The JobKeeper scheme is a temporary wage subsidy for businesses significantly affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). JobKeeper payments are administered by the Australian Taxation Office.
The Fair Work Act 2009 has been varied to include temporary JobKeeper provisions. The JobKeeper provisions of the Fair Work Act allow employers to change some of an employee’s job conditions to help employers deal with the economic impact of COVID‑19.
The new provisions can be used by:
The Fair Work Commission can deal with disputes between employers and employees about the temporary JobKeeper provisions of the Fair Work Act. Find out more about the JobKeeper disputes that we can deal with.
The JobKeeper scheme ends on 28 March 2021.
Eligible employers, sole traders and other specified entities can apply to the Australian Taxation Office to receive a fortnightly wage subsidy for their eligible employees to help them keep paying their employees.
Participating in the JobKeeper scheme is optional – businesses can choose whether to apply for JobKeeper payments.
The Fair Work Commission cannot deal with disputes about whether an employee is eligible for JobKeeper payments.
You can find information on the Australian Taxation Office website about:
The Australian Taxation Office administers JobKeeper payments and there is information about JobKeeper payment rates on its website.
If an employer is claiming JobKeeper payments for an employee, then they must pay the employee an amount that is at least equal to the full wage subsidy (per fortnight before tax) to meet the wage condition under the JobKeeper provisions in the Fair Work Act.
The Fair Work Ombudsman can help with information about pay and the JobKeeper scheme for qualifying employers and legacy employers.
From 9 April 2020 to 27 September 2020, the JobKeeper wage subsidy was $1,500 per employee.
From 28 September 2020, the rate of the JobKeeper wage subsidy depends on the number of hours an eligible employee works.
JobKeeper fortnights | Tier 1 rate | Tier 2 rate |
---|---|---|
(eligible employees who worked 80 hours or more in the 4 weeks of pay periods before either 1 March 2020 or 1 July 2020) |
(any other eligible employees) | |
28 September 2020 to 3 January 2020 | $1,200 | $750 |
4 January 2021 to 28 March 2021 | $1,000 | $650 |