Wage subsidy approvals and payments FAQs

Applications for the Jobs Victoria wage subsidy closed at 3pm on Thursday, 11 August 2022.

No, late applications made after 3pm on Thursday, 11 August 2022 will not be accepted.

Many employers in Victoria and across Australia are facing staff shortages.

The Jobs Victoria Fund will focus on strengthening supports for employers to find the staff they need. The Jobs Victoria Fund’s earn and learn initiatives support employers experiencing workforce shortages by targeting jobseekers who face challenges finding work.

All completed wage subsidy applications made by 3pm Thursday, 11 August 2022, will be processed by Jobs Victoria staff.

Jobs Victoria will process existing wage subsidy payments to employers according to existing criteria and timing.

No, the Jobs Victoria Fund will continue to operate under the administration of the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions.

The Jobs Victoria Fund’s earn and learn initiatives support employers experiencing workforce shortages by targeting jobseekers who face challenges finding work. They support jobseekers and employers with paid training, secure work and free mentoring.

Employers who have applied for a Jobs Victoria Fund wage subsidy can check their application’s progress in the Jobs Victoria Fund Application Hub. You can also contact Jobs Victoria on info@jobs.vic.gov.au or 1300 208 575.

Yes. The minimum for an application is one employee for at least 19 hours per week. If the employee has a disability or provides constant care the minimum is eight hours per week, provided they meet the evidence requirements outlined in the Guidelines.

Constant care refers to providing unpaid care and support to family members or friends with disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail or aged.

Employers approved for wage subsidies will still receive the subsidy, according to the payment schedule. The criteria and payment schedule for successful applicants is unchanged.

The priority jobseekers are:

• Aboriginal people and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• jobseekers registered with a Jobs Victoria Mentor service
• long-term unemployed people (unemployed for six months or more)
• newly arrived migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds
• women aged 45 years and over
• people seeking asylum/refugees
• people with disability
• single parents
• veterans
• men and people who do not identify as a woman aged 45 years and over
• young people aged under 25
• people previously or currently employed under the Working for Victoria initiative.

The Jobs Victoria Fund supports jobs for people who have been most affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic. These people are identified as priority groups because the pandemic has particularly impacted their employment opportunities.

Although we are no longer accepting applications for wage subsidies, we will assist employers to hire people who face challenges finding work.

We have a network of local partners who can provide recruitment support to employers looking for staff.

If you employ a jobseeker registered with a Jobs Victoria Mentor service, you and the employee will also receive post-placement mentoring and support.

If you recruit through the Jobs Victoria online hub you can target job ads to the priority groups of jobseekers. To discuss further please contact info@jobs.vic.gov.au or 1300 208 575.

More information about supports for Victorian businesses is available at Business Victoria. This includes funding opportunities to support businesses to recover and grow, and to employ new staff.

Information about how jobseekers and employers can register with the Jobs Victoria online hub is available in 22 different languages.

The Jobs Victoria Hotline offers services for language translation and interpreting for people with a hearing impairment through Translating Interpreting Service National.

Call the Jobs Victoria Hotline on 1300 208 575.

Or book through Translating Interpreting Service National online or by calling 131 450.

Information about the Jobs Victoria Fund is available in community languages, including information sheets. Please contact Jobs Victoria at info@jobs.vic.gov.au for copies.

Employers can contact Jobs Victoria for recruiting assistance through the Jobs Victoria online hub and/or Jobs Victoria partners to meet commitments under the Social Procurement Framework.

Email info@jobs.vic.gov.au.

Further information about business support grants

Yes. However, an employer cannot receive funding for more than the cost of employing someone across all funding sources.

Applications received by the 11 August 2022 application closing date are assessed against each of the eligibility criteria and requirements outlined in the Guidelines.

We assess applications in the order they were submitted.

Pay slips ensure that employees receive the correct pay and entitlements and help employers to keep accurate and complete records. They are either electronic or hardcopy statements provided to an employee within one working day of their pay day.

Pay slips must cover details of an employees pay for each pay period. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides a list of what information must be included on a pay slip along with a pay slip template that can be used by for employers.

Visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website for further information.

If you meet all the eligibility criteria, applied before the closing date and supplied the necessary information, you will receive funding (subject to the availability of funds and 3.4 Applicant conditions in the Guidelines).

Jobs Victoria will contact you about the outcome of your application. You can also see the status of your application in the Jobs Victoria Fund Application Hub. If successful, you will receive a contract (Grant Agreement) to sign.

We will contact you if we need more information. You must provide that information to Jobs Victoria within 30 business days, or your application will be closed.

The contract (Grant Agreement) will be between the successful applicant and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR).

Successful applicants will receive a Grant Agreement which will include the terms of the agreement including evidence and reporting needed to receive payments.

The Grant Agreement must be signed and returned to DJSIR within the timeframes outlined in the Guidelines.

Details about when payments will be made directly into organisations’ bank accounts will be in your Grant Agreement.

To receive payments, the employee(s) must still work for the applicant and the applicant must meet all the conditions of their Grant Agreement.

For more information see the Guidelines (Section 4.5 – Payment Milestones and Requirements).

Businesses are responsible for employing and managing their employees, including providing appropriate training, induction, supervision, support and appropriately managing any performance issues if they arise.

The employer will only receive a milestone payment if the employee is still employed when each milestone payment is due.

The first milestone payment (on execution of the Grant Agreement) will be paid based on the number of hours the employee is working at the time you applied, evidenced by the payslip you provided with your application form.

If your employee's regular working hours change over the life of the Grant Agreement, your subsidy payment may also change.

Milestone two and three payment amounts will show the maximum subsidy that can be given at that milestone based on the highest subsidy level. The actual milestone payment may be different to the maximum payment amount, subject to the employee's regular working hours at the time of the milestone.

You must submit evidence of employee’s hours worked at each milestone to be paid.

For more information regarding payment milestones, see the Guidelines (Section 4.5 Payment milestones and requirements).

The application for the specific employee won’t be approved if the employee is no longer employed.

To be paid, employers must meet the terms in the Grant Agreement (contract) and provide evidence that the employees for which wage subsidies are being sought remain employed by the organisation.

Jobs Victoria will send you a reminder before your milestone date containing links for you to submit your second milestone evidence documents. Contact jobsvictoria@ecodev.vic.gov.au if you need a copy of this email with your milestone submission links.

Employers must meet the grant agreement terms and provide evidence that the employees remain employed to be paid. Employees must be continuously employed for 26 weeks by the time they reach milestone two. You must provide these documents:

• 26 weeks of pay slips for each employee
• Fully completed Statutory Declaration including a statement of project accounts.

The Statutory Declaration template and links for you to submit your evidence documents are in the milestone reminder we sent before your milestone due date. Contact jobsvictoria@ecodev.vic.gov.au if you need this email with your milestone submission links resent.

Any personal information provided by the applicant or a third party in an application will be collected by the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR) for program administration. This information may be disclosed to other Victorian or Commonwealth government bodies to assess applications. If confidential personal information about third parties is included in an application, applicants must ensure that the third party is aware of the Privacy Statement contents.

Any personal or health information collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred will be held in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and other applicable laws.

Enquiries about access to information should be directed to DJSIR’s Privacy Unit.

To raise or discuss a matter, contact Jobs Victoria at info@jobs.vic.gov.au or on 1300 208 575.

Jobs Victoria is administered by the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR). If you are still having difficulty resolving a problem, complete the complaints webform on the DJSIR website.

If you cannot resolve your complaint with DJSIR, the Victorian Ombudsman may be able to assist.