.
Health & aged care Home
Aged Care Royal Commission Perspectives on the Future of Ageing
Transitions in ageing are not consistent and systematic as they are described by our ageing systems. Sometimes they are incremental, sometimes accidental, sometimes monumental, and they are always personal. We can create something better.
Life sciences Home
Biotechnology Industry Position survey Australia's biotechnology industry drives economic growth
The 2019 Biotechnology Industry Position survey conducted by Ausbiotech and supported by Grant Thornton has revealed that new technologies across regenerative medicine and medicinal cannabis are disrupting the industry, and Australia's global strength in clinical trials continues to drive contributions to the economic and social fabric of the country.
Manufacturing Home
mid-sized business report Manufacturing is critical to our economy – how can we support the sector?
Although the knock-on effects of the Australian automotive industry exiting our country are yet to be fully understood, the industry is evolving, and manufacturing continues to be a major employer and critical to our overall economy.
Not for Profit Home
NATIONAL OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT PROGRAM A practical framework
Royal Commissions and federal budgets are critical things for Nonprofit human service providers to be thinking about at this point in time.
Real estate & construction Home
mid-sized business report Supporting affordable housing requires planning, certainty – and tax reform
There is a lot of noise around the property sector at the moment – and it’s not all positive. Prices are down – but this shouldn’t be a surprise when some markets (namely Sydney & Melbourne) saw unprecedented hikes in recent years.
Retail & consumer products Home
GNC Group Consulting The Technology Trap: Online innovation in retail
I recently attended the NRF Retail Big Show in New York, an overwhelming smorgasbord of retail technology and new store concepts.
Technology & media Home
  • Telecommunications
Scaling-up for Growth From start-up to scale-up
Navigating the complexities of growth and maintaining previous success is a challenge for all mid-size businesses.
  • Working at Grant Thornton
  • Student opportunities
  • Experienced careers
  • Contact us
Working at Grant Thornton Home
  • Flexibility
  • Your career and development
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • In the community
  • What we offer you
Student opportunities Home
  • Graduates
  • Vacationer Program
  • The application process
  • FAQs
  • Student application tips and tricks
Experienced careers Home
  • Client spotlight
  • Grant Thornton Australia | Audit, Tax and Advisory
  • Client alerts
  • 2020
  • Last of the expected major changes implemented for JobKeeper eligibility

Last of the expected major changes implemented for JobKeeper eligibility

02 May 2020
  • Last of the expected major changes implemented for JobKeeper eligibility

On 1 May 2020, the Federal Treasurer amended the JobKeeper rules to give effect to the changes announced last Friday, 24 April 2020 and additional measures.

Treasury is adamant there will be no further major changes to the JobKeeper payment eligibility, providing some certainty to employers looking to access the scheme.

These most recent measures:

  1. Provide a modified decline in turnover test for Income Tax consolidated or consolidatable groups, or GST groups, in respect of an employer entity whose principal activity is the provision of employee labour services
  2. Adjust the way in which Commonwealth payments are treated when calculating a university’s turnover
  3. Extend the JobKeeper scheme to certain charities that undertake overseas aid and disaster relief
  4. Adjust the way in which payments made by the Government and the United Nations are treated when calculating a charity’s turnover
  5. Include a notification requirement to confirm that all employees of a participating entity must be given the opportunity to agree to be nominated (the one in, all in rule).  For employers seeking JobKeeper payments for the transitional fortnights to 26 April 2020, this notice must be given by 8 May 2020 (ie no later than 7 days after the commencement of the amendment)
  6. Impose additional requirements that must be met for children who are 16 or 17 years old on 1 March 2020 to be eligible nominees. The ATO has clarified that businesses that have already paid the $1,500 a fortnight to 16 and 17 year olds that are now deemed ineligible will be reimbursed for that fortnight.
  7. Extend the JobKeeper scheme to include religious practitioners that are not employees
  8. Make a technical amendment to deny JobKeeper eligibility for Australian companies and trusts which are wholly owned by foreign country sovereign entities
  9. Make a technical amendment to clarify that a business seeking JobKeeper payments for one business participant must demonstrate a substantial decline in turnover

Payments are expected to start flowing from next week. Employers have until 31 May 2020 to enroll to claim for the fortnights in April and May.

What you need to do

These amended rules provide employers with a lot to do, even if the JobKeeper enrolment has already been submitted, including:

  1. Ensuring that all evidence is held to confirm compliance with the “one in all in” test by next Friday 8 May 2020.
  2. Urgently determining whether each 16 or 17 year old employee qualifies for the scheme at all and, if not, to cancel further top-up payments for them. Under these new requirements, 16 and 17 year olds will only qualify if they are independent under the Social Security Act 1991 or are not studying full-time.
  3. Determining whether any of the other changes affect whether JobKeeper is available and whether further employees and business participants may now qualify.

When applying the modified decline in turnover test, employers should note:

  1. It is a further test, so employers already qualifying under the basic test or the existing alternative tests will not be affected if the modified decline test doesn’t suit them.
  2. It only benefits employers that are members of income tax consolidated or consolidatable groups or GST groups. As such, many employers will not benefit from the modified decline test, including many privately-owned groups.
  3. Whether or not those with a qualifying ownership structure will benefit from the modified test will depend on the activities of the employer entity and whether they are principally providing labour services within the group.
  4. The Commissioner of Taxation will retain discretion to determine that the modified test does not apply which creates a risk of self-assessing that the modified decline in turnover test applies – further administrative guidelines are expected on this.


Keep up to date about JobKeeper on our JobKeeper hub.

JobKeeper hub

For more information, please contact:

Nicole Bradley
Nicole Bradley
National Managing Partner - Tax Sydney
Email address https://au.linkedin.com/pub/nicole-bradley/11/236/106 Nicole Bradley VCard
View full profile
Yan Wong
Yan Wong
Partner Adelaide
Email address https://www.linkedin.com/in/yan-wong-067760a9/ Yan Wong VCard
View full profile

Subscribe to receive our publications

Subscribe now to be kept up-to-date with timely and relevant insights, unique to the nature of your business, your areas of interest and the industry in which you operate.

Subscribe

Share this page
  • Share this page on Facebook LinkedIn
  • Share this page on Twitter Twitter
  • Share this page on LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Share this page on Wechat WeChat
  • Share this page via email Email
  • Follow us on youtube
  • Follow us on linkedin
  • Follow us on twitter
  • Follow us on facebook
Connectclose
  • Contact us
  • Locations
  • Meet our people
  • Subscribe
  • Staff portal
Aboutclose
  • About us
  • Careers
  • News centre
  • Client alerts
  • Grant Thornton Foundation
  • Grant Thornton Affinity
Legalclose
  • Privacy
  • Compliance and ethics
  • Disclaimer
  • Site map

© 2021 Grant Thornton Australia Limited – All rights reserved

    • EN
    • Contact us