We’ve received quite a few questions on how the Jobkeeper Package works alongside the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy.
We’ve done our research and this is what we know to date:
What is the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy?
Supporting Apprentices and Trainees provides a 50% wage subsidy to small businesses to support their existing apprentices and trainees. The wage subsidy is also available to employers of any size if they re-engage an apprentice or trainee that has been displaced from a small business. The subsidy is available for 9 months, from 1 January – 20 September 2020. Employers will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $7,000 per quarter, per eligible apprentice or trainee.
Will employers be eligible for both the JobKeeper Payment and Supporting Apprentices and Trainees?
The JobKeeper Payment is considered ‘equivalent’ for the purposes of Supporting Apprentices and Trainees, as it is designed to help businesses cover the costs of their employee’s wages.
An employer will not be eligible to claim Supporting Apprentices and Trainees for any period where they elect to claim the JobKeeper Payment for the same Australian Apprentice.
Can an employer elect to which of the two subsidies they would like to claim?
If an employer is eligible for both Supporting Apprentices and Trainees, and the Jobkeeper Payment, the employer can choose which payment best meets their circumstances.
Can an employer claim Supporting Apprentices and Trainees from January-March and switch to the Jobkeeper Payment when available?
Where an eligible employer claims the Jobkeeper Payment from 30 March 2020, they will be eligible to claim Supporting Apprentices and Trainees for wages paid during the period 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2020.
