And in the next instalment of Job Names
First then was JobSeeker, then there was JobKeeper, now there’s JobMaker.
JobMaker was announced as part of the Federal Budget in October 2020. Registrations are now open for those eligible businesses HOWEVER you cannot claim JobKeeper and JobMaker simultaneously.
What is it
The JobMaker Hiring Credit is an incentive for eligible businesses to employee additional eligible young (16 to 35-year-old) job seekers.
Eligible employees definition
worked average of 20 hours/week over the period (minimum)
aged 16 to 35
receive JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance (Other) or Parenting Payment for at least two fortnights out of the six before you hired them
complete employee notice (ATO form) here
Business participants and close associate (including relatives) are ineligible employees so you will need to make sure that the employee is eligible. More info on that here
You may also fall in and out of eligibility throughout the scheme.
Eligible businesses
An eligible business must:
hold ABN
be up-to-date tax lodgments
registered for PAYGW (that’s the tax you withhold on wages)
reporting through STP
PLUS you also have to:
show an increase in headcount, by number, above the baseline date, 30 September 2020
must show an increase in payroll, by dollars, above the baseline quarter, this the 92 days ending 6 October 2020
these dates will be adjusted in the second year of the scheme
For example, if your baseline headcount is 3 employees on 30 September 2020 and your headcount for the first JobMaker period (6 January 2021) is 6 employees, your headcount increase number is 3.
If you cannot show an increase over the above dates by the last day of the JobMaker period, you will not be eligible. If an employee stopped one day before the last day of the JobMaker period, they would not be included in the headcount.
The scheme is available to new businesses and those with no current employees. For these, your base headcount and payroll figure is zero.
How much is the JobMaker payment
16 to 29 year-olds - $200 per week
30 to 35 year-olds - $100 per week
paid three months in arrears for twelve months
The amount of JobMaker you can receive for any JobMaker period is capped at the total increase in payroll over your baseline. The credit is available for new jobs created between 7 October 2020 and 6 October 2021, for twelve months, up to 6 October 2022.
There are eight JobMaker periods over the two years of the scheme, see key dates below.
Whilst you cannot claim JobKeeper and JobMaker at the same time, you can employ an eligible employee during a period you receive JobKeeper and make a claim for them under JobMaker in the following period, this given your baseline for the first year remains the same.
If you receive the JobKeeper Extension until the end of the scheme in March 2021, you will remain ineligible for the first two JobMaker periods. For the third, assuming your 6 employees are still around and your payroll has increased, as your headcount over the baseline (30 September 2020) has increased by 3, you are eligible.
What next if you’re eligible
If you think you may be eligible, we suggest registering now. You need to register before making a claim but do not need to register before hiring eligible employees. You will need to provide your baseline employee headcount on 30 September 2020, and your baseline payroll amount for the quarter ending 6 October 2020.
Xero does have a JobMaker item under Payroll (click Payroll, then click on JobMaker). To go directly to the the ATO website click here
Key dates
7 October 2020 – scheme starts
6 December 2020 – registrations open
1 February 2021 – first claim period opens
30 April 2021 – first claim period closes
6 October 2022 – scheme ends
Need some help? Reach out here