Changes to JobKeeper Rules For Under 18 Year Olds

It seems there are constant modifications happening to the JobKeeper guidelines. From fortnight four (which commenced 11 May), the eligibility rules for employees under the age of 18 have changed!

Employees who were 16 or 17 years old on 1 March 2020 may no longer be eligible employees. For these employees to remain eligible, they need to be either independent or NOT a full-time student as at 1 March 2020. This could mean that your employees (aged 16 and 17 year old) who were originally identified as eligible under the previous eligibility criteria may no longer be eligible from fortnight four (which commenced 11 May) onwards.

Further, if you have an employee who was 15 years old on 1 March 2020 but has since turned 16, they will NOT be eligible for JobKeeper, even if they are independent or not in full-time study.

What you need to do:

• If you have already received a nomination form from an employee who was 16 or 17 years old as at 1 March 2020 – that form is no longer valid. You will need to ascertain that these employees are still eligible and provide them with the updated JobKeeper Employee nomination notice – ensure this is completed and returned ASAP to confirm they meet the new eligibility criteria.
• If you have employees (who were aged 16 and 17 years old as at 1 March 2020) that are no longer eligible, you will no longer identify them as an eligible employee from JobKeeper fortnight four onwards – you will also need to update your software and STP accordingly, and if our office was assisting you with your JobKeeper lodgements, advise us as well.

For further explanation on the changed eligibility requirements for 16 or 17 year olds, please refer to Section C in the updated JobKeeper Employee nomination notice.

We understand it can be difficult to keep up to date with the forever changing JobKeeper scheme, so if you require any assistance with the process, please contact our office.

– Ian Hogbin

Posted 27.05.2020

This article is compiled as a helpful guide for your private information and is subject to copyright. We suggest that you do not act solely on the basis of material contained in this article because items are of general nature only and may be liable to misinterpretation in particular circumstances. We recommend that our advice be sought before acting on any of these crucial areas.