Extending JobKeeper Payment Date

First two JobKeeper fortnights – key dates and information

Employers and/or business participants that intend to claim the first to fortnights may find the information below useful.

The first two JobKeeper fortnights are:

  • JobKeeper Fortnight 1 - 30 March to 12 April
  • JobKeeper Fortnight 2 - 13 April to 26 April

What you need to do:

  • Pay your eligible employee a minimum of $1500 (before tax) for each of JobKeeper fortnights 1 and 2 before 8 May.

Complete the ATO online forms

  • Complete Step 1 - Enrol – for JobKeeper fortnights 1 and 2 (and May fortnights). Enrolment is open now and you must enrol before 31 May.
  • Complete Step 2 –Identify – available from 4 May once you are successfully enrolled and must be completed before the 31 May. You will need to identify the eligible employees and/or the business participant for who you are claiming the JobKeeper wage subsidy.
  • Complete Step 3 - Monthly Declaration – confirm your eligible employees have been paid and your turnover before the 31 May.

The sooner you enrol the sooner you can claim reimbursement for JobKeeper payments for eligible employees.

Employee Nomination Form and Eligible Business Participant Form

The employee nomination form is a requirement for an employee to be eligible. To claim the JobKeeper wage subsidy you MUST have received a completed eligible employee nomination form for each eligible employee and/or the nomination form for the business participant before you complete step 2 and step 3.

You may decide to confirm employee eligibility prior to paying your employees and may request and complete the eligible employee nomination from prior to the time that you complete step 2 and step 3.

Calendar of important dates coming up – for the first two JobKeeper fortnights:

  If you want to claim JobKeeper fortnight Pay Employees by Enrol Employee Nomination Identify eligible employees Monthly Declaration
1 30 March - 12 April 8 May Before 31 May Before you identify the employees to us or earlier

Available from 4 May
You must have enrolled and paid your eligible employees $1500 per fortnight (before tax).
Complete before 31 May.

2 13 April -26 April 8 May

For more specific and up to date information on how to Enrol, Identify and Declare, and key dates, please see the how to Guides on the ATO website.

The payment dates for all following JobKeeper fortnights are:

JobKeeper Fortnight Period relating to each JobKeeper Fortnght Employees are paid before
3 27 April - 10 May 10 May
4 11 May - 24 May 24 May
5 25 May - 7 June 7 June
6 8 June 21 June 21 June
7 22 June - 5 July 5 July
8 6 July - 19 July 19 July
9 20 July - 2 August 2 August
10 3 August - 16 August 16 August
11 17 August - 30 August 30 August
12 31 August - 13 September 13 September
13 14 September - 27 September 27 September

If you usually pay your employees less frequently than fortnightly, the payment can be allocated between fortnights in a reasonable manner. For example, if you pay your employees on a monthly pay cycle, your employees must have received the monthly equivalent of $1,500 per JobKeeper fortnight.