The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has given businesses extra time to submit their declarations for JobKeeper payments to account for the Christmas period.

The ATO will give employers extra time to meet the wage conditions and to complete their business monthly declaration for December.

It will continue to process reimbursements for payments made between 23 November 2020 and January 3, 2021, until January 28, past the initial due date January 14.

The Federal Government announced in July it would extend JobKeeper six months beyond its initial September end date, but at a reduced rate.

The payment went from up to $1200 a fortnight for eligible employees to up to $1000 until March 28 2021.

To claim JobKeeper, businesses need to show that their actual GST turnover has declined in the December 2020 quarter relative to a comparable period.

Businesses will need to submit their decline in turnover form to the ATO by January 31 2021.

Employers will also be allowed to meet the wage condition for eligible employees for fortnights starting January 4 and January 18, to make sure they have paid their eligible employees before claiming JobKeeper payments in their February monthly business declarations.