It seems as though every day brings with it new information for us, both as business owners and employers. There have been a large number of stimulus measures announced by the government in recent weeks to help relieve the pressure many businesses are facing right now, most recently the much-anticipated JobKeeper stimulus package. While this was passed by the government on 8 April, the rules and mechanics around how it works have only started to come out from the ATO in the last couple of days.

In this edition of our newsletter we are focusing on the JobKeeper program, helping you to understand what it means and how it works.

While you may not be able to see any of the Lincolns team in person right now, we are working hard behind closed doors to support our clients through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are reaching out to our clients by traditional methods of phone and email. We have also been using some new methods, such as live webinars and video messages (as you'll see below). Please get in touch with your accountant as soon as you can if you need any assistance with JobKeeper or any of the other stimulus packages available.

The latest JobKeeper information

In this video (7.5 minutes), Tom Warner explains the latest information on the JobKeeper program, including what the next steps are for JobKeeper, which staff are eligible, how you inform your employees and what deadlines you need to meet. We added some helpful resources and nomination forms in the video description.

Click here to view the video.

Some useful dates to keep in mind:

20 April 2020 - applications for JobKeeper are open to employers
26 April 2020 - applications cut off date to be eligible to receive the April JobKeeper payments
30 April 2020 - all eligible employees participating in the JobKeeper program need to have received the minimum $1500 per fortnight
4 May 2020 - employers can claim for April JobKeeper payments

COVID-19 resources

We have compiled a number of COVID-19 fact sheets and a comprehensive document containing information on various stimulus packages and measures provided by the government, ATO and banks. We will be continually updating these resources as events unfold.

Click here to go to our COVID-19 resources.

Our live Q&A webinar

To help our clients and the community understand how the government stimulus may apply to businesses, we hosted a free live webinar on Thursday 9 April 2020 in a question and answer format. We had a fantastic turnout and received some really positive feedback about this format for delivery of information. Keep your eye out for more sessions like this.

Click here to watch a recording of this webinar.

For those who couldn't attend, below are some of the Q&A's from the session.