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As advised to members via a bulletin on Monday 20 April, enrolments are now open for the Australian Government’s JobKeeper Payment Scheme. The JobKeeper is vital component of support for the Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package, designed to complement the payments through the ECEC Relief Package and is relevant to both services and educators.
FDCA is accutely aware of the significant gaps in the JobKeeper program as it applies to the family day care sector AND given that it is a key pillar in the overarching package design for the ECEC sector, resolving these issues is our number 1 advocacy issue at present. This morning we met online with senior representatives of both the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and the ATO to again present issues and propose solutions.
Among the matters we are discussing are:
We are awaiting confirmation on a number of these issues from both Departments in the short term and we expect several matters resolved favourably; however, some of the core eligibility require complex consideration and negotiations between the ATO and the Department and FDCA remains central to these discussion.
We understand the significant anxiety being experienced by our members and the very real impact it may be having on you, your service and your families given the funding uncertainty faced by many and the lag in the commencement of JobKeeper. While we are making every endeavour to expedite suitable outcomes for the sector, the machinery of government can be slow in responding to complex, inter-department legal, policy and program matters.
If you are experiencing JobKeeper issues outside of those outlined above, please click here and share your feedback by completing the online form.
In the interim, note that new information specifically for sole traders and other entities was recently added to the ATO JobKeeper web pages. Your registered tax or BAS agent can enrol, identify and declare for JobKeeper on your behalf using the online service for agents, or services and educators can apply themselves.
The ATO advises that if you find it difficult to interact with them online and don't use a registered tax or BAS agent who can assist, you can call the ATO. Click here to see the relevant phone numbers. To support the current demand due to the effects of COVID-19 the ATO recently extended opening hours for phone enquiries about the JobKeeper Payment. You can now call between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays as well as between 8 am – 10 pm during weekdays.
For the latest information on eligibility and how to enrol in the JobKeeper Payment scheme go to the ATO website.
Also see our FAQs on the FDCA Covid-19 hub which we have updated again today.
Please note: this is an actual educator's story with guidance steps provided verbatim. The name has been changed for privacy purposes.
Suzy is an educator in southern Sydney and has run her family day care business for over 25 years. Suzy has an ABN, is registered for GST, completes her BAS quarterly via a tax agent and submits and annual tax return.
Suzy didn't have a MyGov account but was able to navigate the process from scratch and wants to share her tips to assist her fellow educators in this important (but somewhat complicated) process.
Suzy's tips are as follows:
Step 1 - Establish a 'MyGov' account in 'https://my.gov.au' (or if you already have an account even better).
Step 2 - To create a 'MyGov' account, you will need to provide your mobile number (as codes are forwarded to your mobile for entry to the website to create and access your account).
Step 3 - When you have 'MyGov' access, you will need to create a link between 'MyGov' and your 'ATO' records. To create this link you will require details of (your bank account held by the ATO) and (your last ATO Notice of Assessment). Information from the Notice of Assessment must be entered into the system to establish this linkage.
Step 4 - In the ATO System, you need to Enrol for the JobKeeper payment. (Refer to 'JobKeeper Guide - Sole Traders' for further assistance which appears to apply for Educators). Note that '0' should entered for the number of employees to be remunerated each fortnight. Also, I used April 2020 as the month from which I experienced a reduction in turnover, and consequently have sought payments for the periods 30 March to 12 April and 13 April to 26 April for myself.
The autumn 2020 edition of JiGSAW magazine is now available to view and download for Family Day Care Australia (FDCA) members
In this edition of JiGSAW we share several inspiring stories of selflessness and outstanding achievement and provide an update on our Sector Viability Strategy, along with a summary of FDCA's recent Pre-Budget Submission to the Commonwealth Government.
You'll also hear from all of our regular contributors and have the opportunity to win prizes in our Fun with FDCA section.
To view the autumn edition of JiGSAW, click here.
Would you like to be our JiGSAW book reviewer for the upcoming winter edition?
We are currently looking for a family day care educator to review the following fantastic books for the winter edition of JiGSAW magazine:
Simply email marketing@fdca.com.au before 12.00pm AEST this Friday 24 April and we will choose an FDCA member to receive these wonderful books to share with the children and review!
FDCA has today updated its COVID-19 information hub with information specific to family day care educators and services so that you can easily find the latest information, support and resources available to family day care educators and services during the COVID-19 crisis.
The hub includes:
We will continue to update these pages as new information comes to hand. Please be aware that the situation is evolving rapidly.
To view the FDCA COVID-19 information hub, click here.
Family Day Care Australia represents, supports and promotes the sector in delivering quality outcomes for children.
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