The Government recently announced the JobKeeper payment program. Due to the current extraordinary circumstances, the usual consultation processes with Digital Service Providers (DSP) could not be facilitated before the announcement.
We are aware the ATO is working arduously to ensure that STP can support the Jobkeeper Payment and as a member of the STP Advisory Group, it is a significant step forward especially considering the current events.
Also as a member of the original team that developed STP Phase 1, the obvious choice is to use the STP Other Allowance reporting functionality which would cater for the following scenario,
ALLOWANCE
Type - Other
Description - JobKeeper Top-Up Payment
Superannuation - OTE (the Employer may pay Super)
DO NOT USE the settings above, until advised otherwise. Continue to process your pay run as you do currently until you receive official ATO guidance, expected once legislation has been passed.
A meeting with the ATO Digital Partnership Office (DPO) was held on 31 March communicating the current status to the broader DSP community.
While some Digital Service Providers have been suggesting setting up an Allowance is the way to configure the JobKeeper Payment, we have not yet received official guidance from the ATO. For officially published information about ATO measures and tailored support during COVID-19, please refer to the Australian Taxation Office website here.
Our good friends at The Association of Payroll Specialists (TAPS), Jason Low and Chris Biddle have made available their JobKeeper Payments - TAPS Webinar for anyone to view, not just members. This Webinar is very informative and a "must-see" as it is a complete (and comprehensive) overview of the current situation (as at 2 April 2020).
The Government are currently drafting the $130bn JobKeeper Legislation. Parliament is recalled this week with the Legislation being put forward on Wednesday, 8 April 2020. Around 40 lower-house MPs are expected to fly or drive into Canberra for the extraordinary sitting.
For additional JobKeeper information, please refer to the informative Treasury JobKeeper Fact sheets located here. These Fact Sheets are being continually updated as additional information becomes available.
Once the Legislation has been passed and becomes law, we will be able to provide further information and advise the correct procedure for setting up the JobKeeper payment once the ATO has formalised the guidance.
Meanwhile, if you are not a member of The Association of Payroll Specialists (TAPS) maybe this is a great time to join and stay up-to-date, find out more here. You can also sign-up for a 30 day trial of the Weekly eTAPS Newsletter.
Jason Low, e-PayDay and a number of other DSP's have representation on numerous ATO Payroll Groups and are involved in the ongoing development of STP Phase 2. e-PayDay is also a member of the STP Advisory Group.
Great poost