Additional recently implemented JobKeeper changes mean more employees will qualify for JobKeeper payments from 3 August 2020.

This is primarily because:

• the eligible employee test has been extended from 3 August 2020 to include eligible employees who were employed on 1 July 2020 (in addition to the original 1 March 2020 employment date) who are not currently nominated for the JKP by another entity; and
• from the fortnights commencing on 3 August 2020 and 17 August 2020 (i.e., JobKeeper fortnights 10 and 11) employers will have had until 31 August 2020 to meet the ‘wage condition’ for all new eligible employees included in the JobKeeper scheme under the 1 July eligibility test.

Importantly, as a result of these recent tweaks to the JobKeeper scheme, participating employers should have provided any new eligible employees with an employee nomination form.

The onus is on employers to ensure all of their employees now eligible for JKPs as a result of the new 1 July test are given the opportunity to be included.

Ref: More employees now able to access JobKeeper, ATO media release, 19 August 2020.